Beck’s Blue
DRINK SUMMARY
Name – Beck’s Blue
Producer – Becks
Type – non-alcoholic lager
Alcohol content – <0.05%
MyDryBar Rating – 74/100
Drink review – Overall Beck’s have made a decent effort to recreate their original beer. It is certainly drinkable, especially if you are after a more bitter alcohol-free beer but if you want a milder lager I recommend something else.
I can’t believe I missed this one! Over 150 different alcohol-free reviews and I’ve only just gotten round to drinking a Beck’s Blue.
I am sure you are all familiar with Beck’s as a beer but if not here’s a quick synopsis. Beck’s (aka Brauerei Beck & Co.) started life in Bremen, Germany back in 1893; in fact the logo of the key is based on Bremen’s coat of arms.
What you may not know is that Beck’s was one of the first large brewers to launch alcohol-free beer in the UK, some thirty years ago … and boy have times changed for alcohol-free drinking!
Like other brewers, Beck’s creates their non-alcoholic beer by slowly removing the alcohol after fermentation to avoid impacting the taste. For regular visitors of MyDryBar you’ll also know that German’s have strict rules about brewing beer (Reinheitsgebot – the beer purity law) and Beck’s Blue also abides by that i.e. its ingredients are just yeast, hops, malt and water.
The question is, is Beck’s Blue a classic German drinker or one you should avoid? Well, you’ll just need to read below to find out.
Is Beck’s Blue any good?
Taste
I have been a fan of alcoholic Beck’s for years and there are some similar characteristics with the alcohol-free version. You certainly get quite the bitterness coming through from the hops and if anything it is actually more bitter than the alcoholic version. That said I did find it too bitter for me and I struggled to complete a full bottle. I think Beck’s has given it a good go at recreating their beer but it could have had some sweetness to balance the hop flavours.
Aroma & Appearance
Beck’s Blue certainly looks similar to the original Beck’s with its light, amber colour in the glass. However, just check out the head on that, super frothy thanks to some great carbonation.
Bonus points
Beck’s Blue certainly gets high scores for availability and I think it is possibly the best-stocked alcohol-free beer in UK supermarkets. It is also one of the lowest-calorie beers with less than 0.05% ABV (so virtually zero alcohol). That said it isn’t suitable for gluten-free drinkers (and I couldn’t find out if it was suitable for vegans).
Buy Beck’s Blue
At the time of writing, you can buy this non-alcoholic beer from most UK supermarkets such as Ocado (strangely the online specialist retailers don’t stock it).
Proof No More is a great new alcohol-free retailer that brings all the latest and greatest beers, spirits and more to your door. Check out their extensive collection of non-alcoholic drinks.
COST (at time of publication) – $2.99
Wise Bartender is a very well-respected alcohol-free retailer with a great selection of booze-free drinks and an easy-to-use site.
Key information
– per 100ml
Type – Lager
Brewery – Beck’s
Country – Germany
Alcohol content – <0.05%
Calories – 15
Ingredients – Water, Malted Barley, Hops, Yeast
Vegan friendly? – unknown
Gluten-free? – unknown
Availability UK/ EU – easy
Availability US/ CAN – medium
“Drunkenness is nothing but voluntary madness.”
-Seneca, AD 50 BC
