- Classic, drinking a piece of nolo history
- Nice full-body
- Barley heavy, hop extract, resin shining through
- Not overly complex
- Barley heavy if you’re not into that
I was pretty good at history in school, particularly dates, so if I had to guess when Clausthaler was originally brewed I would venture so far to say that it was in the late 19th century. Upon a google search, I’m off by about 80 years. Not bad in the grand scheme of humanity, pretty bad following on from my self-compliment about date knowledge.
Clausthaler was first released to the public in 1979 and I think that tracks well with my original guess because 1979 is insanely early (like caveman early) days when we’re talking nolo beers. This is even cooler because Clausthaler was actually brewed to be a non-alcoholic beer using an innovative brewing methodology as opposed to being a standard beer that just had the alcohol removed, which almost always also takes away the depth and flavour of a brew.
Clausthaler was the first nolo beer I was aware of. I remember my dad drinking one in Durty Nelly’s pub during the 2014 world cup final when Germany took down Argentina. How fitting. He was the only person in the bar drinking a nolo and the bartender had to go way in the back to find it. The bottle was dusty but it got the job done. How the times do change…Looking forward to acquainting myself with this legend.
Clausthaler Classic Original Initial Review
The Godfather of nolo beer hath arrived and its name is Clausthaler. It is the OG. Right on the familiar label, it proclaims itself to be The German Pioneer and I’m certainly not going to dispute that. If anything, it deserves to be called The Global Pioneer. I really, really enjoyed this beer.
Clausthaler starts off with a very unassuming and faint smell. The smell conjures up an image of me walking towards a beer garden when I’ve just caught the vague scent of my destination but I’m still about one block away from the entrance. So, not a lot of depth to the smell.
I had one very cold bottle and one mildly cold bottle and I found the mildly cold Clausthaler much more satisfying, both flavour-wise and mouthfeel-wise, so I’ll describe that experience.
When sipping this lager, I know it’s a German lager. It’s smooth, yet full-bodied and almost melts in my mouth without the term ‘watery’ even entering my brain’s vicinity. There is a strong barley taste and a light aftertaste that doesn’t overly coat the mouth or linger indefinitely. It’s not overly complex, but gosh dangit, it doesn’t need to be.
Clausthaler Original feels like a brew that is best paired with something active or social, something inspirational. I could easily see myself drinking 5 to 7 of these during a party with my closest friends where we’re all laughing like we’re in a commercial except it’s real life, or enjoying one after reaching a mountain peak. It’s good, good.
Where Can I Buy Clausthaler Original?
You can find Clausthaler Original in…the Pig and Whistle bar in San Francisco, CA. At least, they had it there 2 years ago.
You can also buy bottles of Clausthaler Original online from one of the following options:
The Clausthaler Original price varies depending on where you buy it from and how many bottles you buy. I bought 2 bottles from Wisebartender for £1.39 per bottle.
Clausthaler Original Ingredients, Nutritional Information and Calories
The ingredients for Clausthaler Original are:
Water, Barley Malt, Hop Extract, Fermentation Carbon Dioxide. Clausthaler Original is brewed in strict accordance with the German purity law.
| Nutritional Information | Per 100 mL |
|---|---|
| ABV | 0.5% |
| Energy (KJ / KCal) | 108 / 26 |
| Fat (g) | 0.0 |
| Of Which Saturates (g) | 0.0 |
| Carbohydrate (g) | 5.1 |
| Of Which Sugars (g) | 2.8 |
| Protein (g) | <0.5 |
| Salt (g) | <0.01 |
TLDR
TLDR: Clausthaler Original is the world’s first nolo beer that was brewed to be a non-alcoholic beer. It achieved this using innovative brewing techniques. It is brewed by the Binding-Brauerei in Frankfurt, Germany. Clausthaler Original is a great nolo beer and I gave it 4 out a possible 5 stars.
It earned strong marks for its fresh and full-body as well as for its obvious commitment to the German purity law. The main drawbacks were that the beer itself is not overly complex and is quite barley heavy, which some will like and some will not. Overally, it was very good and sessionable and best served mildly cold as opposed to ‘Coors Blue Mountain Cold’. Clausthaler Original costs £1.39 a bottle and has the following ingredients: Water, Barley Malt, Hop Extract, Fermentation Carbon Dioxide.
