near beer
noun
: any of various malt liquors considered nonalcoholic because they contain less than a specified percentage of alcohol
Examples of near beer in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Another contributing factor could be the rise in near beer.
—
Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Feb. 2025
Others claim that the brute was named either for a popular near beer or for a Sunday comic strip about monkeys.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 17 Nov. 2024
The beverage—which goes by a bunch of names, including non-alcoholic, low-alcohol, alcohol-free, or near beer—is simply regular brew stripped of booze.
—Ashia Aubourg, SELF, 31 Aug. 2023
The easiest option was non-alcoholic and near beers, the latter required to be less than one-half of 1% alcohol by volume.
—David Reamer | Alaska History, Anchorage Daily News, 23 July 2023
The near beer is not meant to be a refreshment, but a musical instrument.
—Michael Roberts, Outside Online, 17 June 2022
So off the two ran to Loxy’s den, where Loxy began to speed-read his handy-dandy cookbook about slicing and dicing sweetmeat and Tex Mex green beans and chugalugging them down with mai tais, Tia Marias, pale ale and near beer.
—Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 July 2019
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Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Feb. 2025
Others claim that the brute was named either for a popular near beer or for a Sunday comic strip about monkeys.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 17 Nov. 2024
The beverage—which goes by a bunch of names, including non-alcoholic, low-alcohol, alcohol-free, or near beer—is simply regular brew stripped of booze.
—Ashia Aubourg, SELF, 31 Aug. 2023
The easiest option was non-alcoholic and near beers, the latter required to be less than one-half of 1% alcohol by volume.
—David Reamer | Alaska History, Anchorage Daily News, 23 July 2023
The near beer is not meant to be a refreshment, but a musical instrument.
—Michael Roberts, Outside Online, 17 June 2022
So off the two ran to Loxy’s den, where Loxy began to speed-read his handy-dandy cookbook about slicing and dicing sweetmeat and Tex Mex green beans and chugalugging them down with mai tais, Tia Marias, pale ale and near beer.
—Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 July 2019
Cite this Entry
“Near beer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/near%20beer. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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