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Erdinger Alcohol Free: how strong it is, why it isn’t 0.0%, and where to buy it

ERDINGER Alkoholfrei, one of the best-known alcohol-free wheat beers: its strength, what Erdinger says about how it’s made, the rest of the range, how it compares, and the UK price.

By Rich, founder of Unhopped · Published 4 November 2026 · Sources checked 4 November 2026

The short answer

ERDINGER Alkoholfrei is the alcohol-free wheat beer from Erdinger Weissbräu in Erding, Bavaria. Erdinger gives its strength as “under 0.5% vol.”, brews it to the Bavarian Purity Law with top-fermenting yeast, and makes it with malted barley and wheat.[1] It isn’t 0.0%: Erdinger says taking all the alcohol out would cost the beer its fullness of flavour (our translation).[2] Unhopped scores it 7.9 out of 10. Of the three online shops we price, on 4 November 2026 it was cheapest at £2.36 a can in a case of 24 at Dry Drinker; most big supermarkets stock it too.

Below: how strong it is and what “alcohol-free” means here, how it’s made, what Erdinger says it tastes like, the rest of Erdinger’s alcohol-free range, how it compares with the other German alcohol-free wheat beers, and where to buy it. New to wheat beer? Start with what is wheat beer?

How strong is Erdinger alcohol-free?

Erdinger’s own figure is “under 0.5% vol.”[1] Wise Bartender and our directory list it at 0.5%. That matters for the label: UK government guidance, which is voluntary, keeps the term alcohol-free for 0.05% ABV or below, though many beers up to 0.5% are sold in the UK as alcohol-free. More in our 0.0% vs 0.5% guide.[3] Either way, it isn’t 0.0%. If you want a wheat beer with no alcohol at all, Paulaner Weissbier 0,0% is 0.0%, Paulaner says.[4]

How is Erdinger Alkoholfrei made?

Erdinger’s product page doesn’t describe how the alcohol is taken out. It says the beer is “brewed according to the Bavarian Purity Law” and that “top-fermenting yeast gives wheat beer its typical fruity aroma.”[1] A note on Erdinger’s site explains why it stops short of 0.0%: “A technically possible, complete dealcoholisation makes no sense, because this fullness of flavour is lost,” and the brewing process needed for 0.0% beers “strengthens this effect further”, with physical processes impairing or removing important aroma compounds, some bitter substances among them. It adds that Erdinger Alkoholfrei “has been brewed unchanged for years” (our translations).[2]

Other German brewers describe their methods in more detail. Here’s what they say:

How five German brewers say they make their alcohol-free wheat beer, from their own sites. Strengths as each brewer gives them.
BeerStrengthHow it’s made, the brewer says
Maisel’s Weisse AlkoholfreiUnder 0.5%Two brews blended: a full Maisel’s Weisse with the alcohol gently removed, and a second brew whose fermentation is stopped early[5]
Weihenstephaner Hefeweißbier AlkoholfreiUnder 0.5%Fermented in full, then the alcohol removed by vacuum falling-film evaporation, developed with the Technical University of Munich (our translation)[6]
Paulaner Weissbier 0,0%0.0%The alcohol is removed after maturing, by a process that “works with temperature and pressure”[4]
Schneider Weisse TAP3 Mein AlkoholfreiUnder 0.5%Unfiltered and pasteurised, with a “gentle extraction of alcohol”[7]
ERDINGER AlkoholfreiUnder 0.5%Not described on its product page. Erdinger says taking out all the alcohol would cost flavour (our translation)[2]

What does it taste like?

In Erdinger’s words: “Spicy malt notes harmonize excellently with caramel-sweet nuances.”[1] Our page on it adds Erdinger’s description of a straw-yellow beer with a rich malt flavour, spicy and slightly sweet, with hints of brioche and yeast. Unhopped scores it 7.9, level with Schneider Weisse. Of the wheat beers we rank, Brulo 5 Fruit Gose (8.3), Rothaus Hefe Weizen (8.1) and both Paulaner Weissbiers (8.0) score higher.

The Erdinger alcohol-free range

Erdinger lists four alcohol-free beers.[8] Two are half wheat beer, half soft drink: ERDINGER Alkoholfrei Lemon is “50% non-alcoholic wheat beer” and 50% “refreshment drink with lemon juice”, and the Grapefruit version is the same with grapefruit juice, both under 0.3%.[9][10] Those are radler-style drinks; our fruit beer and radler guide covers the type. The fourth isn’t a wheat beer at all: ERDINGER Helles Alkoholfrei, under 0.5%, is a pale lager.[11] More on that style in what is helles?

Erdinger’s alcohol-free beers, from Erdinger’s own pages
BeerWhat it isStrength
ERDINGER AlkoholfreiWheat beerUnder 0.5%
ERDINGER Alkoholfrei Lemon50% wheat beer, 50% lemon drinkUnder 0.3%
ERDINGER Alkoholfrei Grapefruit50% wheat beer, 50% grapefruit drinkUnder 0.3%
ERDINGER Helles AlkoholfreiPale lager (helles)Under 0.5%

Who makes it?

Erdinger Weissbräu, in Erding, Bavaria. Its history starts in 1886, when the “Weisse Bräuhaus” in Erding was founded; managing director Franz Brombach was given the chance to buy the brewery in 1935, and named it ERDINGER Weißbräu in 1949. Today, Erdinger says, it is “the largest German wheat beer brewery in family ownership.”[12]

Erdinger vs Paulaner, Schneider and the other alcohol-free wheat beers

Erdinger isn’t our top scorer. Here are the German-style alcohol-free weissbiers we score that were in stock, with the cheapest can or bottle at The Alcohol Free Co, Dry Drinker or Wise Bartender on 4 November 2026. For the full ranking, see the best alcohol-free wheat beers.

Alcohol-free weissbier compared, by Unhopped score. Prices per can or bottle (most are 500ml), 4 November 2026.
BeerABVUnhopped scoreCheapest
Rothaus Hefe Weizen<0.5%8.1£2.72
The Alcohol Free Co, case of 24
Paulaner Weissbier<0.5%8.0£2.31
The Alcohol Free Co, case of 24
Paulaner Weissbier Cans0.0%8.0£2.20
Dry Drinker, case of 24
Erdinger Alkoholfrei0.5%7.9£2.36
Dry Drinker, case of 24
Schneider Weisse0.5%7.9£2.52
Dry Drinker, case of 24
Hiddenseer Weizen<0.5%7.8£3.49
The Alcohol Free Co, case of 24
Maisel’s Weisse Alkoholfrei<0.5%7.8£2.49
The Alcohol Free Co, case of 24
Krombacher Weizen0.5%7.5£2.90
Wise Bartender, single

ABV from each beer’s page on Unhopped, which follows the UK listing. Prices from the shops’ own listings.

Where to buy Erdinger alcohol-free in the UK

Of the three online shops we price, on 4 November 2026 Dry Drinker had cases of cans and Wise Bartender sold singles; the cheapest was £2.36 a can in a case of 24 at Dry Drinker. It’s in most big supermarkets too. In the check on our Erdinger page on 28 October 2026, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Ocado had 500ml bottles at £2.10, Waitrose at £2.25, and Morrisons at £1.75.

ERDINGER Alkoholfrei: the cheapest can or bottle at each shop, 4 November 2026
ShopPer can or bottlePack
Dry Drinker£2.36case of 24
Wise Bartender£3.50single
Buy at Dry Drinker →Also at Wise Bartender →Our page on it →

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Questions people ask

Is Erdinger alcohol-free really alcohol-free?

It has under 0.5% alcohol, Erdinger says. That’s sold as alcohol-free in Germany, but UK guidance keeps “alcohol-free” for 0.05% or below. It isn’t 0.0%.

Is there a 0.0% Erdinger?

Not in Erdinger’s current alcohol-free range: Alkoholfrei and Helles Alkoholfrei are under 0.5%, and the Lemon and Grapefruit versions under 0.3%, Erdinger says. Paulaner Weissbier 0,0% is a 0.0% wheat beer.

Is Erdinger Alkoholfrei a wheat beer?

Yes. It’s a Bavarian wheat beer, made with malted wheat and barley and top-fermenting yeast.

Why isn’t Erdinger 0.0%?

Erdinger says removing all the alcohol is technically possible but would cost the beer its fullness of flavour, so it doesn’t.

Where can I buy Erdinger alcohol-free in the UK?

In most big supermarkets, and online. Of the three online shops we price, on 4 November 2026 it was in stock at Dry Drinker and Wise Bartender, from £2.36 a can in a case of 24 at Dry Drinker.

Is Erdinger the best alcohol-free wheat beer?

It scores 7.9 on Unhopped. Of the 10 wheat beers we rank, Brulo 5 Fruit Gose (8.3), Rothaus Hefe Weizen (8.1) and both Paulaner Weissbiers (8.0) score higher, in our ranking of the best.

Sources

Opened and checked on 4 November 2026. Beer facts, prices and stock come from each beer’s page on Unhopped and the shops’ own listings on the same day.

  1. Erdinger Weissbräu. ERDINGER Alkoholfrei (product page). Opened 4 November 2026. erdinger.de
  2. Erdinger Weissbräu. Unbedenklicher minimaler Alkoholgehalt (PDF, in German); quoted here only on flavour and brewing. Opened 4 November 2026. erdinger.de (PDF)
  3. Department of Health and Social Care. Low Alcohol Descriptors Guidance. 13 December 2018. Opened 4 November 2026. gov.uk (PDF)
  4. Paulaner Brauerei. Weissbier 0,0% (product page). Opened 4 November 2026. paulaner.com
  5. Brauerei Gebr. Maisel. Maisel’s Weisse Alkoholfrei (product page). Opened 4 November 2026. maisel.com
  6. Bayerische Staatsbrauerei Weihenstephan. Hefeweißbier Alkoholfrei (product page, in German). Opened 4 November 2026. weihenstephaner.de
  7. Schneider Weisse G. Schneider & Sohn. TAP3 Mein Alkoholfrei (product page). Opened 4 November 2026. schneider-weisse.de
  8. Erdinger Weissbräu. Our beers. Opened 4 November 2026. erdinger.de
  9. Erdinger Weissbräu. ERDINGER Alkoholfrei Lemon (product page). Opened 4 November 2026. erdinger.de
  10. Erdinger Weissbräu. ERDINGER Alkoholfrei Grapefruit (product page). Opened 4 November 2026. erdinger.de
  11. Erdinger Weissbräu. ERDINGER Helles Alkoholfrei (product page). Opened 4 November 2026. erdinger.de
  12. Erdinger Weissbräu. The brewery (history timeline). Opened 4 November 2026. erdinger.de

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