According to Euromonitor International, worldwide sales of non-alcoholic beer and alcohol-free mixed beer beverages totaled 40.91 million hectoliters in 2018, which was an increase of 21% from 2015.

This trend was also noticed by global bioscience company Chr. Hansen, who put a patented and innovative product, NEER™, on the market in 2017 for the production of low and no alcohol beer. Increasing quickly in popularity, this brewing concept centers around a direct pitch technology for brewers who wish to manage and reduce the alcohol in their beer without compromising on taste and aroma.

"Contrary to the traditional technique where alcohol, along with vital aromas is first produced and then removed, we focused on a true fermentation where only a very limited amount - if any at all - of alcohol is produced so that all the desired aromas are preserved in the process,” says Ad van Etten, Senior Manager, Fermented Beverages, Chr. Hansen. In addition, this technology can speed up the production of low alcohol beer, because it keeps the product free of diacetyl. The result is that great tasting alcohol-free beer can now be produced in a matter of days.

The secret behind the concept is a unique strain, isolated from Sauvignon blanc in New Zealand, but previously largely unnoticed. Developed by a team of some of the most highly skilled fermentation experts in the industry, NEER™ consumes only a small part of the sugar but still finds a way to produce high levels of esters, which define that great beer flavor.