The best non-alcoholic beers

Non-alcoholic beers have come a long way. If you have bad memories of trying one years ago, but have not tried the latest brands, you might be pleasantly surprised. We list some of our favourites in this post. You will find most, if not all of them (we hope!) at our Mindful Drinking Festival in August, but if you can’t wait that long, we’ll also tell you where you can buy them now. And by the way, when we say “non-alcoholic”, we mean anything under 0.5% abv.

So without further ado, in alphabetical order, we present the five best non-alcoholic beers:

Big Drop Brewing

Big Drop Brewing is based in South London, and only producers craft beers under 0.5% abv. Their first style was a Chocolate Milk Stout; a dark and rich beer, with coffee, cocoa and vanilla notes. Beer writer Pete Brown says this is his favourite alcohol-free beer. If you still need convincing, you can read more about Chocolate Milk Stout at Club Soda.

The second Big Drop beer on the market was a Citrus Pale Ale; described by Club Soda members as “smooth”, “a nice summer drink” and “good with Asian food”. Both have been big hits with both Club Soda members and beer experts, so we are really looking forward to Big Drop numbers three and four: Spicy Brown Ale and Lager – both of which will make their first appearances at the Festival!

Fitbeer

Fitbeer is a 0.3% abv lager, “made the German way, with only ever 4 natural ingredients: malted barley, hops, water and yeast”. Fitbeer is an unusual non-alcoholic beer in the way it is made. Usually, a beer is either first brewed to “full strength” and the alcohol then taken out (or “de-alcoholised”), or only brewed to a very low ABV percentage. Fitbeer uses a mix of both methods.

However it’s made, Fitbeer is an excellent beer. If you like a German lager, you won’t go wrong with it. And it’s only 66 calories per bottle too.

Heineken 0.0

Heineken have been brewing beer since 1873. In 2017 they launched Heineken 0.0. As the name says, it is a 0.0% abv lager. In their own words, it is “twice brewed and fermented with Heineken’s unique A-yeast from natural ingredients with gentle alcohol removal and blending to achieve a fruity flavour and slight malty notes.”

When we tried some in the office, it was described as “really really nice“, with a “clean taste” and a flavour “very similar” to Heineken with alcohol. One taster said it was the “best [alcohol-free beer] I’ve had – I don’t trust it doesn’t have alcohol!”

Nirvana

Nirvana Brewery have built a custom-made low and no alcohol brewhouse in Leyton, east London. They are planning a whole range of beers, including some low alcohol ones (between 0.5% and 1% abv). The first two alcohol-free 0.0% abv ones are already out.

The first, Kosmic Stout, is dark and beautifully malty, with hints of chocolate and vanilla in the taste. It has also had good reviews from people who don’t usually drink dark beers. The second, Tantra Pale Ale is so new even we haven’t been able to taste it yet!

St Peter’s Without

St Peter’s Brewery in Suffolk launched their first non-alcoholic beer, Without, at the end of last year. It is a 0.05% abv ale, which St Peter’s created as “an excellent quality, full-bodied alcohol-free beer that drinkers will take seriously.”

According to Club Soda members, Without has a “really interesting taste: rye bread, very malty, strong flavours” and is “a good option for anyone like me who enjoys ale, but doesn’t want to have the ale drinker’s physique. It has a distinctive, but pleasant malt flavour and a satisfying depth to the taste“.

And St Peter’s have also just released their second non-alcoholic beer: Without Gold. In their own words: “slightly sweet malt flavour, combined with a citrus bitterness”. Grab one at the Festival!

Where to buy these non-alcoholic beers

You will be able to find all of these beers in at least some pubs and bars in London, though sadly none is very widely available. But you can find many good places for mindful drinkers on the Club Soda Guide.

Heineken 0.0 and St Peter’s Without are both available in bigger Tesco supermarkets and Tesco’s home delivery in some locations (but not all). You can read more about Tesco’s alcohol-free shelves on Club Soda.

DryDrinker is an online shop with a great range of alcohol-free beers. At the moment you can order Big Drop, Fitbeer, and St Peter’s Without from DryDrinker. Check what else is on offer on their website – and if you use the code “CLUBSODAVIP” at the checkout you will get a 5% discount of your order too!

You can also order direct and find up to date stockist information on the websites of Big Drop Brewing, Fitbeer, Nirvana Brewery, and St Peter’s Brewery.