Non-alcoholic Beer Research Articles

The Effect of Different Soft Drinks on the Force Degradation of Conventional and Memory Orthodontic Elastic Chains: An In-Vitro Study.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess how different soft drinks affect the deterioration of conventional and memory orthodontic elastomeric chains. Materials and Methods: We used 500 five-loop segments of elastomeric chains, which were divided into two equal groups of conventional and memory chains. The samples were kept in artificial saliva during the study period. Each group was further divided into 5 subgroups consisting of artificial saliva (controls), Coca-Cola®, non-alcoholic beer (ISTAK®), and carbonated and non-carbonated yoghurt-based drinks (Alis®). Treatment with the soft drinks consisted of immersion in the test liquids twice a day for 3 minutes each time. Force measurements were taken on days 1, 7, 14, 21, and 28. Data were analyzed using One- and three-way ANOVA tests, and independent t-test, with a significance level of 5%. Results: The mean initial force for the conventional and memory elastomeric chains was 3.34±0.112N and 2.49±0.209N, respectively. Conventional chains showed significantly greater degradation than memory chains (P<0.01). Soft drinks had a significant impact on force degradation for both types of chains at all time points (P<0.01). Coca-Cola® had the highest level of force degradation, while non-carbonated yoghurt-based drinks had the lowest (P<0.01). Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, it is recommended that orthodontic patients choose non-carbonated yoghurt-based drinks during their treatment. Memory elastomeric chains may be more suitable for patients who consume large amounts of carbonated soft drinks, due to their lower amount of force degradation compared to conventional chains.

Comparison of Two Commercially Available Strains, Saccharomycodes ludwigii and Torulaspora delbrueckii, for the Production of Low-Alcohol Beer

Due to current trends in beer consumption, as well as social aspects, such as the education of society on combining drinking and driving, intensive research and development efforts have been recently focused on producing low-alcohol beers and non-alcoholic beers with a sensory profile appealing to consumers. There are plenty of methods for obtaining such beverages; one of these methods involves utilizing non-conventional yeasts for wort fermentation. In this work, the production of low-alcohol beer using commercially available Saccharomycodes ludwigii and Torulaspora delbrueckii strains were compared. The results showed that Torulaspora delbrueckii achieved the lowest level of attenuation, producing beer with an ethanol concentration of 2.58% vol. Saccharomycodes ludwigii displayed a slightly higher level of attenuation; however, its alcohol concentration was slightly lower than in the case of Torulaspora delbrueckii and reached 2.50% vol. Fully fermented beers produced using Saccharomycodes ludwigii and Torulaspora delbrueckii represented reduced ethanol concentrations by 12% and 15%, respectively, in comparison to Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Nevertheless, in order to produce non-alcoholic beers, arrested fermentation is necessary. In such a case, Saccharomycodes ludwigii reached the highest level of attenuation among non-alcoholic beers.

Non-alcoholic beer reduces flexibility of ideas: Randomized control trial study in Japan

This study examined whether non-alcoholic beverages enhanced individuals’ creativity. Participants were randomly allocated to either the non-alcoholic drink group or the water group. They completed the pre-session creativity task and then drank non-alcoholic drinks or water during the drinking session. Thereafter, they completed the post-session creativity task. Two experiments were performed in the study. The results of Experiment 1 (non-alcoholic drink: n = 18; water: n = 17), wherein participants had little experience with alcohol consumption and the sample size was small, show that non-alcoholic beverages did not have any effect. The results of Experiment 2, (non-alcoholic beer: n = 68; water: n = 65), which was conducted among participants with a long intake history and a sufficient number of samples (the required sample size was calculated to be 128), showed that flexibility was higher in the water group than in the non-alcoholic beer group. A previous study showed that alcohol consumption reduced flexibility. Therefore, classical conditioning may have caused non-alcoholic beverages to produce a conditioned response of reduced flexibility, a response similar to the effect of alcoholic beverages.

Photocatalytic degradation of aflatoxin B1 in aqueous medium and non-alcoholic beer using chlorophyllin

Photocatalytic degradation of aflatoxin B1 in aqueous medium and non-alcoholic beer using chlorophyllin

Beer-gut microbiome alliance: a discussion of beer-mediated immunomodulation via the gut microbiome.

As a long-established fermented beverage, beer is rich in many essential amino acids, vitamins, trace elements, and bioactive substances that are involved in the regulation of many human physiological functions. The polyphenols in the malt and hops of beer are also important active compounds that interact in both directions with the gut microbiome. This review summarizes the mechanisms by which polyphenols, fiber, and other beneficial components of beer are fermentatively broken down by the intestinal microbiome to initiate the mucosal immune barrier and thus participate in immune regulation. Beer degradation products have anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, antioxidant, and glucolipid metabolism-modulating potential. We have categorized and summarized reported data on changes in disease indicators and in vivo gut microbiota abundance following alcoholic and non-alcoholic beer consumption. The positive effects of bioactive substances in beer in cancer prevention, reduction of cardiovascular events, and modulation of metabolic syndrome make it one of the candidates for microecological modulators.

Assortment management digitalization as a factor of increasing the competitiveness of beer and beverage producers in the Russian region

The article studies current trends in consumer behavior that affect the beer and beverages market with the help of electronic technology. The peculiarities of behavior of beer and alcoholic beverages buyers during a crisis have been noted. The paper presents an analysis of alcoholic beverage groups sales structure in natural and monetary terms, identifies structural shifts in the beer market, and shows a trend for an increase in the market share of local brands. Dynamics of retail price of one liter of beer compared with the volume of the Russian beer and beer drinks market in 2017–2022 has been analyzed. The article concludes that the range of local brands and production of innovative products should be expanded. The possibilities of using electronic technologies in assortment management in the beer and beverage market have been shown. Enterprises producing beer and soft drinks need to analyze big data on an ongoing basis, as well as use digital tools for interacting with consumers. The possible path of consumers in the beer and beverages market based on these tools has been described. The article also shows dynamics of the emergence of new brands in the carbonated drinks market, considers possibilities of developing the assortment policy of domestic beer and beverage producers in this direction, and describes global and regional features of growing segments, such as functional, energy and sports drinks, non-alcoholic cocktails, as well as non-alcoholic beer and wine options.

Сравнение типичных свойств напитков с различным содержанием этанола

Non-alcoholic beer and wine are in great demand. Some of them contain carbon dioxide. Dealcoholization makes it possible to obtain high-quality drinks, but changes in flavor and taste are unavoidable. This article introduces a comparative analysis of the typical properties of beer and sparkling wine with different levels of alcohol.&#x0D; The research featured industrial samples of beer and sparkling wine with different volume fractions of ethyl alcohol. The comparative analysis relied on standard research methods and included sensory evaluation, acidity, sparkling properties in terms of carbon dioxide desorption rate, carbon dioxide content, foamy properties, viscosity, phenolic substances, beer proteins, and optical characteristics. &#x0D; Alcoholic beer had a better taste and possessed a typical beer flavor. The flavor and taste profile of sparkling wines depended on the raw material. The sparkling coefficient of non-alcoholic beer was 1.2–7.5% higher than that of alcoholic beer because drinks with less ethanol have better carbon dioxide solubility. For alcoholic sparkling wine, the sparkling coefficient was higher by 19.7% than for its non-alcoholic analogue due to bound forms of carbon dioxide. The foaming properties of alcoholic drinks were better than those of the non-alcoholic samples due to the higher protein content. The yellowness and optical density of drinks at a wavelength of 350 nm depended on the amount of phenolic substances. The color index of beer depended on the content of melanoidins.&#x0D; The modern dealcoholization technologies make it possible to produce non-alcoholic beverages with the same sensory properties as their alcoholic prototypes. However, these technologies can be improved in terms of bound carbon dioxide, proteins, phenolic substances, and flavor.

Chemo-preventive effects and antitumorigenic mechanisms of beer and nonalcoholic beer toward 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) - induced lung tumorigenesis in A/J mice

We investigated the chemopreventive effects of beer, nonalcoholic beers (NABs), and beer-components (glycine betaine (GB)) on NNK-induced lung tumorigenesis in A/J mice, and the possible mechanisms underlying the antitumorigenic effects of beer, NABs, and beer-components. Beer, NABs, and GB reduced NNK-induced lung tumorigenesis. We investigated the antimutagenicity of beer, NABs and beer-components (GB and pseudouridine (PU)) toward the mutagenicity of 1-methyl-3-nitro-1-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) and 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK). Beer, NABs, and beer components were antimutagenic toward MNNG and NNK in the Ames test using S. typhimurium TA1535. In contrast, MNNG and NNK mutagenicity detected in S. typhimurium YG7108, a strain lacking O6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferases (ogtST and adaST) did not decrease in the presence of beer, NABs, or beer components, suggesting that they may mediate its antimutagenic effect by enhancing DNA damage repair. Phosphorylation of Akt and STAT3, with or without epidermal growth factor stimulation, in lung epithelial-like A549 cells were significantly decreased following beer, NABs, GB and PU. They targeted both the initiation and growth/progression steps of carcinogenesis, specifically via antimutagenesis, stimulation of alkyl DNA-adduct repair, and suppression of Akt- and STAT3- mediated growth signaling. GB and PU may contribute, in part, to the biological effects of beer and NABs via the suppression of Akt and STAT3 phosphorylation.

THU-454 - Effects of a one-month consumption of different non-alcoholic beers on metabolic and liver health in young men

THU-454 - Effects of a one-month consumption of different non-alcoholic beers on metabolic and liver health in young men

Increasing Higher Alcohols and Acetates in Low-Alcohol Beer by Proteases.

The market of non-alcoholic and low-alcohol beer has grown continuously thanks to the advocacy for healthy and responsible drinking. Non-alcoholic and low-alcohol products usually possess less higher alcohols and acetates and more aldehyde off-flavors due to the manufacturing processes. The employment of non-conventional yeasts partially mitigates this problem. In this study, we used proteases to optimize the wort amino acid profile for better aroma production during yeast fermentation. The design of experiments was applied to increase the leucine molar fraction, aiming to boost 3-methylbutan-1-ol and 3-methylbutyl acetate (banana-like aromas). This led to an increase from 7% to 11% leucine in wort after protease treatment. The aroma output in the subsequent fermentation, however, was yeast-dependent. An 87% increase of 3-methylbutan-1-ol and a 64% increase of 3-methylbutyl acetate were observed when Saccharomycodes ludwigii was used. When Pichia kluyveri was employed, higher alcohols and esters from valine and isoleucine were increased: 58% more of 2-methylpropyl acetate, 67% more of 2-methylbutan-1-ol, and 24% more of 2-methylbutyl acetate were observed. Conversely, 3-methylbutan-1-ol decreased by 58% and 3-methylbutyl acetate largely remained the same. Apart from these, the amounts of aldehyde intermediates were increased to a varying extent. The impact of such increases in aromas and off-flavors on the perception of low-alcohol beer remains to be evaluated by sensory analysis in future studies.

Headspace single-drop microextraction combined with nanodrop spectrophotometry for ultra-trace detection of ethanethiol using a suspended drop of AuNPs as a plasmonic sensor

It is challenging to achieve ethanethiol extraction, enrichment in a single-drop microextraction system, and an assay with good sensitivity and selectivity for analyzing food analytes in complex matrices. In this study, we combined headspace single-drop microextraction (HS-SDME) with nanodrop array spectrophotometry applied for ultra-trace determination of ethanethiol. A suspended drop of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) solution was utilized for sensing ethanethiol as an acceptor phase. The thiol portion of ethanethiol molecules binds to the negatively charged AuNPs. Thus, the aim of target enrichment was attained, while matrix effects interference was also minimized. The approach can be used for the direct detection of ethanethiol in food without any sample pretreatment. The obtained range of linearity was 1–1000 µM and 100–1000 nM. The detection limits were 66.62 nM, comparable with those of previously reported methods. The method successfully determined ethanethiol in food (beverage, non-alcoholic beer, and cheese).

The Association of Influencer Marketing and Consumption of Non-Alcoholic Beer with the Purchase and Consumption of Alcohol by Adolescents

In this study, we examined influencer marketing and consumption of non-alcoholic beer by adolescents to determine how these factors could affect the intentions of adolescents to purchase and drink alcohol. A total of 3121 high-school students recruited from 36 schools in Taiwan completed a self-administered questionnaire during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022. The results indicate that 19% of these adolescents consumed non-alcoholic beer and 28% consumed alcohol in the past year. Multivariate analysis positively associated adolescents' exposure to influencer marketing with their purchase and consumption of non-alcoholic beer. Adolescents' exposure to influencer marketing of non-alcoholic beer combined with lower levels of parental restrictive mediation was associated with increased odds of the purchase and consumption of alcohol. For individuals who did not purchase alcohol in the past year, both the exposure to influencer marketing and the consumption of non-alcoholic beer were associated with intending to purchase alcohol in the future. Similarly, individuals who previously abstained from the consumption of alcohol, both the exposure to influencer marketing and the consumption of non-alcoholic beer were associated with intending to consume alcohol. In conclusion, when adolescents were exposed to influencer marketing of non-alcoholic beer they were more likely to consume it, which resulted in an increased likelihood that they would then purchase and consume alcohol.

Blunted neural reward response to alcohol and greater alcohol motivation in binge drinkers in a randomized clinical experiment.

Alcohol stimulates cerebral blood flow (CBF) in brain reward regions. However, neural processes that support sustained alcohol motivation after the first drink are not well understood. Using a novel placebo-controlled, randomized, crossover experiment, 27 individuals who binge drink (BD; 15 M, 12 F) and 25 social drinkers (SD; 15 M, 10 F) underwent a behavioral test of self-motivated alcohol consumption using an Alcohol Taste Test (ATT) involving alcoholic and nonalcoholic beer on separate days. The test was followed immediately by perfusion functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). On both days, participants then engaged in a post-scan ATT with placebo beer to assess sustained alcohol self-motivation without active alcohol effects. Linear mixed effects models were used to examine the effects of drinking group on the placebo-controlled effect of initial alcohol motivation on brain perfusion (whole brain corrected p < 0.001, cluster corrected p < 0.025) and on the relationship between placebo-controlled brain perfusion and sustained alcohol motivation. Initial alcohol self-motivation in the alcohol relative to placebo session led to markedly decreased activation in the medial orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and the ventral striatum in BD relative to SD, indicative of neural reward tolerance. The BD group also showed an enhanced neural response in behavioral intention regions of the supplementary motor area (SMA) and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) regions. Moreover, there was greater sustained alcohol motivation in BD than SD in the post-scan ATT in the alcohol relative to placebo session. Correspondingly, only in BD and only in the alcohol session, lower alcohol-induced OFC response correlated with concurrent sensitized SMA response, and each predicted the subsequent sustained higher alcohol motivation in the post-scan ATT. Alcohol-related OFC tolerance may play an important role in sustained alcohol motivation. Furthermore, both specific alcohol-related neural reward tolerance and premotor sensitization responses may contribute to escalating alcohol motivation to drive excessive alcohol intake, even in individuals without alcohol use disorder.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in high-consumption soft drinks and non-alcoholic beers in Iran: Monitoring, Monte Carlo simulations and human health risk assessment

The present study has focused on measuring the level of 16 PAHs in soft drinks and non-alcoholic beers and their health risk using the MSPE/GC–MS (magnetic solid-phase extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry) method. The average of extraction recoveries (ER) was obtained between 73.048% and 99.879%. The mean concentration of ∑16PAH and ∑8PAHs were 0.702 ± 0.078 ppb and 0.196 ± 0.016 ppb in soft drinks and 1.315 ± 0.199 ppb and 0.288 ± 0.021 ppb in the non-alcoholic beer samples, respectively. The measured BaP for a soft drink (0.00856 ppb) and non-alcoholic beer (0.0197 ppb) were far below the U.S. EPA standard for drinking water quality (0.2 ppb). The TEQBaP of soft drinks (0.039 ppb) was lower than non-alcoholic beer samples (0.061 ppb). The Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) results showed the THQ 95th percentiles of PAHs for soft drink samples in the adult and children were calculated as 9.497E-04 and 2.221E-03, while these amounts for non-alcoholic beer samples in children and adults were 3.341E-03 and 1.430E-03, respectively. The incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) values for adults and children were also 2.841E-07 and 1.328E-06 in soft drinks and 4.273E-07 and 1.996E-06 in non-alcoholic beer samples, respectively. The values of non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks of the 16 PAHs in high-consumption soft drinks and non-alcoholic beers in Iran were in the acceptable ranges (hazard quotient < 1 and ILCR 〈10−6).

Effect of Bitter-leaf (Vernonia amygdalina) Flavored Non-alcoholic Wheat Beer (NAWB) on, Insulin and GLUT-2 expression in Pancreas of High fat diet/Streptozotocin (HFD/STZ) Induced Diabetic Wistar Rats.

In the management of type 2 diabetes (T2D), dietary intervention has been proposed to be highly effective. This study, therefore, investigated the effect of bitter leaf-flavored non-alcoholic wheat beer (NAWB) on insulin secretion and GLUT-2 expression in the pancreas of STZ-induced diabetic rats. In this study, the rats received a single intraperitoneal injection (i.p.) of STZ (35mg/kg) after being fed a high-fat diet for 14days to induce T2D. The rats were treated with bitter leaf flavored NAWB samples (100%HP- Hops only, 100%BL-Bitter leaf only, 75,25BL- 75% Hops, 25% Bitter Leaf, 50:50BL- 50% Hops:50% Bitter Leaf, and 25:75BL-25%Hops:75% Bitter Leaf) and Acarbose for 14days. The superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase activity were also determined. The results from this study showed a correlation between GLUT-2 and Insulin expression. There was an upregulation of Insulin as GLUT-2 expression was upregulated. Furthermore, the treated groups showed better antioxidant activity when compared with the diabetic control. Bitter leaf-flavored NAWB might thus be a good dietary intervention for type 2 diabetics.

A case–control study of drinking beverages and the risk of multiple sclerosis in Iran

BackgroundThere is no study in the world on the relationship between consuming black and green tea as beverages containing polyphenols and the risk of MS. This study aimed to determine the association between the consumption of green and black tea, coffee, non-alcoholic beer, milk, fruit juices and carbonated beverages with the risk of MS.Methods and materialsThis case–control study was performed on 150 patients with MS and 300 healthy individuals as a control group among patients who were referred to the ophthalmology ward of a referral hospital in Ahvaz with the groups matching for age. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire including demographic information and beverage consumption. Analysis was performed using univariate and multiple logistic regression models.ResultsThe mean age of patients at the time of diagnosis was 38.55 ± 8.88 years. The results showed that drinking milk (OR = 5.46), natural juice (OR = 2.49), and carbonated beverages (OR = 16.17) were associated with an increased chance of developing MS. However, drinking non-alcoholic beer (OR = 0.48), black tea (OR = 0.20), green tea (OR = 0.29) and coffee (OR = 0.07) were associated with a reduced chance of developing MS.ConclusionThe results show that drinking black and green tea, non-alcoholic beer, and coffee are associated with a decrease in the chance of developing MS. The results of this study can be used to design interventional research and to change people's lifestyles to prevent MS.

Effect of molar mass and size of non-alcoholic beer fractions and their relevance toward palate fullness intensity

Palate fullness intensity and mouthfeel descriptors are essential sensory characteristics of non-alcoholic beers (NABs). The descriptor’s perception might be influenced by the molar distribution of the non-volatile matrix in cereal-based beverages like NABs. However, only limited information is available on the molar mass of different substances in NABs. This study investigated the role of weight average molar mass (Mw) and size of NABs fractions and their relation to sensory perception. Industrialized bottom-fermented NABs (n = 28) from the German market and NABs produced by different methods were used in this study. A trained sensory panel evaluated palate fullness intensity, mouthfeel, and basic taste descriptors (as additional quality parameters). Asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation was used to fractionate NABs, while Mw was determined by multi-angle light scattering and differential refractive index detectors. The NABs were fractionated into three groups containing different substances: proteins, proteins-polyphenol complexes (P-PC) and low molar mass (non-)starch polysaccharides (LN-SP), and high molar mass (non-)starch polysaccharides (HN-SP). The Mw range of proteins was 18.3–41 kDa, P-PC and LN-SP 43–122.6 kDa, and HN-SP 0.40–2.18·103 kDa. Harmony, defined as the sweet and sour ratio, influenced the palate fullness intensity perception. In the harmonic samples (sour/sweet sensory balanced), the size of HN-SP (> 25 nm) showed a positive correlation to palate fullness intensity. The results suggest the importance of dextrins, arabinoxylan, and β-glucan in modulating the sensory characteristics of harmonic bottom-fermented NABs.

Effects of Different Beer Compounds on Biometrically Assessed Emotional Responses in Consumers

The study of emotional responses from consumers toward beer products is an important digital tool to obtain novel information about the acceptability of beers and their optimal physicochemical composition. This research proposed the use of biometrics to assess emotional responses from Mexican beer consumers while tasting top- and bottom-fermented samples. Furthermore, a novel emotional validation assessment using proven evoking images for neutral, negative, and positive emotions was proposed. The results showed that emotional responses obtained from self-reported emoticons and biometrics are correlated to the specific emotions evoked by the visual, aroma, and taste aspects of beers. Consumers preferred bottom-fermentation beers and disliked the wheat-based and higher-bitterness samples. Chemical compounds and concentrations were in accordance to previously reported research for similar beer styles. However, the levels of hordenine were not high enough to evoke positive emotions in the biometric assessment, which opens additional research opportunities to assess higher concentrations of this alkaloid to increase the happiness perception of low or non-alcoholic beers.

The Measurement of Hazardous Biogenic Amines in Non-Alcoholic Beers: Efficient and Applicable Miniaturized Electro-Membrane Extraction Joined to Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry.

The determination of biogenic amines (BAs) as serious food contaminants and chemical indicators of unwanted microbial contamination or deficient processing conditions in non-alcoholic beers is of great interest for the beverage industries. In the present investigation, the combination of hollow fiber-electro-membrane extraction (HF-EME) and dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was applied for the analysis of histamine, putrescine, tyramine, cadaverine in non-alcoholic beers. EME is fundamentally based on the electrostatic attraction, diffusion and solvability of analytes in a selected acceptor phase. This membrane-based extraction technique promoted selectivity and the enrichment factor. The DLLME process reduced the volumes of organic solvents and make the coupling of HF-EME to the CG/MS conceivable. The leading variables, which have a great effect on extraction recovery, were optimized. The relative standard deviation was achieved between 4.9 and 7.0%. The recoveries were between 94% and 98%. The limit of detection and limit of quantification were found to be 0.92-0.98 ng mL-1 and 3.03-3.23 ng mL-1, respectively. The enrichment factor was calculated in the range 36-41. The achievements revealed that putrescine and tyramine, with concentrations of 3.87 and 2.33 µg g-1, were at the highest concentration in non-alcoholic beers. This offered method with great benefits could help beverage industries to monitor the concentration of BAs in beers and control them.

Who buys non-alcoholic beer in Finland? Sociodemographic characteristics and associations with regular beer purchases.

The consumption of non-alcoholic beer and other non-alcoholic and low-alcohol beverages has grown significantly in recent years. Due to a lack of suitable datasets, there have been few studies conducted on the forerunners of the non-alcoholic beer consumption trend. This study examined the associations of sociodemographic characteristics with non-alcoholic beer purchase, and of non-alcoholic beer purchases with regular beer purchases. The data consisted of longitudinal individual purchases of non-alcoholic and regular beer from grocery stores in 2017 and 2018. The study participants were loyalty cardholders from the largest food retailer in Finland (n=47,066). The level of education, household income and occupational status were analyzed as determinants of non-alcoholic beer purchase using logistic regression models. The changes in the regular and non-alcoholic beer purchases from 2017 to 2018 and the distributions of non-alcoholic beer purchase by regular beer purchase, by gender and by age were described. Between 2017 and 2018, the total volume of non-alcoholic beer purchases increased from 2.3% to 3.7% of the total volume of all beer purchases. Men and older people purchased non-alcoholic beer more often than women and younger people did. Non-alcoholic beer purchases were most common among the highly educated and high-income consumers. Non-alcoholic beer purchases were most prevalent in the groups with the highest volumes of regular beer purchase. Educated and affluent consumers have been the forerunners of non-alcoholic beer consumption in Finland. In order to promote the substitution of regular beer with non-alcoholic beer the shift towards lower-strength beverages should be facilitated across social strata.