Heineken 0.0

Heineken 0.0 is a non-alcoholic lager, and the 0.0 in the name refers to its alcohol-by-volume figure. It is built to taste like a conventional pale lager rather than a malt drink or a radler, so expect a clean, light-bodied beer with soft grainy malt, a gentle sweetness and a restrained, green-leaning hop note. Non-alcoholic lagers in this style tend to have less body and a shorter finish than full-strength beers. The bitterness is usually mild and the carbonation lively, which keeps the sweetness from feeling heavy. No IBU figure is given for this one, so treat the bitterness as a category expectation, not a measurement. Serve it cold, around 3 to 5°C, the same as any pale lager. Colder temperatures keep the malt sweetness in check and the carbonation crisp. As it warms, the grain character of non-alcoholic beer becomes more noticeable and can read as sweet or bready, so pour it straight from the fridge and don't let it sit. A standard pilsner glass or a tall, lightly tapered lager glass suits it. Pour at an angle, then straighten the glass so a finger or two of white foam forms and releases the hop aroma. Drinking straight from the bottle works too, but you lose that aroma. For food, use the pairings you would choose for a light lager. Grilled chicken, white fish, fish tacos and shellfish all work, because the beer's crispness cuts through fat and its low bitterness doesn't overpower delicate flavors. It is also a good match for salty snacks, pizza, burgers and mild curries, where the carbonation clears the palate between bites. Very spicy or heavily smoked dishes will overwhelm a beer this light, so keep those for something with more body.