24 best alcohol-free and low-alcohol beers

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.

Score: 85/100

Spider-man actor Tom Holland has recently launched non-alcoholic beer brand BERO, and this variety pack enables you to try all three full-bodied varieties.

The Edge Hill Hazy IPA was a clear winner with our testers. It's bursting with juicy orange, with hints of elderflower and a light bitter kiss on the finish. The Kingston Pils is a clean, classic lager, with malty depth, and for something lighter, the Noon Wheat beer is super refreshing with grassy, citrus notes.

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”.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.