Caffeinated Non-Alcoholic Beer: What It Is and Who It Is For

A caffeinated non-alcoholic beer, which some people search for as a "caffeine beer", is what it sounds like, but the two words mean different things, and people often mix them up. "Non-alcoholic" means the beer stays under 0.5% ABV. Ours stays there because it is fermented with a yeast that cannot eat the main sugar in wort, the sweet liquid that becomes beer. "Caffeinated" means the beer contains caffeine. In our beer, the caffeine comes from the cold-brew coffee it is brewed with, and we do not add caffeine separately.

Where the caffeine comes from

Coffee stout is a recognised beer style. Roasted barley and chocolate malt already give a stout flavours of espresso and cocoa, and brewers add real coffee to bring that flavour out. The coffee brings its own caffeine. This matters in India, because food law treats caffeine that occurs naturally, in coffee, tea or cocoa, differently from added caffeine. A drink with 145 mg or more of caffeine per litre is regulated as a "caffeinated beverage" and must carry a mandatory advisory text. Our label will show the amount of caffeine per can and the required declaration either way.

How much caffeine to expect

Every recipe is different, so here are some everyday comparisons. A shot of espresso has roughly 60 to 75 mg of caffeine, a 240ml cup of filter coffee has roughly 80 to 100 mg, and 330ml of cola has roughly 30 to 35 mg. A coffee stout usually falls between a cola and a cup of coffee per serving, depending on how much cold-brew goes in. We will put SOMA's figure on the can and on getsoma.store/nutrition once each recipe's lab result is in. Until then, we will not quote a range as if it were a fact.

What it is not

It is not an energy drink. It contains no taurine, no added sugar and no added caffeine, and we make no claim about performance. It is a stout brewed with coffee, and its caffeine comes from that coffee.

Who it is for

A caffeinated stout suits an early start. It also suits a late night at your desk that used to mean a third espresso. It works at brunch too, because a coffee stout goes well with waffles.

Who should pick the caffeine-free can instead

If you are avoiding caffeine, pick the caffeine-free can. You might avoid caffeine late in the evening, during pregnancy or breastfeeding, on a doctor's advice, or because it does not agree with you. That is why SOMA's regular Dark Arts stout is caffeine-free and always will be. The caffeinated version is a second can and does not replace it. Dark Arts still contains a trace of alcohol under 0.5% ABV, so during pregnancy or breastfeeding, the decision to drink it belongs to you and your doctor.

Reading the can

Two lines on the can tell you what you need to know: the ABV declaration, which should read under 0.5%, and the caffeine declaration. If a drink sold as beer shows neither, it is not being clear about what it is.

SOMA was founded in Bangalore, India, and makes five non-alcoholic craft beers. All five are under 0.5% ABV, and every batch is lab-tested. Only one of them, Dark Arts Espresso, contains caffeine, and its label will say so. SOMA is for adults aged 18 and over.