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Budvar Nealko

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Full malt-and-hop taste: Saaz cone hops give it a refreshingly hoppy character, and it finishes malty and clear. The brewery describes the taste of a Budějovice lager without the alcohol. Brewed since 1992 from Czech and caramel malts, with the hops shaping both taste and aroma, using water from the brewery's own artesian wells in České Budějovice.

ABV
<0.5%
Bitterness
Lightly bitter23 IBU
Malt-forward bitterness
SRM
golden5
PaceSession
Where this beer sits
Body
lightfull-bodied
Sweetness
drysweet
Bitterness
mildbitter
Texture
crispcreamy
What makes this beer itself
MaltHop
hoppynoble hopmalty
hoppy
noble hop
malty
caramel
clean
bready
Aroma
Noble Saaz hops dominate the nose, delivering a floral and gently spicy character with herbal undertones.
not found:juicy,roasted,fruity,smoky

Tasting Notes

AI-generated sensory profile for Budvar Nealko

◎ Appearance

Pale golden hue with excellent clarity and a bright, luminous quality. Fine white head forms readily and maintains good adhesion to the glass walls. Carbonation appears crisp and persistent, creating a lively visual presence typical of the lager style.

pale goldencrystal clearfine white headlively carbonation

◌ Aroma

Noble Saaz hops dominate the nose, delivering a floral and gently spicy character with herbal undertones. Soft malt notes emerge beneath, contributing subtle caramel and bready sweetness. The overall impression is clean and inviting, with no alcohol-related solvent notes despite the minimal ABV.

Saaz hop profilefloral and herbalsoft caramel maltclean and refined

◐ Taste

Hoppy character takes the lead on entry, with Saaz providing refreshing bitterness balanced by underlying malted sweetness. Mid-palate reveals caramel depth and a malty body that belies the alcohol-free nature. Finish remains crisp and clean, with hop bitterness and malt character in equilibrium.

hoppy and refreshingnoble-hop bitternesscaramel sweetnessmalty body

◑ Finish

Clean, dry finish with lingering hop bitterness that gradually yields to soft malt notes. Aftertaste is crisp and brief, leaving the palate refreshed rather than heavy.

dry and crisplingering hop finish
78
hopIQ score
Aroma
78
Taste
80
Appearance
80
Finish
75
Serve at 4–7°C

Serve at 4–7°C for the best flavour balance and aroma expression.

Stein

The sturdy German stein maintains temperature and keeps carbonation intact. Built for long, convivial drinking.

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Food Pairing

What to eat with Budvar Nealko

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About Alcohol-Free Lager

Style guide · what to expect · how to find alternatives

What is a Alcohol-Free Lager?

Alcohol-Free Lager is a distinctive beer style with its own characteristic flavour, aroma and colour. Discover what makes it unique and find similar beers on hopIQ.

Finding a similar Alcohol-Free Lager

hopIQ matches by flavor profile — not just style label. A beer with the same hoppy, noble-hop, malty character as Budvar Nealko will score highly even if brewed in a different country or under a different sub-style name.

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