Idioms

near-beer

near beer

A beer-like malt beverage that contains less than 0.5% alcohol. I didn't want anyone to know I was pregnant, so I said I could only drink near beer because I was taking antibiotics. I have to drive home later, so I'm sticking to the near beer.
See also: beer, near
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

near-beer

n. beer with less than 1/2 percent alcohol content. (Originally from the Prohibition era.) You can drink a lot of near-beer without getting drunk.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
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References in periodicals archive
In addition to the improving financials, Eade expects AB InBev to benefit from the increased demand for premium beers, expanding sales of "near-beer" and nonalcoholic beverages, as well as its current "under-penetration" in emerging markets.
was distributing for about eight years before becoming incorporated, their legacy in the beer world was brief due to the hammer of Prohibition.<br />"By 1920, with Prohibition, they sort of went into what my grandfather called 'near-beer,' but that didn't really do that well," DiPasquale said.
I got by during Prohibition by making near-beer and by opening an ice cream and dairy plant that remained open until 1985.
Flavors are an essential part of our beer and near-beer innovation strategy, and Heineken USA is introducing several new products to the market."
Nestled into a hillside on the banks of the Cottonwood River, Schell has operated continuously since its founding in 1860, surviving the 1862 Sioux uprising by maintaining friendly relations with the Indians and staying open during Prohibition by brewing near-beer.
The tax power is needed to turn the Scottish Parliament from a near-beer establishment to full-strength.
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