Making NA Beer Taste Alcoholic – Without the Alcohol

BEVERAGES

Harleen Singh

5/5/20263 min read

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Would you drink a non‑alcoholic beer that actually feels like it has a kick?

A new patent application (WO2026074158A1) from researchers at VIB and KU Leuven in Belgium claims they’ve cracked the code. The solution isn’t more ethanol – it’s a clever mix of two simple, food‑grade molecules: piperine (the compound that makes black pepper spicy) and nicotinic acid (a form of vitamin B3).

The Problem: NA Beers Taste … Flat

According to the patent, non‑alcoholic beers score “significantly lower” than alcoholic beers in consumer appreciation tests – particularly in “alcoholic impression” and “body” (fullness of flavour and mouthfeel). The inventors note: “mimicking the multi‑faceted organoleptic properties of alcohol in a non‑alcoholic and/or low‑alcoholic food product remains a challenge.”

Alcohol does three things: it has its own taste and warming sensation; it changes how other aroma compounds behave; and it adds body. Most existing NA beers miss all three.

The Solution: Piperine + Nicotinic Acid

The patent claims a composition comprising piperine and nicotinic acid in a weight ratio from 50:1 to 1:150, preferably 1:1 to 1:50 (i.e., more nicotinic acid than piperine).

Why this pair? The patent explains:

“The warmth‑generating sensation of nicotinic acid can advantageously balance the hot, stimulant taste of piperine, so that the mixture gives spicy, yet pleasantly warming effect, similar to the taste of ethanol.”

Neither compound alone works well – single compounds require “relatively high concentrations … at which point they often impart an unbalanced and/or artificial flavour.” But together, they mimic alcohol’s warming kick.

What Goes Into the Full Recipe?

The patent gives a full example for a non‑alcoholic beer. The mixture includes glycerol at 15,000 mg/L and dextrins at 35,000 mg/L to add body. Other components are n‑propanol (150 mg/L), n‑butanol (15 mg/L), isoamyl alcohol (10 mg/L), and a small amount of dimethyl sulfide (0.02 mg/L) for a typical beer aroma. Ethyl acetate (10 mg/L) contributes fruity, alcoholic notes. But the key warmth‑generating agents are piperine at 8 mg/L and nicotinic acid at 40 mg/L.

The patent emphasizes that piperine and nicotinic acid are the core active agents for the warming sensation; the other compounds are optional but helpful.

Does It Actually Work?

The patent includes several small‑scale sensory trials:

Non‑alcoholic beer (0.0% alc.): Adding the full mixture (8 mg/L piperine + 40 mg/L nicotinic acid, plus the other compounds) made the NA beer statistically indistinguishable from a 5% alcohol beer in terms of alcoholic impression, body, warming, and overall preference.
Piperine + nicotinic acid alone: Even without other additives, various ratios (1:1, 1:5, 1:125, 25:1, etc.) produced a “pleasing, warmth generating feeling” that was preferred over the unmodified NA beer. Many of these reached statistical significance (p < 0.05).
Non‑alcoholic sparkling wine: Adding piperine (4 mg/L) and nicotinic acid (150 mg/L) plus n‑propanol and ethyl acetate significantly improved alcoholic impression, warming, and overall preference – matching or beating an alcoholic wine control.
Non‑alcoholic gin & tonic: Piperine and nicotinic acid (8+80 mg/L or 30+200 mg/L) made the drink “more pleasant, warmth generating and/or alcohol resembling” compared to the plain NA gin & tonic.

All tests used small panels (9–42 tasters) and pairwise comparisons, with results evaluated by binomial tests.

What’s Claimed?

The patent’s main claims (as filed) cover:

A composition comprising piperine and nicotinic acid in a weight ratio of 50:1 to 1:150 (preferably 1:1 to 1:50).
Optional additions: alcoholic compounds (n‑propanol, n‑butanol, isoamyl alcohol, etc.), esters (ethyl acetate, isoamyl acetate, etc.), viscosity agents (glycerol, dextrins), sulphur compounds, bitter compounds, and carbonation enhancers.
Use of the composition to improve taste in non‑alcoholic, low‑alcoholic, or alcoholic beer, wine, or spirits.
A food product (especially a beverage with ≤5 vol.% alcohol) containing the composition.
A method of producing such a beverage by adding piperine to 1–30 mg/L and nicotinic acid to 1–500 mg/L.

The Bottom Line

If the claims hold up, this could change the NA beverage game. Instead of just removing alcohol, you could add back the warming sensation that drinkers miss – without the carcinogen, without the calories, and without the intoxication.