Hacker News Reader

Comment by taylorius | Hacker News Reader

I stopped drinking years ago, and have recently tried several of the different non alcoholic beers available. However I always notice something suspiciously like a minor hangover an hour or two after drinking one, which seems odd. Has anyone else noticed anything similar?

View on HN

Non alcoholic beers still have volatile compounds like esters and aldehydes that cause that effect

You could be allergic to hops

Non alcoholic beers still have a small percent of alcohol, but just below the lowest amount accepted to be non alcoholic.

It must depend on the country, but generally anything below 1% is considered OK (so 0.8% is marketable as 0%)

In the USA they must be below .5% abv. Almost all are much lower as that removed alcohol can be used in other products such as hard seltzers or rtd's. (A macro light beer is around 4.1%)

Also alcohol labeling has a small wiggle room but .8 bring zero is incorrect. If it's labeled at 5%. The manufacturer can legally sell it at a .3% wiggle so 4.7% to 5.3%.

Heineken zero it doesn't happen on, nor Corona Zero (although that stuff tastes like shit anyway). Some of the craft IPA Zero beers either get me a bit drunk feeling or just give me a hangover after 2.

Most non-alcoholic beers still have 0.5 grade. If you're fully detoxed and sensitive (or pregnant) that's enough to make you unwell.

I notice they taste pretty sweet, especially the 0.0 ones. If you feel a crash or headache after drinking soda, then maybe it's similar for those NA beers.

Sugar crash?

My favorite "non-alcoholic" beer still has 0.5% ABV (Staropramen).

Staropramen is made from dead rats and radioactive waste.

More of a Kozel fan then, are you?

Haha yeah funny you mention that. If I drink two I feel it just slightly the next day. I’m a super lightweight - don’t drink at all - and yeah definitely something there. They have 0.5% alcohol- most seem to anyway including Athletic which I’m a huge fan of. I think even that little has a small effect.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com