Alcohol-free beer is gaining popularity, even at Oktoberfest

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The head brewmaster for Weihenstephan, the world's oldest brewery, has a secret: He really likes alcohol-free beer. Even though he's quick to say he obviously enjoys real beer more, Tobias Zollo says he savors alcohol-free beer when he's working or eating lunch. It has the same taste, but fewer calories than a soft drink, he said, thanks to the brewery's process of evaporating the alcohol. "You can't drink beer every day—unfortunately," he joked at the Bavarian state brewery in the German town of Freising, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of Munich. Zollo isn't alone in his appreciation for the sober beverage. Alcohol-free beer has been gaining popularity in recent years as beer consumption shrinks. At Weihenstephan, which was founded as a brewery in 1040 by Benedictine monks, non-alcoholic wheat beer and lager now make up 10% of the volume. The increase over the last few years, since they started making alcohol-free drinks in the 1990s, mirrors the statistics for the rest of Germany's beer industry. "The people are unfortunately—I have to say that as a brewer—unfortunately drinking less beer," Zollo said on the day before Oktoberfest officially started. "If there's an alternative to have the crisp and fresh taste from a typical Weihenstephan beer, but just as a non-alcoholic version, we want to do that." Even at Oktoberfest—arguably the world's most famous ode to alcohol—alcohol-free beer is on the menu. All but two of the 18 large tents at the festival offer the drink throughout the celebration's 16 days. The sober beverage will cost drinkers the same as an alcoholic beer—between 13.60 and 15.30 euros ($15.12 and $17.01) for a 1-liter mug (33 fluid ounces)—but save them from a hangover. "For people who don't like to drink alcohol and want to enjoy the Oktoberfest as well, I think it's a good option," Mikael Caselitz, 24, of Munich said. "Sometimes people feel like they have more fun with alcohol, which is not a good thing because you can also have fun without alcohol." This article was provided by The Associated Press.