Placeholder. In the Middle East, non-alcoholic 'beer' isn't marketed as beer at all — brands like Barbican (Saudi Arabia) and Moussy Classic (UAE) are deliberately positioned as 'foamless malt-based drinks,' a genuine category-naming distinction driven by religious rather than health considerations, in a region where an industry executive bluntly describes the driver as simply 'religion' rather than wellness or drink-driving concerns.
What we've found so far: A Lyre's regional VP explicitly contrasts demand drivers by region: drink-driving in South Africa, health in Europe/America, and religion in the Middle East; Fayrouz (Egypt) is positioned as a malt beverage while Birell and Amstel Zero are marketed clearly as beer, showing even within-region variation in how directly brands associate with the word 'beer.'
Open research: Interview a brand-positioning/marketing expert on how deliberate this naming choice is versus a genuine regulatory requirement; check whether any Gulf country has formal rules dictating how non-alcoholic malt drinks can be labeled.