MUNICH (AP) — The top brewmaster for Weihenstephan, the world’s oldest brewery, has a secret: He actually likes alcohol-free beer.

Although he’s fast to say he clearly enjoys actual beer extra, Tobias Zollo says he savors alcohol-free beer when he’s working or consuming lunch. It has the identical style however fewer energy than a delicate drink, he mentioned, due to the brewery’s means of evaporating the alcohol.

“You may’t drink beer day by day — sadly,” he joked final week on the Bavarian state brewery within the German city of Freising, about 31 kilometers (19.26 miles) north of Munich.

Zollo isn’t alone in his appreciation for the sober beverage. Alcohol-free beer has been gaining recognition lately as beer consumption shrinks.

At Weihenstephan, which was based as a brewery in 1040 by Benedictine monks, non-alcoholic wheat beer and lager now make up 10% of the quantity. The rise over the previous few years, since they began making alcohol-free drinks within the Nineteen Nineties, mirrors the statistics for the remainder of Germany’s beer trade.

“The persons are sadly — I’ve to say that as a brewer — sadly consuming much less beer,” Zollo mentioned Friday, the day earlier than Oktoberfest formally began. “If there’s a substitute for have the crisp and recent style from a typical Weihenstephan beer, however simply as a non-alcoholic model, we wish to try this.”

Even at Oktoberfest — arguably the world’s most well-known ode to alcohol — alcohol-free beer is on the menu.

All however two of the 18 giant tents on the pageant provide the drink by means of the celebration’s 16 days. The sober beverage will price drinkers the identical as an alcoholic beer — between 13.60 and 15.30 euros ($15.12 and $17.01) for a 1-liter mug (33 fluid ounces) — however save them from a hangover.

“For individuals who don’t prefer to drink alcohol and wish to benefit from the Oktoberfest as effectively, I feel it’s an excellent choice,” Mikael Caselitz, 24, of Munich mentioned Saturday inside one of many tents. “Generally folks really feel like they’ve extra enjoyable with alcohol, which isn’t an excellent factor as a result of it’s also possible to have enjoyable with out alcohol.”

He added: “If you wish to come and drink alcohol-free beer, no one will choose you.”

This yr marked the primary time an alcohol-free beer backyard opened in Munich. “Die Null,” which suggests “the zero” in German, served non-alcoholic beer, mocktails and different alcohol-free drinks close to the town’s foremost practice station this summer time however was scheduled to shut a couple of day earlier than Oktoberfest opened.

Walter König, managing director of the Society of Hop Analysis north of Munich, mentioned researchers have needed to breed particular hops varieties for alcohol-free beer. If brewers use the everyday hops for alcohol-free beer, the distinct aroma will get misplaced when the alcohol is diminished throughout the brewing course of.

However prospects don’t care about that, König mentioned Friday as he ready for Oktoberfest.

“They solely wish to know that what they’re tasting is pretty much as good as conventional beers with alcohol,” he mentioned.