I recently read how some Muslims are now drinking “non-alcoholic” beer, such as Odouls, thinking it’s halal, or permissible in Islam, to do so. I did a quick search and found out that most, if not all, so-called non-alcoholic beer actually has trace amounts of alcohol in it, usually around 0.5% by volume. It’s not enough to get anyone drunk, but it’s enough to make it haram.
Here is an article from Ifanca that I found that also discusses other 2 common misconceptions that some Muslims have. One is regarding if chocolate liquor is halal and the other is regarding if root beer is halal?
CHOCOLATE LIQUOR, ROOT BEER AND NON-ALCOHOLIC BEER – ARE THEY HALAL?
What is Chocolate Liquor or Cocoa Liquor?
A common misconception concerns chocolate liquor, or cocoa liquor. Chocolate liquor and cocoa liquor are nothing but finely ground cocoa bean. It’s a thick, flowing substance and the first step in the production of chocolate. It has no relationship to alcohol, nor is alcohol used in producing it. They are produced from chocolate, and may be fortified with cocoa fat. Chocolate liquor can be found in chocolate bars and in chocolate flavored desserts.
What is Root Beer?
A&W, Barq’s, and IBC are popular brands of a soft drink called “root beer”. Root beer once referred to a fermented beverage that contained alcohol. Presently, though, when you purchase root beer from a grocery store or restaurant, you will be buying a soft drink, or soda pop. Present-day root beer does not contain alcohol, and therefore is not haram.
Non-Alcoholic Beer
Alcoholic beverages are prohibited in Islam, and the culture associated with drinking alcoholic beverages is not Islamic.
But what about non-alcoholic alternatives such as non-alcoholic beer, near-beer, and non-alcoholic wine? O’Doul’s and other “non-alcoholic” drinks do, in fact, contain small amounts of alcohol. Non-alcoholic beer is manufactured the same way as normal beer, i.e., it is brewed, but at the end of the process, the alcohol is removed. There may still a small amount of alcohol left in “non-alcoholic” beer. In fact, under US law, “non-alcoholic beer” may contain up to 0.5% alcohol. Non-alcoholic wine is also made by removing the alcohol from regular wine.
Regardless of the small amount of alcohol remaining in non-alcoholic beer, we need to be mindful of our religious commitment. The best thing we can do is avoid the temptation, and not consume these so-called “non-alcoholic” beverages. This is an obligatory precaution. IFANCA’s position is that we will not certify non-alcoholic beer and wine, since the concept itself has alcohol-related connotations.
