Brinkhoff’s Alcohol-Free Beers

Brinkhoff’s is a Dortmund beer brand named after Fritz Brinkhoff, the founding brewmaster of the Dortmunder Union brewery. It belongs to the Radeberger Group, and its alcohol-free beer in the UK is Brinkhoff’s 0.0%, a pilsner.

Who was Fritz Brinkhoff?

Fritz Brinkhoff was born in 1848 in Harpen, now part of Bochum. In 1873, the City of Dortmund says, he became the founding brewmaster of the Dortmunder Union brewery, and he later sat on its board. The Oxford Companion to Beer says he was considered the richest brewmaster of his time, and one of the largest private taxpayers, thanks to a contract that paid him a large bonus as the brewery grew. He died in Dortmund in 1927.

Under him, the city says, the brewery created a new kind of beer: Export. The usual story is that in 1887 a batch brewed with pale malt sold unexpectedly well to a customer in Aachen, and the pale Dortmunder Export was born; the beer writer Roger Protz treats the accident as a legend.

Brinkhoff’s No.1 and the brand today

The beer that carries his name is Brinkhoff’s No.1, a pilsner the Dortmunder Union brewery first sold in 1977. We used to say No.1 grew out of the 1887 beer and is still brewed to his original recipe. The 1887 beer was an Export. LWC, which distributes No.1 in the UK, says it’s crafted to Fritz Brinkhoff’s original recipe, and German Wikipedia repeats the claim without a source; we couldn’t read Brinkhoff’s own history page.

Dortmund was once a giant of German brewing, known as the Burton of Germany: it had more breweries than any other German city, Roger Protz wrote. Brinkhoff’s belongs to the Radeberger Group, part of Dr. August Oetker KG, and is brewed at the Dortmunder Actien-Brauerei (DAB) brewery on Steigerstraße, in the north of the city. The Brinkhoff name went over the door of the old Dortmunder Union-Ritter brewery in 2002.

Brinkhoff’s and Borussia Dortmund

Brinkhoff’s has been a partner of Borussia Dortmund since 2008. In August 2026 the club said Brinkhoff’s would remain its signature stadium beer under deals running to 2031, with Guinness joining as a beer partner from the 2026–27 season.

Is Brinkhoff’s independent?

No. It belongs to the Radeberger Group, which is part of Dr. August Oetker KG.

The alcohol-free beers

Brinkhoff’s 0.0% launched in Germany in February 2022 as Brinkhoff’s Alk.0,0frei. Brinkhoff’s says its brewers worked out a special multi-stage process and a new recipe for it, and describes a gently malty body and balanced hop bitterness. It has 18 kcal per 100ml, according to REWE’s German listing and the 2022 launch announcement. LWC began supplying it in the UK in 2025, and Dry Drinker sells it as Brinkhoff’s Zer0.

In Germany Brinkhoff’s also sells a 0.0% radler, half alcohol-free beer and half cloudy lemonade. We didn’t find it on sale in the UK, where the Brinkhoff’s Radler is 2% ABV.

The Brinkhoff’s beer in our directory

Nutrition from REWE’s German listing, checked October 2026. Scores are Unhopped ratings out of 10.

Where to buy Brinkhoff’s alcohol-free

On 27 October 2026 Dry Drinker had Brinkhoff’s 0.0% in cases of 6, 12 and 24 bottles, from £11.24 for six; that link is an affiliate link. We didn’t find it at Wise Bartender or Sainsbury’s, and LWC supplies it to pubs and bars. For other beers from Germany, see our German alcohol-free beer guide.

Facts checked against Brinkhoff’s website and 2022 launch announcement, the City of Dortmund, the LWL museum service, the Oxford Companion to Beer, Roger Protz, Borussia Dortmund, German Wikipedia, REWE, LWC, Craft Zero, Dry Drinker and Wise Bartender, October 2026.