Welcome to the 15 best non alcoholic beers.
The non alcoholic and alcohol free beer market is exploding currently. The entire market is growing year on year at circa 10%.
With that type of growth it isn’t hard to see why all the big breweries and craft breweries are releasing non alcoholic selections.
There are even brand new, non alcoholic only craft breweries. Some like Big Drop Brewing are excellent.
I have been busily trying just about every non alcoholic beer i can get my hands on so i’ve complied a list of the best in each section.
Not everyone wants a larger or a stout so you can zoom in on your beer of choice.
There are lots of reasons to try non alcoholic beers, i’ve written extensively on them…
- What all the labelling terminology means
- If you can drink non alcoholic beers and drive – spoiler, you can
- The fact you can drink them when pregnant or breastfeeding
- They are lower in calories
- 12 benefits of non alcoholic beers
- The fact they cant get you drunk
- Gluten free guide
- Vegan guide
My full list of of the current winners on the market is…
| Category | Winning Beer |
| Best big brand stout | Guinness 0.0 |
| Best craft stout | Galactic Milk Stout |
| Best big brand lager | Heineken 0.0 |
| Best craft lager | Brooklyn Special Effects |
| Best low calorie lager | Lucky Saint |
| Best IPA | Lazer Crush |
| Best American pale ale | Infinite Session Pale |
| Best pale ale | Pile Trail |
| Best German pilsner | Bitburger 0.0 |
| Best German Wheat (lower calorie) | Schneider Weisse Alkoholfrei |
| Best German Wheat (higher calorie) | Erdinger Alkoholfrei |
| Best Belgian Blonde | Leffe 0.0 |
| Best Italian | Peroni Libera |
| Best low calorie | Nanny State |
| Best ale | Drink’in The Sun |
You can click through to Amazon to see their entire range of non alcoholic beers. There is definitely something for everyone
Without further ado, let’s have a closer look at the winners.
Best big brand stout – Guinness 0.0
This is one of the newest beers on the market and without a doubt one of the most anticipated. Im an Irishman so was particularly keen for this to come to market and be good!
The taste is unmistakably Guinness. In a direct taste off, a seasoned drinker will tell the difference. If you just had the 0.0 from the get go could you tell? Maybe.
The question is do you care that the taste is a tiny bit different? Its a tiny bit worse for me but not much. Its still a great beer.
If you are making the change from alcoholic to non alcoholic and miss a Guinness then no more. This is a great effort from Guinness and has to be drank to be believed.
Read my comprehensive review here
Nutrition
Alcohol – 0.0%
Calories – 16kcal per 100ml
Carbohydrate – 3.5g per 100ml
Sugar – 0.4g per 100ml
Guinness 0.0 is very low calorie and low sugar, which makes the creamy Guinness taste even more impressive.
Where to buy
Amazon UK via this link
You can check it out on Dry Drinker in the UK too
Best craft stout – Galactic Milk Stout
Galactic Milk Stout is a quite brilliant offering from Big Drop Brewing Co. They rarely miss to be fair to them.
It is a really interesting mix of that heavy stout flavour with the lighter porter feel. You won’t feel bogged down in it, its easy drinking.
Who cares about ABV and alcohol free here, this is a serious beer no matter what. Im from Ireland and have drank plenty of stouts of all descriptions and this stacks up.
This beer has won multiple global awards and its not hard to see why.
You get plenty of chocolate, honeycomb and coffee flavours. If you like stout or porters, you will love this, i guarantee it.
Full review here
Nutrition
Alcohol – 0.5%
Calories – 27kcal per 100ml
Carbohydrate – 5.4g per 100ml
Sugar – 0.1g per 100ml
IBU – 35
Slightly higher calorie than the Guinness 0.0 due to the milk and lactose added for mouthfeel.
Where to buy
Luckily they are now spreading out over North America if you can find them on the official website
For Amazon UK follow this link
UK – Light Drinks and Sober Sauce have it and you get 5% off with code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE
Australia – Craft Zero is the place to go and get 10% off with code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE
Best big brand lager – Heineken 0.0
Ive went back and forth on this one i can tell you.
You may have read my in-depth review here where i scored it a so so 6.5/10. Since then i have been drinking more of it and it’s growing on me.
Ive also had many of my friends try it and the mostly love it so i think i was a bit harsh on it after my first taste. It therefore leapfrogs other contenders like Carlsberg, Peroni, Budweiser etc to grab the top spot for Big Brand Lager.
Heineken admit their 0.0 doesn’t taste the same as their regular lager, they were not trying to copy it.
They says “We challenged our Master Brewers to apply all their expertise to brew the best possible non-alcohol beer using just natural ingredients. The result is a 0.0 beer brewed for beer lovers, by beer lovers.”
I think this is a good entry beer to the non alcoholic world. It is widely available and you have drink a few in a session ok.
Nutrition
Alcohol – 0.0%
Calories – 21kcal per 100ml
Carbohydrate – 4.8g per 100ml
Sugar – 1.3g per 100ml
It’s a fairly standard nutritional profile for a non alcoholic lager. Not too high in sugar but not zero either.
Where to buy
For Amazon follow this link. The price can change around the world so best to click and find the latest.
UK – Light Drinks and Sober Sauce have it and you get 5% off with code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE
Australia – Craft Zero is the place to go and get 10% off with code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE
Best Craft Lager – Brooklyn Special Effects
You’d not really pin this as a lager although they do seem to be rebranding it as a “hoppy amber”. It doesn’t look like one, smell like one or really taste like one. It’s just too hoppy and malty, which I think is a good thing.
In my opinion it’s more a mix between an amber ale and an IPA. There is good full flavour of hops with a hint of caramel. Citrus notes and possibly a hint of grapefruit.
You don’t need to go looking for the missing alcohol here. It doesn’t feel like there is something missing, it feels like a complete beer.
Now that might be because they’ve included more than their fair share of sugar but at least they’ve included flavour at the same time.
There are other very good craft lagers about that are more lager like. Id give a special mention to Infinite Session Lager. If you want a more lager like lager, id go for that. Available at Amazon here
Full review of Special Effects here
Nutrition
Alcohol – 0.5%
Calories – 29kcal per 100ml
Carbohydrate – 6.3g per 100ml
Sugar – 2.9g per 100ml
Slightly higher calorie than the Guinness 0.0 due to the milk and lactose added for mouthfeel.
Where to buy
For Amazon UK follow this link
UK – Light Drinks and Sober Sauce have it and you get 5% off with code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE
Australia – Craft Zero is the place to go and get 10% off with code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE
Best Low Calorie lager
This is one of the lowest calorie, lowest carb, no sugar beers out there. It’s a really refreshing drink and thirst quenching. Most of the zero sugar, non alcoholic beers can taste watery and empty but not this.
In general you need alcohol or sugar to give body, if you don’t then you need loads of flavour. This fits that mould. It does have that German pils taste to it, there is more hops than normal lager.
Clean and crisp on the palate as you would hope for. There is nothing offensive at any point from start to finish. Great effort from Lucky Saint
I love to see this type of profile in a non alcoholic lager. If they can pull it off you have the double whammy of no alcoholic and a huge calorie saving it is brilliant and this one does.
Full review here
Nutrition
Alcohol – 0.5%
Calories – 16kcal per 100ml
Carbohydrate – 3.5g per 100ml
Sugar – <0.1g per 100ml
Where to buy
For Amazon UK follow this link
UK – Light Drinks and Sober Sauce have it and you get 5% off with code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE
Australia – Craft Zero is the place to go and get 10% off with code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE
Best IPA
If you have ever drank the Beavertown range you will know they are packed with hops and flavour. Their alcohol free version is no exception.
The colour was light from the pour and got me worried it may be an insipid watery brew. But no, not at all thankfully. You think Beavertown you think hops and in this you get hops and flavour.
It does taste and feel light but not empty. There is a decent amount of sugar in there but i’ll let them off. It’s a really nice drop.
You can drink multiple of these in a session if needed. You’d be hard pressed to stop really.
Full review here
Alcohol – 0.3%
Calories – 25kcal per 100ml
Carbohydrate – 5.9g per 100ml
Sugar – 3g per 100ml
Where to buy
UK – Sober Sauce have it and you get 5% off with code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE
Australia – Craft Zero is the place to go and get 10% off with code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE
Best American Pale Ale – Infinite Session Pale
I have to admit I’m a huge fan of the whole Infinite range. I could easily have picked their lager or IPA but i thought id spread the love a bit. Im sure they will feature in some specific lists soon
Their American Pale Ale combines a smooth, six- grain body with lots of tropical US hops. This gives it a refreshing and bitter flavour with lots of citrus.
When you try a beer like this its hard to know why you would want an alcoholic version for casual drinking. It really is that good. I do advise seeking it out and its siblings (lager and IPA)
Nutrition
Alcohol – 0.5%
Calories – 11kcal per 100ml
Carbohydrate – 3.3g per 100ml
Sugar – 2.8g per 100ml
What a great low calorie option this is, its just so hard to do well
Where to buy
For Amazon UK follow this link
UK – Light Drinks and Sober Sauce have it and you get 5% off with code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE
Australia – Craft Zero is the place to go and get 10% off with code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE
Best Pale Ale – Pine Trail
This is the second beer ive included from Big Drop and to be honest, i could have included more.
You get a lovely citrus first hop hit. There is maybe more lime than a lemon notes on this one. The high bitter tone at the tail end is very pleasing.
This is a low cal, basically no sugar beer. As such needs loads of falvour to get over then no alcohol or sugar. It does it brilliantly.
Not short of flavourDef feels its getting towards a more hop heavy IPA than pale ale but the symantics don’t matter.
Nutrition
Alcohol – 0.5%
Calories – 18.5kcal per 100ml
Carbohydrate – 3.6g per 100ml
Sugar – 0.1g per 100ml
IBU – 42
Can you tell i get impressed if the flavour is there but the calories aren’t? This is another great example.
Where to buy
For Amazon UK follow this link
UK – Light Drinks and Sober Sauce have it and you get 5% off with code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE
Australia – Craft Zero is the place to go and get 10% off with code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE
Best German Pilsner – Bitburger 0.0
This was one of my first alcohol free tasting boxes so forgive the no individual picture. It was one of the first pilsners or lagers that blew my mind too.
It tastes like just like a full alcohol German pilsner. Clean, crisp and a touch more hoppy than you might think from a Pilsner, although a pils is more hoppy and bitter than a lager.
This fits in nicely with the evolving world of high hop IPAs, its not quite that strong but there is enough of a nod at it to keep you interested. If you had just been handed this and not told it was 0.0%, you probably would’t know.
I actually prefer this to most if not all lagers and pilsners out there. You cant get much more of an endorsement that that! Perfect for a summer BBQ or any time you want.
Nutrition
Alcohol – 0.0%
Calories – 22kcal per 100ml
Carbohydrate – 5.1g per 100ml
Sugar – 0g per 100ml
Can you tell i get impressed if the flavour is there but the calories aren’t? This is another great example.
Where to buy
For Amazon follow this link. It is available in USA and Europe.
UK – Light Drinks have it and you get 5% off with code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE
Australia – Craft Zero is the place to go and get 10% off with code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE
Best German Wheat beer (lower sugar) – Schneider Weisse Alkoholfrei
Another one of my early reviews so no individual picture. You can read the write up on 8 top German beers to try here
I actually scored this a perfect 10. High praise indeed, and although i’ve now tried many many more beers i still think this is a stand out.
I’ve not been a huge weisse/wheat beer fan but this is outstanding. It is simply delicious. Its more of a golden amber colour than the other paler German wheat beers i’ve tried, and maybe that’s what’s swinging it.
It’s probably a slightly milder wheat taste than the others which appeals to me. Whatever my thinking, i really loved this and i’ve ordered more.
Nutrition
Alcohol – 0.5%
Calories – 26kcal per 100ml
Carbohydrate – 5g per 100ml
Sugar – 2g per 100ml
A fairly standard nutritional profile. Not the best ever not not horrible and still miles better than an alcoholic version.
Where to buy
For Amazon follow this link. It is available across Europe.
UK – Buy now from the awesome Dry Drinker
Australia – Craft Zero is the place to go and get 10% off with code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE
Best German Wheat beer (higher sugar) – Erdinger Alkoholfrei
Erdinger is a colossus in the German wheat beer world and across the world. It formed a nice head and smelt like a great wheat beer.
The mouth feel was all there and not one you would say was empty and watery.
Initially i thinking, oh boy, this is a top top beer. By the end of it you can start to notice a touch of sweetness. If you are sensitive to this in beer you might not like more than one.
Erdinger’s sugar content is on the high side, which contributes to its great taste but at a slight cost.
Full review here
Nutrition
Alcohol – 0.0%
Calories – 25kcal per 100ml
Carbohydrate – 5.3g per 100ml
Sugar – 3.6g per 100ml
Ok so the sugar is a bit higher as a percentage of the carbs vs the Schneider Weisse but not too much. I really just wanted to have them both in tho!
Where to buy
For Amazon follow this link. It is available in USA and Europe.
UK – Sober Sauce have it and you get 5% off with code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE. You can also go to Dry Drinker
Australia – Craft Zero is the place to go and get 10% off with code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE
Best Belgian Blonde – Leffe Blond 0.0
I think i’m going to divide opinion with this one…
It’s a massive beer. Huge mouthfeel and depth with loads of body. The taste is like a normal Leffe.
Its quite sweet but doesn’t actually taste too sweet (this is where opinions will differ). Although even i probably couldn’t have more than 3-4 at once.
Lovely aroma, light citrus, loads of hop bitterness and that almost floral wheat taste.
Fruity with a touch of orange and a little bit of spice.
I think for some this will be too sweet a beer for them. If you don’t mind that or the calorie count then this is for you. As a gateway into the non alcoholic world i think it’s a good first step. Before trying the low calorie, low carb ones out there.
Read my full review on Leffe Blond here
Nutrition
Alcohol – 0.0%
Calories – 40kcal per 100ml
Carbohydrate – 9.8g per 100ml
Sugar – 1.1g per 100ml
This has just about the highest calorie count of all the non alcoholic beers i have tried and the highest carb count. If you are just interested in no alcoholic and not too worried about calories then this is for you.
Where to buy
For Amazon follow this link for the live prices.
UK – Visit Dry Drinker and first order is 10% off
Australia – Craft Zero is the place to go and get 10% off with code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE
Best Italian Beer – Peroni Libera
Light on the hops and malt would be a criticism but it is a lager.
It doesn’t feel too watery or empty but and there is a reasonable hop and malt flavour. The sugar content certainly helps the body and mouthfeel.
You would ideally want more flavour from hops and malt rather than sugar for body, the best lagers do this brilliantly.
But all in all it’s not a bad beer and it’s widely available. For a big brand, mass produced lager it’s decent and the best i’ve had out of Italy.
Full review here
Nutrition
Alcohol – 0.0%
Calories – 22kcal per 100ml
Carbohydrate – 5.3g per 100ml
Sugar – 3g per 100ml
Maybe a touch on the sweet side for a lager but as a big brand mass produced it is pretty standard.
Where to buy
Light Drinks in the UK have them and if you use the discount code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE you get 5% off
You can of course click through to Amazon to see if they are cheaper
In Australia you can get 10% off with code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE at CraftZero
Best Low calorie
I feel really bad that the only award i’ve given Nanny State is for the best lowest calories non alcoholic beer.
Nanny State could have won a number of other sections on its own.
This has massive amounts of both hops and malt barley flavour. The bitter hops explodes on you. This doesn’t need alcohol or sugar.
You aren’t reaching around for what is missing because you are trying to process the massive amount of flavour that is there.
This is an amazing beer, period. Alcohol or not.
They brew it with more hop varieties than normal, namely centennial, amarillo, columbus, cascade and simcoe hops. Then it is and dry-hopped with centennial and amarillo.
As it that huge hop hit isn’t enough, they use 8 different types of speciality malts as well. These combine to give Nanny State huge backbone and mouth feel that belies its non alcoholic nature.
The varieties of hops adds big citrus and pine flavours. If you like big IPAs and pale ales then you like this. It’s that simple
Read full review here
Nutrition
Alcohol – 0.5%
Calories – 6kcal per 100ml
Carbohydrate – 1g per 100ml
Sugar – <0.1g per 100ml
Come again! Look at those numbers, insane. How have they created this beer with those numbers. It is the lowest calorie, lowest carb non alcoholic beer i can find.
Where to buy
You really need to be drinking this beer. I promise it is good.
Light Drinks in the UK have them and if you use the discount code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE you get 5% off
You can of course click through to Amazon to see if they are cheaper
In Australia you can get 10% off with code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE at CraftZero
Best Skandinavia – Drink’in the sun
I feel a bit bad this is the only Mikkeller beer i’ve got in this particular list. Im going to need more lists to crowbar more in there. They are one of the top breweries that have added many non alcoholic beers to their range.
This is a pale ale wheat beer combo. The taste is different from the German wheat beers. Is that the extra sugar in it as its quite high?
For my money just a hint at that wheat beer taste. Just enough to pick it out but not enough to put me off! No weird after tastes you can get with wheat beers. Sometimes i find them very medicinal tasting if strong.
There is a good mix of wheat and hops here to keep you going.
Try out the rest of Mikkeller if you get the chance tho.
My full review here
Nutrition
Alcohol – 0.3%
Calories – 22kcal per 100ml
Carbohydrate – 5.3g per 100ml
Sugar – 3.6g per 100ml
Where to buy
Check out the live prices on Amazon buy clicking through here
UK – Light Drinks and Sober Sauce have it and you get 5% off with code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE
Australia – Craft Zero is the place to go and get 10% off with code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE
*Affiliate Disclosure – if you click on the links and buy from these providers, i might receive a small commission*
