How much alcohol in your 'alcohol free' beer/lager?

[Laslomas]

Most so called 'alcohol free' beers do contain a small amount of alcohol, even though the label clearly states 'Sin Alcohol'. I read somewhere, a few years ago, that to be called alcohol free it must be less than 0.5%. The San Miguel label states 0,0% and so I expect that is alcohol free. But 'Cruzcampo Sin' has 1% as does 'Mahou Sin'. Today I was drinking one called 'Steinberg Sin' from Mercadona and noticed that is 0.7%. Shouldn't they be called low alcohol? I am not sure how it adds up if you drink alot, could you end up over the legal limit to drive when only drinling 'Sin Alcohol' beer?
How much alcohol is in your alcohol free beer?

[Julie]

It Is funny that you should mention that, I drink sin all the time and do take note, but today we went in a new to us bar, and the sin was draught, and I would swear it must of been at least 4%, funnily enough my friend boyfriend also said the same, so i will be asking the strength of it next time i go there.

[frank]

Just out of curiosity, how can you tell the strength of a beer just by tasting it? I'm no expert, but I wouldn't imagine that just by tasting a beer you'd have a clue whether it was strong or not, and one beer would hardly have any effect. As for beer having say, .7% content, most non alcohol drinkers normally drink a bottled beer, (as opposed to pints!) you'd need to drink a crate full or more before it would put you over the limit. Personally, I can never see the point of brewing a beer and then going to the trouble and expense of taking the alcohol content out, plus the one's I have tried in the past were dire, if I have the car I always opt for a soft drink or water rather than near beer.

[knowal]

It varies from person to person how much drink can be consumed before being over the prescribed limit for driving - and depends on food consumed prior to drinking. It can take 8 units of alcohol consumed in a short space of time to get most people near the limit.
8 units is 80ml of (pure) alcohol. To drink that amount from a 0.5% source, means you would have to drink 16 litres or 48 cans in a short space of time.
Also bear in mind that the body is capable of excreting 1-2 units of alcohol each hour.

Therefore the likelihood of managing to get over the prescribed limit on 0.5% alcohol drinks is very low indeed.

[Mowser]

I wouldn't imagine that just by tasting a beer you'd have a clue whether it was strong or no

I can always tell an alcohol free beer from a normal one. I can also tell if it's a weak beer or a strong beer.
The next morning is usually a clue.

[Chunky Monky]

I can always tell an alcohol free beer from a normal one. I can also tell if it's a weak beer or a strong beer.

Me too. I has taken many years of arduous and asiduous testing but it is obvious what beer is strong and what is weak (notwithstanding the hangover!).

[BENIDORM]

After having to drink ' Kaliber' alcohol beer many years ago when I was a brewery rep., I actually prefer to drink 'Clara' in Spain...Shandy !

Good, because you can regulate how much beer goes into it...

Regards,
Gordon.

[scouser]

Most of Europe accepts 0.5% ABV as alcohol-free. In Spain you have to ask for cero cero otherwise you could get above 0.5%. You can't get drunk on 0.5%. You might die from excess body fluid first.

In the UK it's different.

Alcohol-free: Contains 0.05% alcohol or less
De-alcoholised: Contains 0.5% alcohol or less
Low-alcohol: contains more than 0.5% but no more than 1.2%

Source: www.alcoholfree.co.uk

If you want to be sure, don't drink draught beer. Always ask for beer in a bottle so you know what you're drinking.