Brewers producing beers in the no-and-low categories must pay careful consideration to tighter requirements around product classification and quality, a manufacturer has said.

Fast, reliable analysis is becoming increasingly important as producers respond to growing demand for now-and-low beers.

For brewers in this space, achieving the right balance between taste, quality and regulatory compliance is increasingly important. When alcohol levels are close to legal thresholds, accurate and reliable measurement is essential to ensure products meet their declared classification and remain within specification.

However, measuring very low ethanol concentrations can present challenges, particularly for producers managing high sample volumes, tight specifications and the need for consistent results.

Manual testing methods can also be time-consuming and introduce variability, potentially delaying quality control checks and production decisions.

Anton Paar said it is helping address these challenges with analytical solutions designed to provide reliable measurement across a range of alcohol concentrations, helping producers strengthen quality control and make confident decisions about their products.

Its enzymatic reader provides accurate measurement of low ethanol concentrations while reducing measurement variability and simplifying routine laboratory testing.

According to the company its automated workflow enables laboratories to process samples efficiently, helping producers identify potential issues earlier and make faster production decisions.

The system has been validated against established reference methods, including gas chromatography, while offering advantages in testing speed and investment cost. This makes it a practical option for producers looking to improve the efficiency and reliability of routine analysis.

For applications where alcohol concentrations fall below the range traditionally measured by standard NIR analysis, the enzymatic reader can also complement the company’s alcolyzer systems.

This uses ethanol-specific NIR analysis to provide rapid alcohol measurement and is designed for routine quality control in the beverage industry. Itcan measure samples with alcohol content down to 0.03% v/v, with accuracy of ±0.01% v/v.

The company said: “As the now-and-low beverage category continues to develop, reliable analytical testing will remain an important part of maintaining product consistency and demonstrating compliance with applicable alcohol limits.”