Buying alcohol-free beer used to be like picking a film on a Friday night. You'd spend twenty minutes scrolling, panic, and end up with something that looked great on the cover and had the personality of a damp flannel.
The fix is simple. Stop picking beers. Start picking breweries. Find a brewer who gets it, and nearly everything they make will be decent.
So here are the alcohol-free craft beer brands I'd trust with my own fridge. And my fridge has standards. It's also full of kombucha, but that's a different article.
The short answer
The best non-alcoholic craft beer brands you can get in the UK right now include Mash Gang, Nirvana, Jump Ship, Brulo, Beak's Nolia, Kirkstall, Athletic Brewing and Heaps Normal. What they share is that they treat alcohol-free beer as proper beer, with real hops, real body and real flavour, rather than a lager that's been told off. Start with one hero beer from each and you'll find your favourite fast.
What makes an alcohol-free brewery worth backing?
Three things. Body, because alcohol gives beer weight and someone has to replace it. Balance, because a big hop smell means nothing if the beer tastes like a hollow chocolate egg. And consistency, so the can you loved last month tastes the same this month.
If you want the nerdy bit on how they actually get the alcohol out, I've explained it in how non-alcoholic craft beer is made. If you just want to drink the stuff, read on.
The breweries
Mash Gang: the Willy Wonka one
Born in lockdown, now one of the most important alcohol-free breweries in the UK. They put chilli, mango and cherry in places other brewers wouldn't dare. Start with Mash Gang Chug, a friendly hazy pale with tropical hops, oats and a little chilli warmth. I'm such a fan I wrote them a whole Mash Gang love letter. It's slightly embarrassing. I stand by it.
Nirvana: the one with its own brewhouse
Becky Taylor-Kean started Nirvana in East London in 2017 after her dad Jim stopped drinking. It's the UK's only dedicated alcohol-free brewery with its own brewhouse. The Nirvana Bavarian Helles is 0.3%, 66 calories and tastes like the first pint on a sunny day. If you only stock one lager, make it this.
Jump Ship: the Scottish stout specialist
Sonja Mitchell set up Jump Ship in Edinburgh as Scotland's first dedicated alcohol-free brewery. Everything's vegan and gluten free. Jump Ship Stokers was named the best no-alcohol beer in Scotland in 2024: coffee, dark chocolate, a hint of vanilla and zero sugar. A gluten-free stout this good is rarer than a dry bank holiday.
Brulo: the hop nerd's choice
Founded in 2019 to make hop-forward alcohol-free beer, with clever yeast and modern brewing. Brulo 7 Hop 7 Grain is a double dry hopped IPA with, yes, seven hops and seven grains, for 56 calories. For the person who reads the back of the can out loud. You know the one. It's me.
Beak's Nolia: the overachiever
Beak in Lewes were named Brewery of the Year at the Great British Beer Festival Awards 2022, and Nolia is their dedicated alcohol-free project. The aim is to make the best alcohol-free IPA in the UK. Beak Nolia is hazy and juicy with apricot, mango and lime, for around 30 calories a can. That's fewer calories than the guilt you feel opening a second packet of crisps.
Kirkstall: the local lads
Brewing in Leeds since 2011, inspired by Kirkstall Abbey, where monks brewed as far back as the 12th century. Twenty minutes from our shop in Otley, give or take the A65. Kirkstall Virtuous is a vegan, gluten-free IPA with Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe hops and a sneaky hint of blueberry. Virtuous by name. I'm assuming the monks approve.
Athletic Brewing: the American giant
The largest independent alcohol-free brewery in the USA, with their own brewing method. The name suggests they're aimed at the people who swapped their hangovers for five-hour runs. Those people are still out of the game, by the way. Nobody's seen them since 2019. Athletic Free Wave is a juicy hazy IPA with Amarillo, Citra and Mosaic, and it's lovely on a sofa. We also put their pilsner on tap, which I explain in my Athletic Noble Pils review.
Heaps Normal: the Aussie barbecue lager
Started in Australia in 2020, now a certified B Corp, and on a mission to make honest chats about alcohol completely normal. Robbie Williams liked them so much he invested. Heaps Normal Another Lager is a clean, crisp, no-frills lager. Exactly what you want when someone hands you a can at a barbecue.
How to try them without buying a pallet
Don't buy a case of one thing. Mix and match. You can pick any six or more drinks in our build-a-box and get 5% off, 10% off for 12+, or 15% off for 24+. Delivery is free on UK mainland orders over £85, and £4.95 under.
If you want a list of individual beers rather than breweries, my 10 best alcohol-free beers has you covered. Or pop into our Otley taproom and we'll talk your ear off about hops. You've been warned.
The serious bit
Most of these beers are 0.5% ABV. In the UK, drinks up to 0.5% ABV count as alcohol-free, but that isn't 0.0%, so check the label if you need zero. If you're pregnant or on medication, check with your GP first. Several of these beers contain gluten, so check the label if you're coeliac.
If you're worried about your drinking, Drinkaware and the NHS have free, confidential support.
Kombucha Kev, Functional Drinks Club
