Krombacher Alcohol-Free Beers

Krombacher is a family-owned brewery in Krombach, a district of Kreuztal in North Rhine-Westphalia, brewing there since 1803, according to Difford’s Guide and the UK trade directory Beer Guild. It launched a 0.0% Pils in Germany in January 2017, and the shops we link to sell two of its alcohol-free beers: that Pils and a wheat beer.

Who are Krombacher?

Krombacher takes its name from the village of Krombach, now a district of Kreuztal in North Rhine-Westphalia, where it brews. “The small town of Krombach is located at the foot of the Rothaargebirge,” English Wikipedia says, and Beer Guild says it brews only in Krombach, in the Siegerland hills. Its founder was Johannes Haas, whose family ran a tavern in which the brewery was set up, according to English Wikipedia.

Its start is told two ways. German Wikipedia says the brewery is first documented on 4 February 1803, under Johannes Haas. Difford’s Guide says it “was founded on 4 February 1803”, and Beer Guild says it has brewed in the Krombach valley since 1803, but English Wikipedia says “The brewery was founded on 7 February 1807 by Johannes Haas.”

Krombacher and its rock-spring water

Krombacher says its full-strength Pils is naturally brewed with rock-spring water (Felsquellwasser) to the German Purity Law of 1516 (the Reinheitsgebot). German Wikipedia says the spring, the Felsenquelle, was found in 1722, that the slogan about brewing with rock-spring water dates from 1962, and that it has been a registered word mark since 2010.

The ingredient lists for its alcohol-free Pils and Weizen just say water. Wise Bartender says the alcohol-free Pils is brewed the same way as the regular Krombacher, with the same malt and mountain spring water, before the alcohol is removed; we didn’t find that on Krombacher’s own pages.

What Krombacher brews

Krombacher Pils is 4.8%, brewed from water, barley malt, hops and hop extract, at 38 kcal per 100ml, the brewery says. English Wikipedia also lists a Weizen Dunkel and Rhenania Alt, and Beer Guild gives the UK range as “Pils, Unfiltered, Weizen, Hell, Dark, 0.0% Pils and Non-Alcoholic Weizen”. We found no awards for its alcohol-free beers.

How big is Krombacher, and who owns it?

The Krombacher Group’s total output in 2025 was 7.553 million hectolitres, down 0.2%, the brewery said in January 2026; the Krombacher brand alone came to 5.702 million hectolitres. About 1.6 million hectolitres of the group’s output were alcohol-free soft drinks such as Schweppes, Orangina and Dr Pepper, Krombacher’s 2025 press release says; German Wikipedia says the group holds the German and Austrian rights to those brands.

It calls itself one of Germany’s leading premium breweries, and German Wikipedia calls it one of the largest German breweries; English Wikipedia says it “ranks number 2 among Germany’s best selling beers”. A Krombacher annual report from 2002 called it the largest private brewery in the German market, but we didn’t find it making that claim today.

German Wikipedia says the owners are Barbara Lambrecht-Schadeberg, Bernhard Schadeberg and his sister Petra Schadeberg-Herrmann. Beer Guild calls it “Fiercely independent and family-run.” German Wikipedia also lists Vitamalz, acquired in 2016, and Rolinck, with the year 2007. We found no larger group as owner, so we list it as independent.

Krombacher’s alcohol-free beers

Krombacher brought out a 0.0% Pils and the first nationally marketed 0.0% wheat beer in Germany on 23 January 2017, Lebensmittelzeitung reported; its earlier alcohol-free beers were below 0.5%. When it took its alcohol-free Pilsner into UK pubs and bars in 2019, its UK sales and marketing director, Stephan Kofler, told the Morning Advertiser that Krombacher had been “at the forefront of the low and no-alcohol trend in the UK since 2013”.

Krombacher Pilsner, sold in Germany as Krombacher o,0% Pils, is made by combining two methods: a stopped fermentation and a particularly gentle dealcoholisation, the brewery says. It’s brewed from water, barley malt, carbon dioxide from fermentation, hops and hop extract, with no hop variety named. Krombacher gives 27 kcal (116 kJ) per 100ml, with 6.4g of carbohydrate, of which 3.1g sugars, about 89 kcal per 330ml bottle (our sum), and describes a fine malt sweetness. Dry Drinker describes a pale golden pilsner with a crisp malt body, floral hop notes and a clean finish. Wise Bartender says it’s suitable for vegans and Dry Drinker tags it vegan; Krombacher doesn’t say.

Krombacher Weizen is Weizen Alkoholfrei, which isn’t the same beer as the o,0% Weizen: the Dutch shop alcoholvrijbierhuis.nl lists the two separately, at 0.0% and 0.5%. Krombacher calls it simply “Alkoholfrei” without giving a figure, and Wise Bartender lists it at 0.5%. It’s brewed with wheat and barley malt, hops, hop extract and yeast, and Krombacher gives 28 kcal (118 kJ) per 100ml, with 2.7g of sugars. Wise Bartender describes “the smooth and well-rounded taste of ripe bananas, cloves, and a hint of citrus”, with a hazy golden colour and a thick, lasting head. Krombacher hasn’t published how it makes it alcohol-free.

In Germany the range also includes an older Alkoholfrei Pils, at 26 kcal per 100ml, a Naturradler o,0%, the new o,0% Herb, and a Radler Alkoholfrei, which Krombacher describes as a beer mix of half alcohol-free Pilsener and half lemonade, at 27 kcal per 100ml, the same as the o,0% Pils. Its Radler Zuckerfrei is 1%, so it isn’t alcohol-free. We didn’t find the radlers on sale in the UK.

How Krombacher Pilsner compares

Alcohol-free pilsners and lagers from German breweries in our directory. Calories per 100ml as in our calorie calculator; checked 1 November 2026. Scores are Unhopped ratings out of 10.

The Krombacher beers in our directory

Checked 1 November 2026. Calories are Krombacher’s own figures. Scores are Unhopped ratings out of 10.

Where to buy Krombacher

On 1 November 2026 The Alcohol Free Co had Krombacher Pilsner at £2.22 a bottle or £12.69 for six, Dry Drinker had six for £12.69, and Wise Bartender had it at £1.80 a bottle. Wise Bartender also had the Weizen, at £2.90; we didn’t find it at the other two. Those are affiliate links. For more, see our guides to the best German alcohol-free beer and the best alcohol-free wheat beer.

Facts checked against Krombacher’s own websites and press releases, a 2002 Krombacher annual report on presseportal.de, Lebensmittelzeitung, the Morning Advertiser, Beer Guild, Difford’s Guide, Wikipedia (German and English), alcoholvrijbierhuis.nl, The Alcohol Free Co, Dry Drinker and Wise Bartender, 1 November 2026.