Clausthaler Original
By Clausthaler · Germany
Clausthaler’s flagship, the alcohol-free lager Frankfurt’s Binding brewery launched in 1979. Clausthaler describes it as well-balanced, fresh and easy to drink, with a creamy feel and a golden colour, brewed to the German purity law. It’s under 0.5% and 26 kcal per 100ml.
At under 0.5% ABV, this isn’t alcohol-free under UK guidance, which keeps the term for 0.05% or less. We list it with alcohol-free beers, as UK shops do. How UK labels work
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What is Clausthaler Original?
Clausthaler introduced what it calls Controlled Fermentation in 1973 and launched its alcohol-free beer in 1979, first marketing it as a light “Prinzenbier” before revealing it had no alcohol, it says. By 1981 it was “dominating the German market with a 55% share”, Clausthaler says. It presents Original as its flagship, the beer that “put non-alcoholic beer on the map in 1979”.
Clausthaler’s description: “Its genuine real beer taste is well-balanced, fresh, and easy to drink, with a creamy feel on the palate and a pleasing golden color to match.” It’s brewed “in strict accordance with the German purity law”, Clausthaler says, and it’s brewed to low strength rather than having the alcohol removed.
It has 26 kcal per 100ml, or about 86 kcal a bottle, according to Clausthaler. Its page shows a vegan logo, and it isn’t gluten-free. It won Silver at the World Alcohol-Free Awards 2025. We haven’t scored it yet. For more, see our best German alcohol-free beers.
Awards
- Silver, World Alcohol-Free Awards 2025
- Commended, World Alcohol-Free Awards 2024
- Commended, World Alcohol-Free Awards 2023
From the World Alcohol-Free Awards’ own results.
Flavour Profile
A guide based on the style and Clausthaler’s description (well-balanced and fresh, with a creamy feel), to help you compare at a glance — not a definitive tasting.
Nutrition
| Typical values | Per 100ml | Per 330ml bottle |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 108 kJ / 26 kcal | about 356 kJ / 86 kcal |
| Fat | 0g | 0g |
| of which saturates | 0g | 0g |
| Carbohydrate | 5.6g | about 18.5g |
| of which sugars | 2.8g | about 9.2g |
| Protein | <0.5g | <1.7g |
| Salt | <0.01g | <0.1g |
Per-100ml figures from Clausthaler’s website, checked October 2026. Per-pack figures are our own sums from the 100ml figures.
Key facts
| Official name | Clausthaler Original |
|---|---|
| Brewery | Clausthaler, Germany |
| Style | Lager |
| ABV | Under 0.5% ABV, as the World Alcohol-Free Awards list it; Dry Drinker says 0.5% |
| Pack | 330ml bottle (singles at Wise Bartender; 6, 12 or 24 at Dry Drinker) |
| Calories | 26 kcal per 100ml; about 86 per 330ml bottle |
| Carbohydrate | 5.6g per 100ml |
| Sugar | 2.8g per 100ml |
| Ingredients | Water, barley malt, hop extract and carbon dioxide from fermentation, on Dry Drinker’s listing |
| Hops | Not named by Clausthaler |
| Allergens | Barley |
| Vegan | Yes: Clausthaler’s page shows a vegan logo |
| Gluten | Not gluten-free: it’s brewed with barley malt |
| How it’s made | Brewed to low strength with what Clausthaler calls Controlled Fermentation, which it introduced in 1973; not de-alcoholised |
| Brewed | In Germany, for Binding-Brauerei (Radeberger Gruppe). Binding’s Frankfurt brewery closed in 2023, and Clausthaler doesn’t say where it’s brewed now |
| Awards | Silver, World Alcohol-Free Awards 2025; 2 more listed above |
| UK availability | In stock at Dry Drinker and Wise Bartender |
Sources: Clausthaler’s website, the World Alcohol-Free Awards’ results, Dry Drinker and Wise Bartender, checked October 2026. The label on the can or bottle is always the final word.
How Original sits in the Clausthaler range
| Beer | Style | ABV | Per 100ml | Unhopped score | UK status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Original (this beer) | Lager | <0.5% | 26 kcal | Not yet rated | In stock at Dry Drinker and Wise Bartender |
| Dry Hopped | Amber lager, dry-hopped with Cascade | 0.4% | 26 kcal | 7.7 | In stock at The Alcohol Free Co, Dry Drinker, Wise Bartender and Waitrose |
| Lemon | Shandy: 40% Clausthaler and 60% lemonade, Clausthaler says | <0.5% | 32 kcal | Not yet rated | In stock at Dry Drinker and Wise Bartender |
| Grapefruit | Radler: a 50/50 blend of Clausthaler Original and a grapefruit drink, Clausthaler says | <0.5% | 28 kcal | Not yet rated | In stock at The Alcohol Free Co, Dry Drinker and Wise Bartender |
The Clausthaler beers in our directory, checked October 2026. Scores are Unhopped ratings out of 10.
About Clausthaler
Clausthaler is the alcohol-free beer Frankfurt’s Binding brewery launched in 1979, one of the first to sell widely. It belongs to Binding-Brauerei, part of the Radeberger Gruppe, and it’s brewed to low strength with what Clausthaler calls Controlled Fermentation.
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