0.5% ABV or 0.05% ABV?

You've probably seen them in the store before - beers with 0.5% ABV listed on the label. You might be wondering, does 0.5% ABV count as alcohol-free? The answer is yes! 0.5% ABV is well below the threshold for being considered alcoholic, so these beers can be enjoyed by people who are avoiding alcohol for whatever reason. In this blog post, we will debunk the myth that 0.5% ABV is alcoholic and discuss why these beers are a great option for those looking for an alcohol-free beverage!

Why Is 0.5% ABV sometimes seen as Alcoholic?

There is a common misconception that any beer with 0.5% ABV or more is automatically alcoholic. However, this isn't the case! 0.5% ABV is actually the threshold for being legally defined as an "alcoholic beverage" in many countries, but that doesn't mean all beers with 0.5% ABV are alcoholic.

Officially, 0.5% ABV is classified as 'dealcoholised', and 0.05% ABV is considered 'non-alcoholic' in the UK - but that's about to change! 

Will 0.5% ABV Get Me Drunk?

The short answer is no.

0.5% ABV is not enough to cause intoxication in most people. In fact, you would need to drink more than 20 beers with 0.5% ABV in order to reach the legal limit for driving!

While many may think that there is a significant difference between 0.05% and 0.50% ABV, but the differences are actually negligible in terms of whether it will get you drunk.

In fact, here are a few daily essentials that you probably con-site everyday that has around 0.5% ABV:

- Ketchup has 0.67% ABV

- Burger Rolls have up to 1.2% ABV

- Ripe Banana has 0.3% - 0.57% ABV

So Why Do Some Non-Alcoholic Beers Have 0.5% ABV instead of 0%?

Actually, most high quality alcohol-free beers are never 0% as it is impossible to completely remove alcohol from beer. 0% beers tend to taste watered down and are often not brewed at all (think mixed like a soft-drink with malt extracts).

Breweries that produce alcohol-free beers will usually aim for a 0.5% ABV in order to ensure that the beer still tastes good and doesn't have any of the negative characteristics associated with 0% beers.

Higher quality alcohol-free beers that are naturally brewed to 0.5% ABV, in our experience, taste much better than ones with 0% and retains maximum flavour.

Conclusion

So there you have it - 0.5% ABV does count as Alcohol-Free! These beers are a great option for those looking for an alcohol-free beverage, and we recommend giving them a try. Cheers!