The 12 best non-alcoholic beers that I’ve bought & tried
Lockdown was a shock for many people, and it's no wonder that alcohol consumption skyrocketed during this period. I know this too well myself - the first week of lockdown was basically a non-stop bender for me. I was drinking every day, and because I was stressed and on my own, I had no reason or desire to stay sober.
Non-alcoholic beer has been really useful for me as I've cut down my alcohol consumption over the past few years. By consuming non-alcoholic beer alongside other supplements like CBD oil, I was able to get a grip of my drinking again.
Alcohol-free beer has exploded in popularity in recent years, as people become more health-conscious and companies get better at making great-tasting alcohol-free beer. In the first half of 2021, sales of non-alcoholic beer increased by almost 60%. What was once a niche category on a tiny shelf in supermarkets is now a massive market with a pretty overwhelming amount of options. I've made it my mission to try as many of these non-alcoholic beers as I can, and I feel well-placed to recommend some of the best you can buy.
Also, I should mention that every image in this article is original, and if you'd like to use the image then please credit You Well. Now, here are my top picks:
n.o.w.t lager
Days Brewing Co. 0.0% lager and pale ale
San Miguel 0.0%
Brewdog Nanny State 0.5%
Heineken 0%
Budweiser Zero
Lucky Saint
Beavertown Lazer Crush IPA
Stella Artois alcohol-free
Tiny Rebel Clwb Tropica Non-Alc
Guinness 0.0
Beck's Blue
n.o.w.t lager by nowt brewing co.
It can be quite hard to find non-alcoholic beer on tap, but I found n.o.w.t on tap in Edinburgh a few months ago and I was blown away. This pilsner lager is brewed in exactly the same way that an alcoholic beer is made, and it's also made with 5 different malts which gives it a lovely crispness and real depth. Plus, it's gluten free. I've since bought quite a few cans of this for sampling at home and it tastes just as excellent, but if you can find it on tap I'd highly recommend checking it out. I also love that I can buy a 6 pack of these cans, because most of the other brands in this guide only sell packs of 12 or 24 cans. Learn more and buy it here (and use code YOUWELL for 20% off your order) - nowtbrewingco.com
Days Lager and Pale Ale 0.0% alcohol
The beer I tried from Days Brewing Co. wouldn't feel out of place on the tap of any pub, and I loved the lager, but the Pale Ale really knocked my socks off. I also love the branding and love that the brand gives 2% of their profits to mental health charities. I got bottles of this beer which were awesome but the brand has recently switched to cans only.
You can explore the Days Brewing Co. website here - daysbrewing.com
San Miguel 0.0%
For many people, the main thing they're looking for is a taste of the real thing, even if the real thing isn't that special to begin with. That's exactly how I feel about the San Miguel 0% alcohol beer - it tastes pretty much like real San Miguel beer, but I'm not the biggest fan of that beer in the first place. This won't be one for any craft beer hipsters, but for anyone who simply wants something that tastes like a generic beer, this is a great choice. Learn more and buy it here - tesco.com
Brewdog Nanny State 0.5%
If you want your non-alcoholic beer to taste a bit better than a standard lager, then Nanny State from Brewdog is probably more up your street. It's by no means a taste sensation, but it is much more interesting than most of the non-alcoholic beers that I tried. Learn more and buy it here - amazon.co.uk
Heineken 0%
If you're heading on a night out but want to stay alcohol-free, you need a non-alcoholic beer that you can drink all night. I'd probably give that award to the 0% alcohol beer from Heineken, because it tastes smooth and I managed to drink a six-pack of these cans very easily. Learn more and buy it here - sainsburys.co.uk
Budweiser Zero
Despite having zero alcohol in them, some non-alcoholic beers actually have quite high levels of sugar. Sometimes the sugar has been added to enhance the taste, and sometimes this is just naturally occurring. What I love about Budweiser Zero is that it is totally sugar-free but still tastes pretty good. Learn more and buy it here - tesco.com
Lucky Saint
I have to admit, it was an absolute joy to drink the non-alcoholic beer from Lucky Saint. Not only did it taste great, but it also felt great - the bottle design is classy, and I just enjoyed the experience of it. Now, despite how pretentious that might sound, I think these things matter (particularly when you've got a case of proper beer in the fridge that you're trying desperately to avoid).
Get your own case here - luckysaint.co
Beavertown Brewery Lazer Crush
Beavertown makes great beers, and I'm a big fan of their standard alcoholic range. But I also really enjoyed their alcohol-free Lazer Crush IPA. I managed to pick up a case at a cost of about £1 per can which was really reasonable. The flavour is described as peach and mango, which is an accurate description. However, it still has the distinct taste of beer that every good non-alcoholic alternative should have.
You can pick up a case here - beavertownbrewery.co.uk
Stella Artois alcohol-free
This alcohol-free Stella Artois really surprised me - I'm not even a massive fan of normal Stella Artois beer, so I was shocked at how much I enjoyed this. Firstly, it was a great pour. The beer had a lovely frothy head and it had the sort of fizz you'd expect from a normal lager. Secondly, the taste was very similar to a normal Stella, and didn't have the sweetness that some of the other non-alcoholic beers I've tried tend to have (and that's a positive for me). Overall, very pleasantly surprised with this one.
You can buy the alcohol-free Stella Artois from Sainsbury's for less than £1 pound per bottle here - sainsburys.co.uk
Tiny Rebel Clwb Tropica Non-Alc
This is a non-alcoholic IPA from Tiny Rebel, a beer brand based in Newport, South Wales. Not only is their branding really exciting, but so are their flavour combinations, and this Tiny Rebel Clwb Tropica is no exception. Flavours that you'll pick up include mangoes, peaches, pineapples and passionfruit - a nice mix!
You can grab yourself a can of this IPA here - tinyrebel.co.uk
Clausthaler non-alcoholic beer
The team at Clausthaler have been perfecting their non-alcoholic recipes for more than 20 years. They used craft beer methods and add special savoury hops after fermentation in a process called dry-hopping. This helps to recreate the bitter characteristics of a normal beer. It's this process and the mastery within the team that really sets this apart in the alcohol-free beer sector.
You can buy a bottle from here - drydrinker.com
Guinness 0.0
I'd put this non-alcohol option as my first choice if Guinness wasn't such a love/hate beer. I happen to love it, and I think the Guinness 0.0 is absolutely brilliant. It has the iconic black look and the creamy head, and it tastes alcoholic. It's probably the best I've tried in terms of similarity to the real thing. I also wrote a post about how good this Guinness is for you.
Getting your hands on this can be hard (I visited a few shops and found only empty aisles), but I eventually got some from Tesco. You might be best buying it online, which you can do here - tesco.com
Brooklyn Special Effects Alcohol-Free Lager
Brooklyn Lager is a well-known brand here in the UK, and I'm not surprised to see them launching a non-alcoholic version of their popular lager. What did surprise me was how great it tasted - this seriously tastes like a craft beer, and every sip ends with the bitter taste you'd expect from a real beer. I highly recommend you check this one out, learn more and buy it here - waitrose.com
Beck's Blue alcohol-free
Definitely not the sexiest choice in this list, but certainly one of the safest - you'll be able to find Beck's Blue in most places, and it'll usually be pretty cheap. Beck's gets a bad rap but I'm actually pretty fond of this beer, especially given how cheap it is (usually under £2 for a bottle even in pubs). Definitely a safe bet when you're looking for a non-nonsense alcohol-free beer. Learn more and buy it here - ocado.com
I hope this guide helps you to find an excellent alcohol free beer! Let me know in the comments if you've tried any of these or if you have any other suggestions for me to try. If you want to read something similar, I have a guide to the best alcohol free cider you can buy. If you're happy with a bit of alcohol but you want to make healthier choices, I have a guide to the best low carb beer you can buy.
Finn H
Finn is the editor of You Well and has been writing about travel, health, and more for over 10 years.
2 Comments
Rob
Hi Finn
Thanks for this really useful article. Like many I suffered with the lockdown blues and I love beer! But after er years of this “good day = 3 pints, bad day = the same” its time it stopped and I found your article pretty uplifting and from someone who loves a beer too.
Some of these I have tried and these days it really goes to show that the horrible taste days of low/ no alcohol beers are gone.
Nice one!
Rob
A great article and interesting comments, thank you. A shame you didn’t mention the Birra Moretti, (you listed), as that is my current favourite having tried it, and had a second, in a Bella Italia before driving home from Center Parcs a few months ago!
Rob