How to Choose an Alcohol-Free Beer You’ll Actually Enjoy
Walking into the alcohol-free beer aisle can be a bit overwhelming. There are lagers, IPAs, pale ales, stouts, wheat beers and everything in between and, unfortunately, the label doesn’t always tell you whether you’re actually going to enjoy what’s inside the can.
The good news is that choosing an alcohol-free beer doesn’t have to be a guessing game.
The easiest place to start is by thinking about the beer you already like. If you’re normally a lager drinker, there’s little point jumping straight into a heavily hopped IPA. Likewise, if you enjoy big, dark stouts, a very light lager might not scratch the itch.
So, here’s a simple guide to finding an alcohol-free beer you’ll actually enjoy.
Start with the beer styles you already know
The biggest mistake when trying alcohol-free beer is treating it as one category.
It isn’t.
Just like regular beer, alcohol-free beer comes in a huge range of styles. The trick is to find the style that matches your existing tastes.
If you like lager…
Start here.
Lager is probably the easiest entry point into alcohol-free beer, particularly if you’re used to mainstream beers.
The familiar combination of light malt, gentle bitterness, carbonation and a crisp finish makes lager relatively easy to replicate without the alcohol.
We’ve tried plenty on Modest Drinker, including Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0, Heineken 0.0, Birra Moretti Zero, Lucky Saint Unfiltered Lager, Asahi Superdry 0.0, Warsteiner Fresh 0.0 and Yardarm Lager.
They aren’t all trying to do exactly the same thing either. Some aim for a very familiar mainstream lager experience, while others put more emphasis on malt, bitterness or a fuller mouthfeel.
If you’re new to alcohol-free beer, lager is probably the safest place to start.
If you like IPA…
This is where things get interesting.
Hops can be extremely useful in alcohol-free brewing because their aroma and bitterness can provide plenty of flavour even when alcohol isn’t there to provide some of the body and warmth.
If you normally reach for an IPA, there are some seriously good alcohol-free options to explore.
We’ve reviewed beers including Athletic Brewing Run Wild IPA, BRULO 7 Hop 7 Grain DDH IPA, Drop Bear Tropical IPA, Jackstaff IPA, Hazy AF, Wingman AF and Beavertown Lazer Crush.
These beers show just how varied alcohol-free IPA can be.
Some are citrusy and tropical, others are hazy and juicy, while others lean more towards traditional IPA bitterness.
If you normally drink craft beer rather than lager, I’d actually recommend starting with an AF IPA rather than trying to find a lager that mimics your usual pint.
If you like pale ale…
Pale ale is another great starting point.
Compared with an IPA, pale ales can offer plenty of hop character without necessarily going as big on bitterness. That makes them a good middle ground if you want something more interesting than lager but aren’t ready for a full-on hop bomb.
We’ve looked at Adnams Ghost Ship 0.5%, Days Pale Ale and Wild Juice Chase, among others.
If your normal beer choice is something like a session pale ale, this is a category worth exploring.
You get more hop aroma and flavour than you would typically expect from a lager, but without necessarily going to the extremes of some modern IPAs.
If you like dark beers…
Don’t assume that alcohol-free beer means pale and refreshing.
There are some excellent dark options too.
If you’re normally a stout or porter drinker, look for beers where roast malt, chocolate, coffee and caramel flavourscan provide plenty of character.
We’ve reviewed Drop Bear Bonfire Stout, which demonstrates that alcohol-free beer can work in a much darker and more robust style.
Dark beers can be particularly interesting because the flavour comes from more than just the alcohol and hops. Roasted malts can bring plenty of depth to the beer.
Think about bitterness
Bitterness is one of the easiest ways to narrow down your choices.
If you don’t normally like bitter beers, don’t assume that you need an IPA just because you’re looking for something with more flavour.
Try a lager or pale ale first.
If you enjoy bitter, hoppy beers, move towards IPA, hazy IPA or heavily hopped pale ale.
And if you really like hops, don’t be afraid of beers with names containing terms such as DDH, Hazy, NEIPA or Double Dry Hopped. These usually point towards a beer where hop aroma and flavour are a major part of the experience.
Don’t automatically choose 0.0%
One of the biggest misconceptions about alcohol-free beer is that 0.0% is always better than 0.5%.
It isn’t quite that simple.
Depending on the brewing process, a beer containing a small amount of alcohol can sometimes retain more of the character and body associated with conventional beer.
That’s why it’s worth looking at both.
For example, we’ve reviewed beers across the spectrum, from completely alcohol-free lagers such as Heineken 0.0 and Asahi Superdry 0.0 through to beers such as Ghost Ship 0.5%.
If your priority is avoiding alcohol completely, 0.0% is obviously the obvious choice. But if you’re comfortable with the small amount permitted in a 0.5% beer, don’t automatically rule them out.
Consider what you’re replacing
This is probably the most useful question to ask yourself:
What beer am I actually trying to replace?
If you’re giving up your usual Friday-night lager, look for a good lager.
If you normally enjoy a pint of IPA after work, try an AF IPA.
If you’re a stout drinker, don’t settle for a lager simply because it’s the most widely available alcohol-free option.
The closer the style is to what you already enjoy, the more likely you are to find an alcohol-free beer that feels like a proper alternative rather than a compromise.
Don’t be afraid to experiment
Of course, there is another approach.
Ignore what you normally drink and start exploring.
One of the great things about the alcohol-free beer market now is the sheer variety available. We’ve gone from a world dominated by a handful of alcohol-free lagers to one where you can find IPAs, pale ales, stouts, wheat beers, Belgian-style beers and much more.
Some you’ll love.
Some you won’t.
And that’s exactly the same as regular beer.
We’ve certainly found beers we’ve enjoyed more than others during our tasting adventures at Modest Drinker. But that’s part of the fun – discovering something you wouldn’t normally pick up.
So, where should you start?
If you’re completely new to alcohol-free beer, I’d keep it simple:
Lager drinker: Try an AF lager such as Peroni 0.0, Lucky Saint or Asahi Superdry 0.0.
IPA drinker: Start exploring beers such as Run Wild IPA, BRULO or Drop Bear Tropical IPA.
Pale ale fan: Try something like Ghost Ship 0.5% or Days Pale Ale.
Stout drinker: Look for a dark beer such as Drop Bear Bonfire Stout.
Not sure what you like? Start with lager, then work your way through pale ale and IPA.
And perhaps most importantly, don’t judge the whole alcohol-free beer category by the first beer you try.
The market has changed dramatically. There are good beers, average beers and beers that simply won’t be to your taste – just as there are in the world of conventional beer.
The trick is finding the style that works for you.
And once you do, you might find that choosing an alcohol-free beer becomes much easier than you expected.
The Modest Drinker takeaway
You don’t need to find the best alcohol-free beer.
You just need to find the best alcohol-free beer for you.
Start with the styles you already enjoy, experiment with a few different breweries, and don’t be afraid to move beyond lager.
There has never been a better time to explore alcohol-free beer.
You May Also Like
How Alcohol-Free Beers Are Made: The Different Techniques Explained
5 Alcohol-Free Beers That Make Christmas Better
