A couple weeks ago I met with a substance abuse counselor about Bright Barrel and our business of crafting non-alcoholic beer. He was intrigued with the concept and I asked if he felt he could let his folks under his care drink non-alcoholic beer. After he asked a few further diagnostic questions he observed that he couldn’t endorse it, but he also felt this was a very personal choice and he could see how it could benefit some.
Delving into Non-Alcoholic Beer:
Let’s demystify non-alcoholic beer a bit more first. The beverage ranges from 0.0% to 0.5% alcoholic content, positioning it in a unique category alongside other fermented products like kombucha and kefir. However, that percent alcohol can also show up in every day foods. A ripe banana can have up to 0.4% alcohol.
At Bright Barrel, we meticulously design our non-alcoholic beer to mirror the traditional brewing process, incorporating malt, yeast, hops and water, albeit with reduced fermentation. We have had conversations about whether we should pursue a whole new path of innovation in the realm of non-alcoholic beer, but at this point we are working on getting down some of the basics before pioneering entire new product lines.
It also ought to be noted that getting drunk on non-alcoholic beer is near impossible. Most human’s metabolism would take over and process out the alcohol long before you could get to a point where you were drunk – even on the maximum 0.5% alcohol beverage. It takes 15-20 non-alcoholic beers to equal one alcoholic brew.
How Non-Alcoholic Beer Can Help
- It can help you wean yourself off of the real deal. This was my personal experience. I love the taste of real beer. The crisp, refreshing mouth-feel along with a blend of malt sweetness, hop bitterness, and a blend of possible flavors: fruity and floral to earthy and roasted. I am not a big sweet drinker and I found sparkling water just too bland.
- It has significant health benefits, such as polyphenols to protect against inflammation and cardiovascular disease, electrolytes to hydrate the body, and lower calories than alcoholic counterparts.
- It can help in social situations where others are drinking. Assuming you still mix it up with friends who drink, a frothy, non-alcoholic beer in a glass can allow you to enjoy an outing with friends who are slowly inebriating themselves to dull while you stay mentally bright.
Where Non-Alcoholic Beer requires further reflection:
- Liver Cirrhosis – the jury is out. While some counsel against any non-alcoholic beer for patients with liver disease, there is an intriguing study that suggests that non-alcoholic beer + exercise + diet had a better quality of life than those in a control group who drank drank water + exercise + diet.
- Just the taste of an NA Beer can trigger a dopamine release. While dopamine is a hormone that can help with motivation it is also a hormone that ought to be questioned when it occurs with the input of a product into your body. A study out of Indiana University suggested that simply the taste of a non-alcoholic beer can elicit the dopamine in the rewards centers of the brain.
- It could elicit cravings to go back to the real deal. If you have any concerns that trying a beer again could open the door to start drinking an alcoholic beer just steer clear. Whether its the flavors and aromas or just being back in the atmosphere with people drinking, any situation where a barrier to drinking again could crumble is a situation that should be avoided.
Know Thyself
One of the beauties of recovery is that people often have a much better understanding of their limits than those who have never gone through the process. If you follow the 12-steps you have gone much deeper into your past by exploring issues of denial, your need for a higher power and exploring your moral inventory and restoring what has been broken. You often have a greater and clearer perspective on yourself than others who just trundle on with the busyness of life. So know your limitations and weaknesses and evaluate whether you want to go down this path. I have personally found more help than hurt with non-alcoholic products, but others might find the opposite.
How Bright Barrel is committed to helping
Bright Barrel doesn’t just create non-alcoholic beer; we’re committed to supporting recovery journeys. Recognizing the synergy between our product’s minimal alcohol content and the recovery process, we dedicate 0.5% of our profits to recovery support services. Through this commitment, we aim to contribute not only to the non-alcoholic beer market but also to the broader goal of supporting individuals on their path to sobriety.