"This might seem like legal hair-splitting, but the decision reveals a fundamental truth about the drinks we love. Spirits like gin are defined by distillation, a process meant to isolate and concentrate ethanol. When you take the alcohol out, you're often left with little more than flavored water trying to mimic the real thing. The ruling highlights a critical distinction in the beverage aisle: liquor and wine lose their identity without ethanol. Beer does not."
"Beer's character is not defined by its alcohol content, but by its craft. Its identity comes from the interplay of malted barley sweetness, hop bitterness, and yeast esters during fermentation. Even when alcohol is reduced or removed using modern brewing techniques, beer retains its flavor, its body, and its soul. That intrinsic quality is why beer holds strong consumer appeal in the lower- and no-alcohol space. In 2024, no-alcohol beer accounted for 95% of all no-alcohol adult beverages globally,"
A Luxembourg court ruled that a drink cannot be labeled "gin" unless it contains at least 37.5% alcohol. Distilled spirits derive identity from distillation and concentrated ethanol, so removing alcohol leaves mostly flavored water. Beer derives character from fermentation—malted barley sweetness, hop bitterness, and yeast esters—so reduced- or no-alcohol brewing retains flavor, body, and soul. No-alcohol beer made up 95% of all no-alcohol adult beverages globally in 2024, with volumes projected to rise toward 10 billion liters by 2030. Surveys show growing consumption of lower- and no-alcohol options and a preference for moderation rather than abstention.
Read at Fortune
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