A Lighter Brew: Nonalcoholic Beer

ILLUSTRATION FOR TIME BY DAVE WHEELER

It's just past 9:30 a.m. when construction workers Francisco Alonso and Ramón López wander into a bar in Cadaqués, northeastern Spain, for their morning aperitif. But the prospect of a full day's work ahead has no influence on their choice of refreshment: a nonalcoholic beer called Free Damm. "Normally I'd be drinking regular beer," says López, 54, breaking into a gaptoothed smile. "But I just had four teeth pulled, and I'm on antibiotics." Alonso, 49, has a simpler reason for picking a booze-free brew: "Me, I just like the taste."

He's not alone. While regular beer sales are...

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