How an MIT Project Turned into a Non-Alcoholic Brewery

On this special After Show segment of Run the Pass with Executive Chef Andre Natera, host Daniel Litwin was joined by Ronan McGovern, Founder and CEO of Point 5 Brewing, for a conversation about the brewing company’s non-alcoholic product and how it might fit into the future of the food and beverage industry.

The company’s entire concept is built around an advanced, membrane-driven filtration technology from a process engineering company that effectively filters out alcohol without impacting flavor, a common concern for non-alcoholic beer makers.

Broadly, McGovern said, there are three ways to make non-alcoholic beer – stop fermentation early, evaporate the alcohol, and physically separate the alcohol.

The difference in Point 5’s filtration is that the pores in the membrane are the perfect size to only filter out the alcohol. This, combined with other elements of the company’s proprietary brewing process, results in a more flavorful end result.

McGovern said this technology is very scalable, meaning that the non-alcoholic beer industry might be due for an impending boom – particularly in the case of producers like Point 5, which has found success in delivering its product through online orders and adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Even in the face of a growing hard seltzer market, McGovern said the non-alcoholic industry can grow, especially if it takes cues from that market in terms of the desire for a more drinkable product.

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