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- Best non-alcoholic and low-alcohol beer: At a glance
- How to choose the best alcohol-free beer for you
- The best non-alcoholic beers you can buy in 2023
- 1. San Miguel 0,0: A crisp non-alcoholic lager
- 2. Budweiser Prohibition: A light, tasty 0% take on Bud
- 3. St Peters Without: The best alcohol-free ale
- The best low-alcohol beers to buy
- 1. Adnams Ghost Ship 0.5%: The best low-alcohol pale ale
- 2. Pistonhead Flat Tire: The best low-alcohol lager
- 3. Small Beer Brew Co. Dark Lager: The best 1% beer
- 4. BrewDog Nanny State: A brilliant 0.5% hoppy pale ale
- 5. Erdinger Alkoholfrei: The best low-alcohol wheat beer
- 6. Ilkley Brewery Virgin Mary: A refreshing, low-alc English ale
More and more people are waking up to the merits of non-alcoholic beer. Maybe youre a teetotaller. Maybe youre pregnant. Or maybe you want to keep tabs on your alcohol consumption. Either way, one reason that non-alcoholic beers are soaring in popularity is that drum roll they taste good. Many international and independent brewers have at least one non-alcoholic or low-alcohol brew in their portfolios of products.
But if youre planning on picking up some beers for a party, you want to make sure you buy one that doesnt have you rushing back to the real stuff. Thats why weve put together this guide to buying the right non-alcoholic or low-alcohol beer for you, followed by a list of our favourite tried and tested tipples.
Best non-alcoholic and low-alcohol beer: At a glance
- A crisp non-alcoholic lager: San Miguel 0,0
- Best alcohol-free ale: St Peters Without
- Best low-alcohol pale ale: Adnams Ghost Ship 0.5%
- Best low-alcohol lager: Pistonhead Flat Tire
How to choose the best alcohol-free beer for you
What type of beer do you like? Lager? Ale? Stout?
Just because youre drinking non-alcoholic beer doesnt mean that you cant be fussy youll be surprised to find the amount of choice there is on the market. Lagers, ales, pale ales and stouts are all available in non-alcoholic versions.
Non-alcoholic or low alcohol?
A distinction worth noting. Lots of beers that are labelled as non-alcoholic in fact do contain very small amounts of alcohol, usually to the tune of 0.5%. Youd have to drink insanely large amounts to even feel remotely tipsy, so if thats what you want to avoid, youll be fine drinking these. But if perhaps for religious reasons you dont want any alcohol to pass your lips, seek out the 0.0% beers. (By that logic, you may want to reconsider drinking orange juice or putting vinegar on your chips, though they can contain 0.5% and 0.2% alcohol respectively.) Weve divided them into two categories below.
Are you old enough to (not) drink?
Actually, were being serious. When it comes to low-alcohol beers, youll still have to be 18 to buy them as they contain alcohol, albeit in trace amounts. Amazon (who weve linked to in our selections below) mitigates this by insisting upon signed delivery when youll have to provide proof of age if youre lucky enough to look younger than 18, that is.
The best non-alcoholic beers you can buy in 2023
1. San Miguel 0,0: A crisp non-alcoholic lager
Price: £17 for 12 | Buy now from Beer Hunter
The first high-profile name on this list is a cut above its rivals Heineken and Budweiser, whose non-alcoholic offerings we found to be underwhelming. The flavour to San Miguels 0,0 is distinctly sweet, but once that fades, you can really start to enjoy a pleasantly authentic bitter flavour. Its not our favourite on this list, but its a decent non-alcoholic beer from a major international brewery.
Key specs Volume: 330ml; ABV: 0%; Beer type: Lager; Country of origin: Spain
2. Budweiser Prohibition: A light, tasty 0% take on Bud
Price: £32 for 24 | Buy now from Amazon
If were being honest, that light, carbonated Budweiser tang makes it perfectly suited for a non-alcoholic equivalent and we were quite taken with this zero-alcohol Bud. Its got that familiar fizzy bite, and the malty sweetness gives way to a banana-esque flavour. A good one to wash down at a BYO curry house.
Key specs Volume: 330ml; ABV: 0%; Beer type: Lager; Country of origin: US
3. St Peters Without: The best alcohol-free ale
Price: £14 for 6 | Buy now from Dry Drinker
The second beer from a Suffolk brewery on this list and one that St Peters spent nearly £1m on developing. Youll find it says 0.05ABV on the label, but purists can rest easy knowing that recent tests to the brew calculated it as closer to 0.009% youll find more alcohol in a glass of orange juice. More importantly, its also very tasty: sweet, bitter and complex. You may also want to take a look at the lighter-hued Without Gold, too.
Key specs Volume: 500ml; ABV: 0%; Beer type: Ale; Country of origin: England
The best low-alcohol beers to buy
1. Adnams Ghost Ship 0.5%: The best low-alcohol pale ale
Price: £40 for 24 | Buy now from Amazon
Suffolk-based brewery Adnams has devised a clever process to brew a low-alcohol version of its popular Ghost Ship. The beer is made by reverse osmosis: the alcohol is removed and the resulting concentrated liquid is diluted with water and carbon dioxide. This rather unappetising recipe results in a golden, citrus-flavoured pale ale thats light, malty and delicious. Its a great choice for those who arent so keen on lagers or heavily hopped American-style IPAs.
Key specs Volume: 330ml; ABV: 0.5%; Beer type: Pale ale; Country of origin: England
2. Pistonhead Flat Tire: The best low-alcohol lager
Price: £23 for 12 | Buy now from Amazon
Pay close attention if and when you buy this one as Pistonhead actually does two beers with the same name. One may leave you with a hangover, while the other most certainly will not. But whats remarkable is how, unless you drink one after the other, its almost impossible to taste the difference between the two. The 0.5% Flat Tire might be a little sweeter, but that fades swiftly into a refreshing, aromatic, citrusy lager.
Key specs Volume: 330ml; ABV: 0.5%; Beer type: Lager; Country of origin: Sweden
3. Small Beer Brew Co. Dark Lager: The best 1% beer
Price: £16 for 6 l Buy now from Dry Drinker
With the highest alcohol content on this list, Small Beers Dark Lager is a sublime choice for the low-alcohol drinker that doesnt mind sipping a beer with 1% ABV. Small Beers Dark Lager could best be described as more of a dessert-like beer, with toasted coffee and chocolate undertones. Its quite a rich drink, so you wont be drinking many of these in quick succession, but Small Beer’s Dark Lager is the perfect evening treat after a hard days work (and a hearty dinner).
Key specs Volume: 330ml; ABV: 1%; Beer type: Lager; Country of origin: England
4. BrewDog Nanny State: A brilliant 0.5% hoppy pale ale
Price: £4 for 4 | Buy now from BrewDogDespite its stratospheric rise to international success, BrewDog still retains its punky, independent vibe and its evident in the amusingly named Nanny State. BrewDog hasnt skimped on care when it comes to this low-alcohol beer: eight different malts and five hops going into the blend. Much like BrewDog itself, proof of Nanny States popularity lies in its ubiquity: its a craft low-alcohol beer youll find in your local supermarket.
Key specs Volume: 330ml; ABV: 0.5%; Beer type: Hoppy ale; Country of origin: Scotland
5. Erdinger Alkoholfrei: The best low-alcohol wheat beer
Price: £24 for 12 | Buy now from Beer Hunter
Bavarian brewery Erdinger claims that the low-alcohol version of its world-famous wheat beer also works as an isotonic recovery drink. In each 500ml bottle, youll find 26.5g of carbs, plus surprising amounts of folic acid and vitamin B12. It certainly goes down terribly smoothly. A great choice if youre feeling a little fragile after a few too many rounds of the hard stuff in the bierkeller the night before.
Key specs Volume: 500ml; ABV: 0.5%; Beer type: Wheat beer; Country of origin: Germany
6. Ilkley Brewery Virgin Mary: A refreshing, low-alc English ale
Price: £27 for 12 | Buy now from Amazon
As a non-alcoholic pale ale, Ilkley Brewerys Virgin Mary pulls off some pretty impressive feats. First, it has a lovely orange aroma, even though it doesnt contain any citrus. Second, it actually tastes like beer despite coming in at only 0.5% ABV. It has a good body and mouthfeel and isnt watery in comparison to many of its non-alcoholic counterparts. It might not be doing anything exciting or innovative flavour-wise, but this is a perfect substitution for anyone craving a classic beer, without the high alcohol content.
Key specs Size: 330ml; ABV: 0.5%; Country of origin: UK
