Draught alcohol-free beer can be served safely with proper controls.
Campden BRI’s Dr Grzegorz Rachon presented findings from a survey of 90 draught alcohol-free beers drawn from 42 outlets across the UK, Spain, Belgium and the US. The work, shared at Club Soda's Low, No & Mid conference at Big Penny Social in London, examined alcohol content, bitterness, pH and microbial counts. Across all samples, 51% recorded microbial counts below 1,000 CFU per millilitre, 32% between 1,000 and 10,000 CFU/mL, and 17% above 10,000 CFU/mL. UK samples were more likely to exceed the higher threshold (31%) than Spanish samples (7%). No E. coli or Salmonella was detected. Rachon cautioned that alcohol is not the only factor in beer stability; when alcohol is scarce, pH, carbonation, available nutrients and storage temperature become crucial. The study did not compare alcohol-free beer with conventional beer, so it cannot say whether AF beer is more likely to be contaminated. Variations between countries may reflect differing cellar temperatures, dispense-line lengths and shared systems. He outlined practical measures for operators to keep draught alcohol-free beer fresh, underscoring the need for careful handling and storage conditions. Source: The Morning Advertiser
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