Paulaner is a popular German brewery, that was established way back in 1634 in Munich. The brewery is still one of the best-selling German beers and is one of just six breweries that are allowed to provide beer for Germany’s famous Okotberfest.
Although they have been around for centuries, Paulaner produce just 13 different beers, a range of Weissbier (white beer), Munich Beers and specialities.
One of the Weissbier’s – and the one for today’s review – is the Paulaner Weissbier Non-alcoholic, sometimes just called ‘Weissbier 0,0%.
Paulaner Weissbier 0.0% Initial Review
To start, it helps to go into further detail regarding what a Weissbier – or white beer – is, and how it is made.
A Weissbier is a speciality beer that conforms with the Bavarian Beer Purity Law. This states that the beer must be brewed using top-fermented yeast, and with a wheat malt content of at least 50%.
It is common for Weissbiers to also be called “Weizenbier” or “wheat beer” outside of Germany. However, they all mean the same thing, but referred to differently depending on your location.
With that being said, the Paulaner Weissbier 0,0% is similar to a lager or pilsner in appearance, yet retains strong flavours and aromas of wheat and malt.
That is apparent as soon as I opened the 500ml bottle I used for this review.
The aroma is sweet and wheaty, and is best described as smelling of Weetabix, unsurprisingly.
Pouring it into a glass, it is a rich amber colour, with a decent sized head. Just like all the stereotypical images you see of German steins! It is slightly more opaque, caused more by small bubbles in the beer itself rather than any impurities.
But at first glance, it looks identical to its alcoholic counterparts.
The taste
The initial taste is sweet, wheaty and malty. If you haven’t tried a wheat beer before, it has a horlicksy-taste initial taste, but follows up with a smooth, light hop taste.
The more you drink, you become accustomed to the malt taste, and start to enjoy the hop flavours more. It lacks the kick of alcohol as you might expect, but it is very much an enjoyable drink in its own right.
In this review, I tried a 500ml bottle (pictured) which was easy to consume. Unlike some non-alcoholic derivatives of the ‘real stuff’, I could easily follow up by drinking another bottle or two per sitting!
Some Background to Paulaner 0,0%
As part of all reviews, we do a bit of background research before and during our drinking sessions. To our surprise, the official Paulaner website has gone to a lot of effort to explain how the beer is made and what to expect.
Whilst the classification of ‘non alcoholic’ and ‘zero alcoholic’ is vague, Paulaner have made it clear that this beer contains absolutely no alcohol. Although the 0,0% version starts of life in the same way as the alcoholic versions, alcohol is then carefully removed to ensure no residual alcohol remains. Using a ‘trade secret’, all is confirmed is that temperature and pressure are used to remove alcohol.
So, using the same ingredients and brewing process, plus the method of removing alcohol, the only difference between this and the alcohol version is exactly that. The alcohol.
Paulaner state that ensures that Weissbier 0,0% has exactly the same great taste you expect, whilst having the benefit of being both an isotonic beer and safe for pregnant women and those that are breastfeeding!
Where Can I Buy Paulaner Weissbier 0,0?
For this review, we managed to purchase single bottles in store at our local Tesco supermarket.
However, you can easily purchase bottles for yourself from the following online retailers:
Paulaner Weissbier 0,0% Ingredients, Nutritional Information and Calories
The non-alcoholic version of Weissbier contains exactly the same ingredients as the original stuff. There are no added ingredients, just the lack of alcohol. The ingredients are as follows:
Water, Malted Wheat (Light Wheat Malt, Dark Wheat Malt), Malted Barley (Pilsner Malt, Munich Malt), Carbon Dioxide from fermentation, Yeast and Hops (Herkules).
Obviously, this makes it unsuitable for anybody with barley or wheat intolerances.
| Nutritional Information | Per 100mL |
|---|---|
| Energy (KJ / KCal) | 84 / 20 |
| Fat (g) | 0 |
| Of Which Saturates (g) | 0 |
| Carbohydrate (g) | 4.5 |
| Of Which Sugars (g) | 1.3 |
| Protein (g) | 0.6 |
| Salt (g) | 0 |
The Verdict
Weissbiers – or wheat beers – are definitely an acquired taste as they vary greatly from lagers or pilsners we get in the UK.
The taste of this beer is not dominated by the lack of alcohol, but by the ever-present taste of wheat and malt. In terms of a non-alcoholic beer being so similar to the original, it is very good. The beer is a pleasant drink, and 2-3 at a time will easily go down.
Probably best to enjoy sat at home or on a quiet evening out, and less so for a party or event.
Saying that, I will be buying more and adding to my collection for future drinking sessions!
