Going head-to-head: Carlton Zero vs Carlton Draught

Carlton Zero is Carlton United Breweries (CUB) version of a non-alcoholic beer, they boast that it uses the exact same ingredients as Carlton Draught and will have the same taste and flavour. It is in this review that we will compare Carlton Zero with Carlton Draught to give you the full breakdown of the 2 beers and how they compare with each other. 

There is a number of differences in the beer, the first can be seen in the packaging, the second in the taste and thirdly the difference in the nutritional values. We can use these differences to dictate and determine the difference between the two beers.  

Taste 

While they are made from the same ingredients, they do have a difference in taste, and this comes down to the fact that Carlton Zero has no alcohol which naturally attracts sugar compared to Carlton Draught which contains alcohol.

As a rule of thumb, you can always expect a little difference in taste when it comes to non-alcoholic beer compared to an alcoholic beer. Although the quality and taste of these beers has improved dramatically since the first non-alcoholic beer was made.  

Drinkability

Both the beers are drinkable in their own respects, the Carlton Zero Alcohol beer has a hoppy flavour with fruity undertones and is quite full for a non-alcoholic beer. The original Carlton Draught is considered to be a hoppy, full bodied beer, which is loved among the general public. As they are made using the exact same methods there is only a slight flavour difference between the 2 and CUB ensures that when you are drinking their Carlton Zero Alcohol beer, it will be just like drinking real beer.

Packaging 

The Carlton Zero beer is available in two different styles: a can or a bottle. Both have the same label and black colour scheme; it is easily differentiated from the CUB’s Carlton Draught.

The Carlton Draught is in a brown tinged bottle with a red and gold label and is easily recognisable as the CUB brand.

The two bottles can be easily told apart which is great to ensure that there is no confusion from their consumers.

Nutritional Informational Values

Carlton Zero contains 93 calories while Carlton Draught contains 110 per 330ml. It is with stats like these that it is no wonder people are making the switch to non-alcoholic beer, the nutritional value is highly regarded.

How Are They Made?

Essentially beer is made from fermented Barley, which is where the alcohol comes from, so in order to create Carlton Zero the fermentation has to be removed or another step has to be added to create the beer without alcohol. CUB states that their non-alcoholic beer is made with the same methods and ingredients as their other beers. The difference is once it is brewed it follows a de-alcoholising process which reduces the pressure on the beer and helps separate it from the alcohol – ensuring that it actually tastes like beer.

Overall Winner

Ultimately, these beers are quite similar (despite the presence of alcohol) and we will leave it up to you to decide which way you swing! But we highly recommend Carlton’s Zero Alcohol Beer because it actually tastes like real beer!