Is it enjoyable without the beer buzz?
This was the main concern of the true-blue tomadors and party people of this great republic when San Mig Free 0.0 came out at the end of 2020.
When Ministop Philippines posted the advertisement, netizens almost immediately flooded the comments section posing their unease over the product: “what’s the point?” As bona fide beer drinkers ourselves, we knew we had to get to the bottom of this.
As it turns out, international brewery brand San Miguel has been brewing the non-alcoholic drink as early as 2001, when it introduced “San Miguel 0,0” to the Spanish market. Like many non-alcoholic beers, it’s primarily made of malt — Pilsen malt, which gives it its grain and cereal aromas, and a more deeply roasted colored malt, which provides it a dark golden tone. Completing the authentic beer taste are varieties of European and North American hops, the source of the beer’s aromatic and amply bitter tang.
Okay, so it tastes like beer, but is it beer in the strictest sense?
Here’s the kicker: it isn’t technically devoid of alcohol. According to the label, the San Mig Free 0.0 contains no more than 0.04% alcohol by volume (ABV). For reference, the San Miguel Pale Pilsen has 5% ABV. That means not even a hundred bottles of San Mig Free 0.0 can make you drunk enough to text your ex.
Despite this, that it has even the teeniest-tiniest amount of alcohol means it still can’t be sold to minors.
But if you don’t want to feel the FOMO or “feeling of missing out,” then the San Mig Free 0.0 is your perfect excuse to join a drinking session with friends. The non-alcoholic beer is available across convenience stores, through San Miguel’s online delivery service, and via Boozy. Alcohol or no alcohol, let’s drink responsibly, folks!
