25 best non-alcoholic and low-alcohol beers, expert tested
Whether you’re looking to moderate your intake for health reasons, abstaining long-term or giving Dry January a go, there’s never been a better time to be a non-drinker. And to prove it, we’ve sipped our way through 51 no- and low-alcohol beers to find the best alternatives.
Looking to mix it up? These non-alcoholic spirits and alcohol-free wines also won our experts' approval.
Best alcohol-free and low-alcohol beer 2025
What are the benefits of reducing your alcohol intake?
It’s no secret that reducing your alcohol intake has significant health benefits. According to a study by Alcohol Change UK, 70% of people who take part in Dry January report better sleep, 86% say it saves them money and 65% notice improvements to their overall health.
How is alcohol-free beer made?
No- and low-alcohol beers are made just like alcoholic beers, with water, yeast, hops and barley. Some use yeast strains that are naturally low in ABV, while others will remove the alcohol via various brewing techniques such as steam distillation or reverse osmosis.
Thanks to ongoing advances in no and low brewing techniques, the market is more diverse (and delicious) than ever.
How we test non-alcoholic beer
Our panel – made up of 10 WSET-accredited experts and consumers — tasted 51 no-and low-alcohol beers from the leading breweries and supermarkets, in search of those that offered all the authentic, hoppy flavour and refreshment of a traditional beer, minus the alcohol. Each was served chilled and blind to avoid brand bias.
Read on to find their favourite booze-free beers for Dry January and party season.
Proper Job Low Alcohol IPA
Score: 90/100
St Austell has created a low alcohol version of its popular IPA, mimicing the same bold hops, citrus and malt flavour profile. Our testers couldn’t get enough, saying it reminded them of an English pub garden in summertime. Another ardent IPA drinking described it as “fantastic” – high praise indeed.
Super Dry No Alcohol Lager
Score: 86/100
Deliciously smooth and full-bodied, this 0% lager tastes very similar to Asahi’s alcoholic super dry Japanese lager. Bursting with hops, and toasted malt, there’s also a hint of lemon citrus and a beautiful honeyed sweetness on the finish, which our testers loved. The soft bubbles made this a very refreshing beer, too.
Zero Alcohol Beer
Score: 85/100
Beer doesn’t come much more refreshing than Cobra’s non-alc lager. Our panel found it had welcome complexity, with orange and lemon peel adding to the clean, crisp finish. A great all-rounder, it was enjoyed by all, with one tester saying they’d “definitely buy again”.
Karlskrone 0.0% Lager
Score: 85/100
Aldi's budget-friendly beer comes in at just under 50p a bottle, meaning you can happily indulge guilt-free, whenever the mood strikes! Smooth and creamy, like all lagers, it's best drunk well chilled to enjoy the lightly sweet notes.
Drink'in the Sun Non Alc Wheat Ale
Score: 84/100
This Copenhagen-based craft brewery can always be relied upon for a jazzy can, and this vibrant low-alcohol American wheat beer is no exception. Bursting with crisp citrus, there’s also a touch of bitter rosemary, chamomile and honey too. All in all, our testers found it light, smooth and super refreshing.
Nastro Azzurro Alcohol Free Beer
Score: 84/100
Launched in 2022, Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% replaced Peroni Libera as the brand’s non-alcoholic beer and we think it’s a serious step forward.
It was described as an “extremely good quality” beer by one of our testers, and with its zingy lime notes, pleasing bitterness and touch of black pepper, we can see why. A light and refreshing session beer for responsible all-day drinking.
Pine Trail Pale Ale
Score: 78/100
Big Drop launched back in 2016 as the world’s first alcohol-free brewer. So, it’s no surprise this pale ale caught our panellists’ attention.
The 0.5% craft beer has a green, herbaceous nose, with a powerful bitterness on the palate and notes of lemon, passionfruit and elderflower. It's also gluten-free and clocks up just 61 calories per can.
Hazy Jane AF
Score: 78/100
Building on the success of Brewdog’s Punk AF, this Hazy Jane is another top alcohol-free choice from the brand. It’s big on tropical fruit (think mango and passionfruit) with a gentle, kombucha-like fizz. In short, you’ll find bags of flavour with none of the booze.
Perlenbacher Pils Alcohol Free
Score: 78/100
At just under 50 pence a can, Lidl's alcohol-free pilsner is a no-brainer to stock up on. The lager had a fresh, hoppy nose and a creamy mouthfeel, and while it's not overly complex, our panel was impressed — especially given the price!
Alcohol Free Hazy IPA
Score: 76/100
Lucky Saint is probably better known for its unfiltered brew, but the new Hazy IPA proved even more popular with our panel.
Beautifully balanced, you can expect a fresh, citrussy profile, with sweet, grassy notes and juicy tart fruit, delivered on a wave of smooth bubbles.
Lazer Crush Alcohol Free IPA
Score: 76/100
Beavertown's low-alcohol beer impressed testers with its tropical fruit aroma – we're talking ripe mango and pineapple – and well-balanced bitterness.
Beavertown uses a pilsner base that gives the beer a crisp, smooth mouthfeel, while azacca adds a piney freshness and citra brings that classic zesty citrus note. A certified crowd-pleaser.
Belgian Blond Non Alcoholic Beer
Score: 75/100
Adhering to traditional Belgian brewing techniques, Choffe's NA version of its blonde beer hits the spot with a fruity, floral nose and notes of banana, mango and elderflower. It's a little thinner than the real deal, but no less enjoyable, with lively bubbles and a frothy head.
£2.25 at thewhiskyexchange.com
Brewery Alcohol-free Helles Lager
Score: 75/100
Nirvana is an alcohol-free brewery based in Leyton, East London, creating brews with all the flavour and quality of a craft beer, minus the ABV.
We love how they’ve preserved the malty sweetness and hops in this fresh, smooth as silk beer, and enjoyed the robust bubbles too. A dead-ringer for the real deal.
Special Effects
Score: 74/100
Unlike some other low-alcohol beers, Brooklyn Special Effects was full of authentic, hoppy flavour and malty sweetness (minus anything artificial).
Made by dry-hopping mosaic, citra and amarillo hops (a technique rarely used in alcohol-free brewing), our panel praised the “pronounced bitterness” and “satisfying mouthfeel”. In fact, it tastes just like regular beer, hence the ‘Special Effect’ – get it?
Draught 0.0 Alcohol Free Stout
Score: 73/100
If you’re looking for a healthier version of the “black stuff”, look no further, because Guinness has come up with the ultimate alcohol-free alternative.
Granted, it’s a little thinner than a usual pint of Guinness, so it doesn’t have quite the same mouthfeel, however the same coffee, cocoa, heavily malted, bitter flavours from the original are all there. It also creates an impressive, silky-smooth head when poured and is incredibly refreshing when served well chilled.
Playground IPA Alcohol-Free
Score: 72/100
We think you’d be hard pressed to tell VanDeStreek’s Playground IPA apart from a full-strength craft beer, with its notes of orange zest, lime peel and freshly cut grass. The big bold palate and tropical nose proved satisfying for most, as did the smooth, creamy mouthfeel.
0.0 Alcohol Free Beer
Score: 72/100
Heineken is an excellent choice for an everyday lager, minus the booze. The alcohol may have been removed, but the flavour remains — expect refreshing tropical fruit and a creamy, malty body. We’d recommend pairing it with your next spicy curry.
Lust for Life Double IPA
Score: 72/100
When it comes to a 0% IPA, Brulo Lust for Life is difficult to beat. As the name suggests, this is made using twice the traditional amount of hops (a process referred to as DDH or ‘Double Dry Hopping’) that gives the beer lots of juicy fruit flavour, with a punchy bitter marmalade note that our panel couldn’t get enough of. Delicious.
Alkohol Frei
Score: 72/100
This German wheat beer is light-bodied with bright acidity, plenty of caramel-barley sweetness and a touch of bitterness. Our panel was full of praise for the “authentic” mouthfeel, which is thick, rounded and easily as satisfying as a higher ABV beer.
Galicia
Score: 72/100
Gold in the glass, this Pilsner-style beer brings classic toasted malt aromas and light bubbles – though some felt the flavour was a little too mild for their palate.
That said, the clean, fresh quality means Estrella Galicia’s 0% would be difficult to tire of, making it our top choice for a long afternoon on the alcohol-free beers.
Adaptogenic Lager
Score: 71/100
Collider is a non-alcoholic beer brand with a difference. Pioneers in the growing functional beverage market, this lager is infused with mood-boosting adaptogens and nootropics, which are thought to help the body manage stress.
Prickly, lively and fresh, with a lingering hint of toasted wheat, we thought this beer was a great choice to tuck into at the end of a long day, and it would cut through the richness of fatty meat such as pork belly with ease.
Alcohol Free Lager
Score: 71/100
Created in lockdown, Days is a B Corp-certified company and donates 2% of its sales to mental health charities, so you can drink up knowing you’re helping to do good.
Flavour-wise, you can look forward to a proper craft beer profile, with notes of honey, blossom and creamy malt.
'The Original' Lager
Score: 71/100
At 2.1% ABV, this lager is better suited to those looking to cut back, rather than abstain altogether. It’s remarkably fresh, made in the classic Pilsner style with plenty of citrus, rich malt and earthy bitterness on the finish.
Cero Alcohol Free Lager
Score: 70/100
Like the original, Corona Cero is light and well-balanced. With notes of grass and citrus, it’s not the most complex, but testers found it a convincing replacement with lovely, light bubbles. Serve in the bottle with a wedge of fresh lime.
Alcohol Free Lager Beer Bottles
Score: 70/100
While it didn’t quite live up to Carlsberg’s “probably the best beer in the world” tagline, it did manage to make it into our taste test. Our testers found this a smooth and light lager for everyday drinking, with notes of barley, hops and a hint of spice.
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