May 18th, 2015 11:56 am

Baltika №0 Non-alcoholic(Russia)

The equipment installed at Baltika makes it possible to use the most advanced method of obtaining non-alcoholic beer today. As I have said many times before, there are several ways to free regular beer from alcohol. One of them is when they stop fermentation by cooling, or use special yeast that does not ferment sugar into alcohol. The second operating method is the evaporation method. This is when the beer is heated to a certain temperature and the alcohols evaporate. And the most modern, effective, but also expensive method is dialysis. It is this method that allows the production of non-alcoholic beer, the least different in taste from beer containing alcohol. Roughly speaking, this is when the beer flows through one pipe, which is a membrane, and this pipe is inside another pipe. Water flows in the space between the pipes. Only molecules of alcohol pass through the membrane of the first pipe and dissolve in the water that washes the first pipe. Thus, the beer becomes non-alcoholic.

So, "Baltika No. 0" is made using the technology of dialysis - the careful removal of alcohol from the finished beer, and not the technology of stopped fermentation.

ALA 0.5% ENS 12%

Interesting parameters, in particular the initial density. In most non-alcoholic varieties, it is in the region of 5-8%. But this is certainly for those who make non-alcoholic beer by stopping fermentation. And Baltika claims they make regular beer and then remove the alcohol. True, I took this number of 12% from the official website - ENS is not indicated on the bank, because the law, it seems, allows you not to bother with indicating the density. I wonder why hide the initial density? It has always interested me. And Europeans rarely indicate it, and Americans. What is the secret, who knows?

Okay, a few words about beer. The color is golden, just sparkles with crystal clearness. The foam is good quality. The aroma is similar to most non-alcoholic beers, but this typical sawdust-wort alcohol-freeness in the aroma is expressed quite in the background and unobtrusively here. In addition to the malt base, the aroma has notes of carbon dioxide, metal and some not very bright colors.

Mouthfeel texture is finely carbonated, the body is not watery but light. It is unlikely that it was strongly fermented to raise the alcohol figure. This makes no sense, since then the alcohol must be removed, and the less it was formed during fermentation, the better. Most likely, the extract content of the initial wort of 12% indicated on the website is, to put it mildly, somewhat overestimated. But I'm just speculating, maybe things are different.

The taste is quite sweet and clean. Light malt, unmalted grain, something corn, raw straw, sawdust, wort, light hop bitterness - these components characterize the taste picture. The wort sweetness remains in the aftertaste for a short time. The typical aftertaste of most non-alcoholic beers is present, but not so pronounced as to be annoying. Especially when you knew what you were getting into before uncorking a bottle or a can of Baltika No. 0.

Not bad for non-alcoholic, but far from ideal. The ideal in this sense for me is the maximum similarity to ordinary (alcoholic) beer. Here, this similarity is 3.5 points out of 5. Please note that I rate within the same style. That is, even in the non-alcoholic segment, a "five" is possible, although this is not Westvleteren 12.

For some reason, among many beer lovers it is believed that "Baltika No. 0" is the best non-alcoholic beer of Russian production, and not only Russian. But, according to my observations, those who say so have not tried some varieties from other producers. We'll check it out soon.

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Variety: Non-alcoholic Food pairing: Beef, Pork Country: Russia Alcohol: 0.5% Produced since: 2001

Brand "Baltika" appeared in 1992, becoming the first domestic recognizable food brand. Since the mid-1990s, Baltika has firmly occupied a leading position in the Russian beer market. "Baltika" is 12 different varieties with characteristic features and positioned in different price segments. Baltika can be purchased at 98% of retail outlets in Russia and in 75 countries around the world.
Varieties of beer "Baltika" received about 670 awards at international and Russian competitions.

Beer production "Baltika 0" started in 2001. The equipment installed at Baltika makes it possible to use the most advanced method of producing non-alcoholic beer today.
"Baltika 0" is a non-alcoholic beer, which is produced using membrane filtration technology - the careful removal of alcohol from the finished beer. It is this method that makes it possible to produce non-alcoholic beer that does not differ in taste from beer containing alcohol. It uses a classic recipe and high-quality raw materials. Baltika 0 has a traditional taste and aroma of light beer with sweetish notes.
Baltika 0 is exported to more than 45 countries, including countries such as the USA, Cuba, Japan, New Zealand, Germany, and Ireland.

Find out if drinking non-alcoholic beer is harmful, whether Muslims can drink it, and whether a breathalyzer will show non-alcoholic beer. Here you can read the advice of a nutritionist, and learn how to use the product correctly.

Answer:

Today there is a lot of controversy about whether non-alcoholic beer is harmful. Most high-profile experts will agree that beer is harmful in any form.

The negative effect of non-alcoholic beer on the body is extensive. There is an action on the kidneys, liver and heart. During the production of non-alcoholic beer, cobalt is used as a stabilizer. Such a substance clogs the heart muscle, negatively affects the work of the excretory ducts of the kidneys and liver.

Action on hormones. With the regular use of non-alcoholic beer in the body of a man, testosterone, the male hormone, begins to be poorly produced. Instead, the amount of female hormones increases dramatically.

Action on the reproductive system. Women are advised not to drink non-alcoholic beer. The drink as a whole negatively affects the condition of the genital organs, can lead to ovarian cancer. The use of a soft drink by a nursing mother can lead to convulsions in a child, to a violation of his psyche. Any kind of inexpensive non-alcoholic beer, including Baltika 0, has an extremely negative effect on the state of the male and female body.

The general conclusion: whether to drink beer or not, everyone must decide for himself. It is necessary to weigh the pros and cons, and then make the only right decision.

Can Muslims drink non-alcoholic beer?

In many modern Arab countries on the shelves of shops and supermarkets you can see non-alcoholic beer, which is bought by believers. So can Muslims drink non-alcoholic beer?

If you answer the question from the point of view of the Muslim faith, then beer is strictly forbidden to drink. The thing is that Arab laws prohibit the use of any alcoholic beverages, while non-alcoholic beer has a small content of ethyl alcohol.

The drink may contain from 0.5 to 1.2% alcohol, which is acceptable both in terms of the technological process and in terms of the legislation of the countries where it is produced.

General conclusion: it has been proven that beer contains a small percentage of alcohol! Logically, a "non-alcoholic" drink is haram for Muslims, and therefore its consumption should be strictly prohibited.

Many manufacturers claim and will continue to claim that beer contains hundredths of a percent of ethyl alcohol! Muslims must decide for themselves whether they can drink non-alcoholic beer or not!

Will the breathalyzer show non-alcoholic beer?

Many car enthusiasts are wondering if the breathalyzer will show non-alcoholic beer. After all, some people drink a drink and then drive a car, while a certain category of people gets fined by the traffic police.

Below is the result of a study conducted by a medical center in Moscow. Drivers were asked to drink 1 liter of the drink chosen for them. Apple juice, non-alcoholic beer, kvass were used in the experiment.

After 20 minutes, the readings were measured, using a modern model of the AlcoHunter Professional + breathalyzer. Research results:

• apple juice - 0.00%;
• non-alcoholic beer - 0.09%;
• kvass - 0.00%.

According to the instructions, breathalyzer results from 0.2 to 1.2% indicate that the driver is slightly intoxicated, which is unacceptable under Russian law.

Doctors note that after drinking non-alcoholic beer, a person may experience a slight unsteadiness of gait, the smell of alcohol from the mouth, increased breathing and heart rate.

The general conclusion of the study result: drivers are prohibited from drinking more than 2 bottles of non-alcoholic beer, since the drink contains a small amount of alcohol-containing substances. The result of the breathalyzer will be positive.

Connoisseurs of beer, for whom alcohol is contraindicated, replace it with an alternative intoxicating drink. But not everyone knows whether there is alcohol in non-alcoholic beer and how safe such a product is.

Is there alcohol or not?

The absence of alcohol in a drink marked Alcohol free is a delusion. It is available, although in smaller quantities. The technology for making non-alcoholic beer does not differ from the production of a product with a degree, and the main ingredients are also water, malt, hops and yeast cultures.

Information about how much alcohol is in non-alcoholic beer should be on the label. Different varieties of the product contain from 0.2 to 1.5% alcohol, which is explained by the technology of beer production. Since the process is accompanied by the natural release of ethyl alcohol, it is impossible to completely avoid its occurrence. It is important to keep in mind that even a small dose of ethanol poisons the cells of the liver and kidneys and leads to various pathologies.

With moderate use, a quality soft drink does not lead to systematic alcohol abuse. The product has a calming effect, which is explained by the sedative properties of hops.

There is, in which alcohol is almost completely absent. It is important to study the components indicated on the label, because sometimes we are not talking about non-alcoholic beer, but a beer drink, which contains substances harmful to the body. Such a chemical cocktail is hazardous to health.

Despite the reduced amount of alcohol, under certain circumstances the use of non-alcoholic beer is prohibited:

1. With antibiotic therapy, alcoholic beverages are contraindicated, since ethanol reduces the effectiveness of drugs, worsens the effect of drugs, and increases the risk of adverse reactions.
2. If you are allergic to cereals from which the drink is made (barley, wheat, rye, corn, etc.).
3. When taking psychoactive drugs from the genus of benzodiazepines (Phenazepam, Valium, Nitrazepam, etc.), with which hops are not combined.

Cooking process

The drink is produced at the same enterprises as alcoholic beer. Making a product that is similar to beer, but practically devoid of alcohol, is a more complex procedure. This also explains the high cost. To reduce the percentage of alcohol, the fermentation process is carefully controlled, and sometimes completely eliminated. There are several options for dealcoholization of the product:

1. Interruption of the fermentation process. Yeast is added to the wort, which does not process sugar. Fermentation is also stopped by a sharp cooling of the drink, as a result of which the yeast cultures die.
2. Straining through a thin fine-mesh membrane made of cotton cellulose. It screens out the ethanol molecules.
3. Vacuum distillation and heat treatment. This is necessary for the evaporation of alcohol. The boiling point of alcohol is 78°C and that of water is 100°C. But heating to these temperatures leads to deterioration of the product. Under vacuum, alcohol evaporates at a lower temperature, which allows you to maximize the taste and quality of the drink.

Later, specialists of enterprises determine how many degrees in non-alcoholic beer. According to the standards of Russia, non-alcoholic drinks include drinks in which the volume fraction of alcohol does not exceed 0.5%.

Intoxication and non-alcoholic beer

Beer without alcohol tastes and smells like alcohol, although it does not have the usual degree. But experts do not recommend using the product in large quantities. According to research, even 1 liter. drink affects the reaction rate of a person. With an increase in the amount, signs of intoxication appear:

• increased heart rate;
• redness of the skin;
• pupil dilation;
• violation of clarity of consciousness;
• deterioration in concentration;
• slowing down the reaction rate.

The intensity of signs depends on various factors:

If you need to drive, it is better not to drink more than 1 liter of beer and wait about an hour for the alcohol to be processed and begin to be excreted from the body - even a small dose slows down a person's reaction and can provoke an accident.

Benefit or harm

As in the product with degrees, the non-alcoholic version contains useful macro- and microelements: potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamins PP, A, group B.

It is generally accepted that non-alcoholic beer does not harm the body, but this stereotype is not related to reality. Although the ethanol content is reduced, the drink often contains flavors, dyes, heavy metal compounds, and other hazardous chemicals. It is important to choose high-quality varieties without harmful ingredients in the composition.

Research proves for human health. Some of the health problems that this type of alcohol abuse causes include:

1. Inflammatory processes in the gastrointestinal tract as a result of the addition of cobalt - a foam stabilizer. Also, this toxic element causes thickening of the walls of the heart and expansion of its cavities, increasing the risk of necrosis in the heart muscle, leading to a heart attack.
2. The hormonal background changes due to the phytoestrogens contained in beer - an analogue of female hormones.
3. A negative effect on the functioning of the kidneys, since the product has a diuretic effect, washing out useful substances from the body.
4. The risk of allergies is caused by some components of the drink, especially herbal ones.

The best intoxicating drinks (including soft drinks) are made in Germany and the Czech Republic. On the territory of Russia, products with a reduced alcohol content are also produced. Below are some popular and sought-after brands:

In Russia, you can purchase products with or without a minimum degree - the choice is dictated by individual preferences.