Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) eats sugar, that's what the Sacch… name means.
When yeast eats sugar it makes Alcohol and CO2 that's inescapable. There are some strains of yeast that will only eat Glucose, which makes up a very small (~1%) of the wort sugars, I think this is the type of yeast Coopers use in Birell. No matter what type of yeast you use you will get a corresponding amount of Alcohol and CO2.
Brewed soft drinks and ultra low alcohol beers can be called alcohol free if they contain less than 0.5%ABV, that very different to 0% Alcohol. To get no alcohol you would have to remove the alcohol. Several methods are used, ranging from Vacuum Distillation to Dialysis. All are expensive to set up and do change the flavour of the beer.
Interesting to try and make good tasting low-0% Alcohol beers, hard to do well at home (well less than 3% and a good flavour is hard), Let us know how you go.
Mark
Trustyrusty, if you think $18 in hops is a lot your in for some surprises. I've seen recipes with $100 in hops in a 23L brew, probably a bit excessive but that's the way people are making super hoppy beers...
Have to remember that these beers compare to commercial products that will sell for $10-15(or more) for a 330mL package ($30-$45/L) 23L would be worth $690-$1035, so its not unreasonable if you squint a bit.
M
, you have to use less malts and when bottling - steam them first to kill any potential wild yeast. It would proably leave a alot of sugar in beer, as there would be a lot of residual sugars left over.
