Lupulus Placebo
By Lupulus · Belgium
An alcohol-free hoppy beer from Lupulus, the family brewery in the Belgian Ardennes, labelled 0.0% by the brewer (the UK shops say 0.4%): made with “an innovative recipe that avoids dealcoholization”, with Mosaic, Citra and a light dry-hop of Cryo Sabro, Lupulus says.
At the shops’ 0.4% 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 Placebo?
Lupulus is a family brewery at Courtil, near Gouvy in the Belgian Ardennes, founded as Les 3 Fourquets in 2003 by Pierre Gobron with his sons Julien and Tim, and renamed Lupulus in 2016, it says; RTBF reported that Pierre Gobron had earlier created La Chouffe. Its alcohol-free beers are Placebo, listed as 0.0%, and Bleuette, listed as 0.0% in bottles (its can is listed with no strength).
Lupulus calls Placebo a quality hoppy beer, true to the brewery’s identity, brewed with Mosaic and Citra and lightly dry-hopped with Cryo Sabro. Its recipe “avoids dealcoholization”, it says, though it doesn’t say how. The Alcohol Free Co describes passion fruit, peach, grapefruit and pineapple on the nose, and names Nectaron and Citra as the hops, which doesn’t match the brewer’s list.
Lupulus labels it 0.0%; the UK shops and a Dutch shop give 0.4%. Nobody publishes its calories that we could find. We haven’t scored it yet.
Flavour Profile
A guide based on the style and Lupulus’s and The Alcohol Free Co’s descriptions (a hoppy beer; passion fruit, peach, grapefruit and pineapple), to help you compare at a glance — not a definitive tasting.
Key facts
| Official name | Lupulus Placebo 0,0% |
|---|---|
| Brewery | Lupulus, Belgium |
| Style | Blonde, the shops say; Lupulus calls it a hoppy beer (we file Belgian blondes with our wheat beers) |
| ABV | 0.4% ABV, The Alcohol Free Co, Dry Drinker and a Dutch shop say; Lupulus labels it 0.0% |
| Pack | Bottles (33cl, going by Lupulus’s product page): singles and cases at The Alcohol Free Co; cases at Dry Drinker. Lupulus also makes it in cans |
| Calories | Not published by the brewer or the shops we checked |
| Ingredients | Not published by Lupulus; the Dutch shop Alcoholvrijbierhuis lists water, barley malt, hops and yeast |
| Hops | Mosaic and Citra, lightly dry-hopped with Cryo Sabro, Lupulus says; The Alcohol Free Co says Nectaron and Citra |
| Allergens | Barley (gluten), the Dutch shop says |
| Vegan | Not stated |
| Gluten | No gluten-free claim; the Dutch shop says it contains gluten |
| How it’s made | Not dealcoholised: “an innovative recipe that avoids dealcoholization”, Lupulus says; it doesn’t say what the recipe is |
| Brewed | At Brasserie Lupulus in Courtil, Belgium, as far as we know; The Alcohol Free Co names Les 3 Fourquets, the brewery’s name before 2016 |
| UK availability | In stock at The Alcohol Free Co and Dry Drinker (cases of six and single bottles) |
Sources: Lupulus’s own website, Alcoholvrijbierhuis, The Alcohol Free Co and Dry Drinker, checked October 2026. The label on the can or bottle is always the final word.
How Placebo sits in the Lupulus range
| Beer | Style | ABV | Per 100ml | Unhopped score | UK status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Placebo (this beer) | Blonde, the shops say; Lupulus calls it a hoppy beer (we file Belgian blondes with our wheat beers) | 0.4% | Not published | Not yet rated | In stock at The Alcohol Free Co and Dry Drinker (cases of six and single bottles) |
The Lupulus beers in our directory, checked October 2026. Scores are Unhopped ratings out of 10. Lupulus doesn’t publish calorie figures that we could find.
About Lupulus
Lupulus is a family brewery at Courtil, in the Belgian Ardennes, founded as Les 3 Fourquets in 2003 by Pierre Gobron and his sons. Its alcohol-free Placebo is labelled 0.0% and isn’t dealcoholised, it says.
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About the hops: Mosaic, Citra and Sabro. Types of hops · What are hops? · What is dry hopping?
