Tips From The Pitch: Non/Low Alcoholic Beers
Category : General
Date : January 6, 2025
Author : White Labs
Brewing non-alcoholic and low-alcohol beers (NAB/LAB) combines traditional techniques with innovative methods to create flavorful beers. As demand rises, new approaches and optimized recipes are delivering better-tasting NAB/LAB options than ever before.
See our quick guide below for information on NAB/LAB beers
Monitor Your pH
Non-alcoholic and low-alcohol beers lack the typical microbial deterrents found in regular beer due to their lower alcohol content, lower IBU, and higher pH. As a result, greater quality assurance and control are required during their production.
- NOT SAFE FOR CONSUMPTION: Keep pH below <4.3 to prevent the growth of spoilage
microorganisms. - Adjust your starting pH using phosphoric acid or lactic acid to mimic more of a usual
beer pH drop.

Fermentation
Choose Strains that are Maltose-Negative to Limit Fermentation.- WLP603 Torulaspora delbrueckii - Vault Strain
- WLP618 NA All Day - Core Strain
- WLP686 Zygosaccharomyces lentus - Vault Strain
- WLP4650 Metschnikowia reukaufii - Vault Strain
**Glucose and fructose can ferment and produce alcohol with maltose-negative strains.
To limit maltose production:
To limit maltose production:
- Mash at high temperatures (>72°C/162°F) to reduce beta-amylase activity.
- Consider shorter mashes (over 30 minutes).
Pasteurize

- Ensures microbiological stability and extends shelf life.
- NA beer lacks the preservative effect of alcohol, making it more susceptible to spoilage.
- Pasteurization kills remaining microorganisms, preventing spoilage, off-flavors, and health risks.
- Helps maintain the beer’s taste and quality over time.
- GENERAL
- January 30, 2025
- TECHNICAL
- December 13, 2024