From a classic lager like taste to an eccentric rhubarb flavoured beer, IMCD’s development possibilities will satisfy even the ‘pickiest drinkers’.
Driven by the increasing consumer demand for healthier and more mindful drinking options, the market for non-alcoholic beer has significantly grown in the last five years. Non-alcoholic beer market size exceeded € 10 billion in 2020 and is estimated to register over 10% CAGR between 2021 and 2025. This trend has pushed breweries to innovate, develop and produce high-quality non-alcoholic beers that meet consumers’ taste expectations and customers’ requirements.
Innovation has brought to the development of different production methods, each of them presenting their own advantages and challenges. The methods that are currently in use can be divided into two main categories:
Based on the multiple challenges that such production methods can present, IMCD can provide a wide range of ingredient solutions in collaborations with our best-in-class suppliers. This provides breweries with a comprehensive toolkit to improve their non-alcoholic beer options and meet consumers’ expectations for taste, quality and consistency. Among IMCD ingredient solutions:
- Flavours – Improve and balance the taste profile and body to develop non-alcohol free beers that closely mimic and can even elevate the signature flavour of their alcoholic counterpart.
- Enzymes – Optimize the production process by enabling consistent results and enhance stability. On top of this, enzymes can also regulate the balance of sweet and sour profile, improving the overall quality.
- Malt extracts – Deliver authentic beer sensorial attributes, such as taste and colour, while improving the body of the beer. IMCD can provide a malt extract purpose-built for non-alcoholic beers, that can be used as a clean, crisp malt base.
- Hop extract – Add bitterness and hop aroma complexity and characteristics.
Non-alcoholic beers can also be produced by blending the purpose-build malt extract with deaerated water, hop extracts and flavours. Besides the physical and biological techniques, this process is seen as a third very flexible production method to produce non-alcoholic beers.
With the expertise of the IMCD Beverage Team and the clever combination of the above-mentioned ingredient solutions, IMCD has developed innovative non-alcoholic beer concepts to satisfy all type of consumers, from the most traditional- to the most adventurous-type.
Concept #1: Classic'0
Lager style beer with ester and malt notes and nice bitterness.
- Base – Clean and crisp non-alcoholic beer base from purpose-build malt extract.
- Beer flavour – Provides beer ester notes.
- Malt flavour – Increases malt flavour.
- Hop extract – Gives wanted bitterness level.
Concept #2: Blanc’0
Refreshing hazy witbier with notes of banana and phenolic spices.
- Base – Clean and crisp non-alcoholic beer base from purpose-build malt extract.
- Emulsion – Neutral tasting natural flavour to achieve stable haze.
- White beer flavour – Provides estery and phenolic notes.
- Hop extract – Gives wanted bitterness level.
Concept #3: Rhubi’0
Slightly sour tasting non-alcoholic beer with a pleasant rhubarb nose and flavour.
- Base – Clean and crisp non-alcoholic beer base from purpose-build malt extract.
- Pale ale flavour – Floral beer notes.
- Lactic acid – Gives sourness.
- Rhubarb flavour – Freshly cooked rhubarb notes.
- Hop extracts – Gives wanted bitterness level.
Get in touch with us to discover more of our concepts and let’s start co-crafting non-alcoholic beer solutions!