The Non Alcoholic Beer Market
The non alcoholic beer market has grown rapidly in recent years with the introduction of non alcoholic beers that taste more like regular beer. Non alcoholic beers have several health advantages over regular beers, including fewer calories, sugar, carbs and of course, alcohol. Non alcoholic means less than 0.5% alcohol, so non alcoholic beers can still have traces of alcohol. Paulaner is a centuries old German brewery known for its Hefeweizen. The brewery introduced Paulaner Weizen-Radler Non Alcoholic in the United States in 2024.
Athletic Brewing is the market leader in non alcoholic beers and is a top 10 craft brewer.
Paulaner
Paulaner is a famous brewery based in Munich, Germany. The brewery dates back to 1634. The company is one of only six breweries who pour at Oktoberfest. I had their Hefeweizen several years ago and it was very good, so I was excited to see they now had a non-alcoholic version. While they are known for their Hefeweizen, Paulaner also brews lagers, pilsners, Oktoberfest beers and more.
Paulaner Weizen-Radler Non Alcoholic Beer
Paulaner describes Paulaner Weizen-Radler as “This mix is in a class of its own – combining the great taste of Paulaner Hefe-Weizen with natural effervescent lemonade in a non-alcoholic alternative for refreshingly fruity yet malty taste. The citrus notes of lime, orange, and lemon match the wheat beer perfectly and provide a uniquely balanced taste experience.” The bottle says lemon juice and not lemonade like the web site description. All the ingredients, hops and malts are listed at Weizen Radler. The 11.2 oz. bottle has 115 calories, 28g carbs, 0g fat, 0g protein and 23.3g sugar. It also apparently has 0 alcohol, not just less than 0.5% ABV like most non alcoholic beers. It has a “Good” rating on Beer Advocate.
Our Review of Paulaner Weizen-Radler
I saw the Paulaner name in the non alcoholic beer section at Total Wine & More and quickly grabbed a six pack. I checked Beer Advocate and saw the “Good” rating and decided to buy it. Unfortunately I barely looked at the description, ingredients and nutrition information. I took one sip and thought “this tastes like lemon juice.” It is one of the worst non alcoholic beers I have had. I am not even sure that it is beer. The bottle itself says “malt beverage” and “Hefe-weizen” but not the word “beer.” The calories, sugar and carbs are through the roof. They are even more than the Samuel Adams Just the Haze, which I considered to be high for a non alcoholic beer. At least that one tasted great and tasted like beer.
We are not going to give any direct links to purchase this product, as we do not think anyone should buy it. Just go ahead and buy some lemonade or lemon juice instead.
Our NA Beer section has a lot of better recommendations for non alcoholic beers.
For non alcoholic beer nutritional information for all NA beers we have reviewed and more, see NA Beer Nutritional Information.
