Non-Alcoholic Beer vs Regular Beer: What Is Different

The main difference is the alcohol. A regular beer is about 5% ABV, while a non-alcoholic beer has 0.5% ABV or less, so a can of it holds at most a tenth of the alcohol in a regular beer of the same size. The two also differ in how they are made, how they taste, how many calories they have and what they cost.

How much alcohol is in each one?

India's food regulator, FSSAI, treats a drink as an alcoholic beverage when it has more than 0.5% ABV. Its standard for beer calls a beer with more than 0.5% and up to 5.0% ABV "regular or mild", and one with more than 5.0% and up to 8.0% ABV "strong" (FSSAI's alcoholic beverage regulations). The US National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism uses 5% ABV as its figure for regular beer (NIAAA).

To turn ABV into grams, multiply the volume in millilitres by the ABV, and then by 0.789, which is the weight in grams of one millilitre of alcohol (PubChem). A 500ml can at 0.5% ABV holds at most 2.5ml of alcohol (500 × 0.005), which weighs just under 2 grams (2.5 × 0.789 = 1.97), and a 250ml can holds half of that. A 500ml beer at 5% ABV holds 25ml of alcohol (500 × 0.05), which weighs about 19.7 grams (25 × 0.789). One at 4.5% ABV holds 22.5ml (500 × 0.045), which weighs about 17.8 grams (22.5 × 0.789). SOMA is under 0.5% ABV, so these figures are upper limits for a can of SOMA. The legal facts behind the 0.5% line are on our numbers page.

How each one is made

Both kinds of beer start in the same way. Malted grain is mashed in hot water to release its sugars, and the sweet liquid, called wort, is boiled with hops. For a regular beer, the brewer then adds a yeast that turns the sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide. Those sugars include maltose, which is the main sugar in wort.

Here are two ways to make a non-alcoholic beer. SOMA is made the first way. We ferment the wort with a maltose-negative yeast, which is a brewer's yeast that cannot eat maltose. It ferments the simpler sugars, creates the flavours of fermentation and leaves the alcohol under 0.5% ABV. Nothing is done afterwards to lower the alcohol, and every batch is pasteurised and lab-tested. The second way is what some producers do: they brew a regular beer and then separate the alcohol out afterwards. Both ways give you a fermented beer, which is a different product from a malt drink that was never fermented. Our guide to brewed beer and malt drinks shows how to tell them apart.

How they taste

Alcohol adds a little sweetness, some warmth and body, which is the fullness you feel in each sip. A non-alcoholic beer has only a trace of alcohol, so it can taste lighter than a regular beer of the same style. The other flavours come from the malt, the hops and the fermentation, and a fermented non-alcoholic beer has those too. A brewer can make up for the lighter body through the choice of grain. Our IPA uses oats and wheat for a softer body, and our stouts use roasted barley and chocolate malt. We describe each style in what non-alcoholic craft beer tastes like.

How the calories compare

Alcohol has calories of its own. FSSAI's labelling rules count alcohol at 7 kcal per gram and carbohydrates at 4 kcal per gram (FSSAI's labelling regulations). USDA FoodData Central, a US government food database, lists regular beer at 43 kcal per 100 grams, and 3.9 of those 100 grams are alcohol (USDA). So alcohol supplies about 27 of the 43 kcal (3.9 × 7 = 27.3). Beer weighs about as much as water, so 500ml of regular beer has about 215 kcal (43 × 5).

SOMA's figures are indicative, which means we calculated them from the recipe and have not yet measured them in a lab. Per 500ml can, they are 63 kcal for the Lager, 92 for the IPA, 98 for the Belgian Wit and 99 for each of the two stouts, and a 250ml can has half. Our nutrition page has the full figures, and how many calories are in non-alcoholic beer explains them. These are facts about the drinks, not a health claim.

What they cost

We can only speak for our own prices. A 500ml can of SOMA costs ₹229 at launch (MRP ₹279), a 250ml can costs ₹119 (MRP ₹149), and a 6-pack of 500ml cans costs ₹1,374 (MRP ₹1,674). Delivery costs a flat ₹29 anywhere in Bangalore. A beer with less alcohol is not cheaper for us to make, and why non-alcoholic beer costs ₹229 explains where the money goes.

Which one suits which occasion?

Regular beer suits adults who have chosen to drink alcohol on that occasion, where the law allows it. Non-alcoholic beer suits the same occasions when you would rather not drink alcohol: a weekday dinner, a lunch with colleagues, a family function, a cricket match with friends or a quiet evening at home. It also suits a long evening when you want a second or third beer and want the alcohol to stay at a trace.

SOMA makes five non-alcoholic beers, which you can see on our products page. SOMA is for adults aged 18 and over. We are taking pre-orders now. Commercial production starts after December 2026, nothing ships before 1 January 2027, and you can cancel a pre-order for a full refund before it is dispatched.