Best alcohol-free beers: great non-alcohol beers
Max taste, zero hangover, with these best alcohol-free beers
The craft beer scene in the UK is exploding, but there’s also a huge trend for the best alcohol-free beers. In fact, a report by drinks retailer EeBria states that the category is up a whopping 381 percent since 2017.
You just have to take a look at our best craft beer list to see that everyone is into trendy ale at the moment - but good beer doesn't always mean a high abv.
There’s some complexity on the definition and branding of alcohol free and low alcohol beers, so you’ll find a mix of the two here. The important thing is that everything below has a maximum abv (alcohol by volume) of 0.5%.
Although some are 0.0%, they tend to have less flavour and the difference in alcohol is negligible. For some context, a ripe banana or even a slice of bread can contain 0.5% so you’re not going to get drunk, no matter how much you drink.
There are beers here from some big names but alcohol-free and low alcohol beer is getting so popular there are even breweries dedicated to making the stuff without that potent element. We’ve included some of them here.
One benefit to these beers is the lack of alcohol, and therefore tax, makes them a lot cheaper than normal brews. Many are also low in calories.
So whether you’re pregnant, driving, wanting to keep alcohol for the weekend or any other reason, let’s get drinking. Long gone are the days when the choice was limited to just a few big lager brands...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
13. Harvey’s - Old Ale
If you’re looking for a darker alcohol-free beer then Harvey’s, one of the oldest breweries in the country, has your back.
It’s brewed to the exact same recipe as the regular beer, but reduced to a maximum of 0.5%. It’s not as full-bodied as the real deal but still captures the rich malty flavour which the style demands.
There’s a gorgeous deep amber hue and a slight after taste of burnt toast. Available in tiny 275ml bottles.
12. Nirvana - Sutra
You’d hope a brewery dedicated to brewing alcohol-free beer would have something good on the menu, and we love this IPA.
Named Sutra (there’s a pale ale called Karma), it’s straw coloured and goes big on a piney resinous profile with a background of bitter grapefruit, both in aroma and flavour.
It will be a marmite type beer but we couldn’t not mention that Nirvana also makes a ‘Buchabeer’ by blending Japanese Green tea Kombucha with cane sugar and pale ale.
11. Mikkeller - Henry And His Science
The popular danish brewery makes some popular alcohol free beers like "Drink in the sun" but we’re blown away by this one. “Micro-biologically flavoured ale” might not be the most appetising thing to put on the label but this is unlike any other low alcohol beer we’ve tasted.
In short, this ‘Flemish Primitive’ style relies on the brewery’s own strain of yeast for flavour. You’d be forgiven for thinking real passion fruit had been used here, such is the amora and taste. It’s slightly sour, yet smooth and a little creamy in texture.