near beer

noun

1. any of several malt beverages that are similar to beer but are usually considered nonalcoholic because they have an alcoholic content of less than ½ percent.

Word History and Origins

Origin of near beer¹

An Americanism dating back to 1905–10

Example Sentences

“Regulate it, put it on the shelves near beer, wine or hard seltzer, age-gate it, and tax it like an adult beverage, regulate it like an adult beverage. And everybody wins.”

From Los Angeles Times

That’s because the only way to make near beer was to start with strong beer and then go through one of various processes to reduce the alcohol level.

From Washington Times

Ostensibly, it served “near beer” with permissibly low alcohol content, but in fact produced a strong ale from a makeshift brewery erected in the basement.

From Seattle Times

It has remained in continuous operation by obtaining a special beer license to legally sell a low-alcohol “near beer” during Prohibition.

From New York Times

The young man took issue with an Oklahoma law that permitted 18-year-old women to buy 3.2%-alcohol beer—a brew considered “nonintoxicating” and dubbed “near beer”—while delaying this honour for men until their 21st birthdays.

From Economist