Looking for the best non-alcoholic beer according to fans, experts, and awards? Here’s a list of the most popular NA beers available.
Whether for personal or medical reasons, avoiding alcohol is a decision many people make that extends far beyond Dry January. A Gallup article highlights that young adults are drinking less than they were in prior decades, making non-alcoholic drinks more popular for socializing than ever before.
To help you make the best decisions about what to enjoy if you’re abstaining from alcohol, we’re going to highlight the best non-alcoholic beer on the market and answer some questions for you about non-alcoholic beer!
What Is Dry January?
Dry January is a public health initiative meant to encourage people to abstain from alcohol for the month of January.
Fresh on the heels of some major holidays that generally involve alcohol consumption such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve, dry January helps people examine their habits and make some changes to get back on track for the rest of the year.
Some people focus on their health, particularly after making some New Year’s Resolutions that might involve a better diet, more regular exercise, and discontinuing some negative habits.
To kick off your Dry January with a refreshing start, check out these 3 refreshing mocktails to make for Dry January. You can thank us later!
Are You Sober If You Drink Non-Alcoholic Beer?
Non-alcoholic beer does contain very low amounts of alcohol. To be considered non-alcoholic, a beverage must contain 0.5% or less of alcohol by volume (ABV). This is around 1/10 the amount found in regular beer.
For people with an alcohol addiction, non-alcoholic beer is not generally considered a safe option for maintaining sobriety.
What Are the Pros of Non-Alcoholic Beer?
Here are some positives to non-alcoholic beer you should consider:
- Managing your intake: Non-alcoholic beer can help you monitor and manage your alcohol intake. It’s a good option for drinking very small amounts of alcohol either entirely or in between other drinks. This helps with moderation.
- Social aspects: People like to fit in. Non-alcoholic beverages allow people to feel like they’re socially part of a group, while still having control over what they consume and how much. Societal pressure contributes to people’s behaviors when at bars or parties. Non-alcoholic beverages allow people to have the same behavior as their peers without consuming large amounts of alcohol.
If you’re looking to join friends socially out on the town and avoid alcohol while doing so, check out our great list of mocktails to order at a bar for ideas.
- Health: Regardless of why you’re choosing to consume less alcohol, it’s an unquestionably healthier decision to drink little or no alcohol. Alcohol can damage organs in the body and the high calorie and sugar content in many drinks can contribute to obesity.
- Avoiding intoxication: It is almost impossible to become drunk when drinking only non-alcoholic beer. The amount you’d have to drink to equal enough regular beers would be nearly impossible to consume.
What Are the Cons of Drinking Non-Alcoholic Beer?
There are a couple of downsides to non-alcoholic beer for sober sippers in particular, who may want to consider other nonalcoholic options. Here’s why:
- Contains alcohol: It’s important to remember that non-alcoholic beer does contain minimal amounts of alcohol. This is a very important consideration for people who are looking to abstain entirely from alcohol.
Small amounts of alcohol can still be dangerous for people who are recovering from alcohol addiction. It’s generally advised by recovery programs to abstain entirely from any addictive substance to fully recover. Consuming alcohol can lead to:
- Risk of relapse: Non-alcoholic beer can trigger relapse for many reasons, from sensory cues such as the sound and feel of opening a can, to euphoric recall, when someone reminisces on only the good times experienced in certain events.
Non-alcoholic beer gives the sensation and flavor of real beer, which can contribute to the desire to consume regular beer or alcohol.
- Maintaining a drinking lifestyle: Non-alcoholic beverages keep people in social situations that encourage the consumption of alcohol. Social drinking contributes to the risk of overconsumption and potential addictive behaviors.
What Are The Best Non-Alcoholic Beers?
Best is always in the eye of the beholder… or, I guess, the mouth, since we’re talking about beer.
Regardless, what’s “best” for me won’t be best for someone else.
In order to help you explore some of the best non-alcoholic beer options, we scoured the web’s most reliable sources and have divided our top picks into two categories: official award winners and those atop peer-reviewed lists of beer connoisseurs.
Just keep in mind that this list isn’t meant to be exhaustive, and the non-alcoholic beer market is constantly growing, with new NA beers being released regularly. There may be good options in your community from different brands that don’t have enough national attention to land on a list like this yet — but there’s a strong chance you can find a good NA beer at your local brewery or bottle shop that we’ve never encountered.
Award-Winning Non-Alcoholic Beers
These award-winning non-alcoholic beers came out on top in various contests.
The 2024 winner of the World Beer Cup, this non-alcoholic craft beer has won 7 additional awards. Mildly nutty and flavorful, the reviewer at Paste Magazine even declares that they might not recognize that it’s alcohol-free if handed one at a bar!
Superb-Owl is a past winner of World Beer Cup and the European Beer Challenge. Uiltje Brewing Co. reports that the time was ripe to create and release a non-alcoholic beer due to the increasing demand, and hints that they’re looking to experiment more with other flavors in the future.
Perhaps one of the most recognizable names in the world of “near beers,” O’Doul’s is a light non-alcoholic beer that has won multiple awards, including the World Beer Cup, and 13 consecutive wins at the Great American Beer Festival. Expect to find this familiar favorite easy drinking light NA beer in just about any local store, making it easily accessible to anyone looking to dip their toes in the NA beer pool.
The first place winner for the World Alcohol-Free Awards at Dry Drinker, this non-alcoholic IPA has vibrant citrus and pine flavors.
Big Drop’s efforts do not go unnoticed as they have four nonalcoholic drinks in the Top 10 most popular rankings at Dry Drinker, coming in strong with not only Pine Trail Pale Ale but also Paradiso Citra, Galactic Milk Stout, and Poolside DDH IPA.
Winner of the Great Taste Award in 2020 and a gold medal winner at the World Alcohol-Free Awards in 2024, this NA beer stands the test of time with a well-balanced combination of floral hops and honey notes.
Peer-Reviewed Best Non-Alcoholic Beers
Here are the top-ranked NA beers, according to experts.
This non-alcoholic beer tops many independent peer-reviewed lists online, including The Brew Site.
Other beers from Best Day Brewing, such as the Hazy IPA and Kolsch, also made Serious Eats’ lists, making Best Day Brewing a major player in the NA beer world.
Top-rated among voters at NAbeerclub.com, this beer features rich caramel and Vienna malts for a popular fall brew.
We suggest this flavor be served alongside your Thanksgiving non-alcoholic mocktails for a seasonal variety.
Ranked best overall at liquor.com, this non-alcoholic beer is a beloved favorite of many craft beer drinkers around the world who are looking for a flavorful, non-alcoholic beer.
Amazon reviewers have an overall 5-star impression of this NA beer with hoppy flavors, with some lower reviews in the mix.
With over 2,000 reviews that lend this non-alcoholic beer a 5-star rating, this beer’s feature page at Athletic Brewing Company speaks for itself. It was also ranked the best craft non-alcoholic beer at liquor.com, where it is compared to a West Coast American IPA, and is listed by Food & Wine as among the best non-alcoholic beers.
Athletic Brewing Company’s Cerveza Atletica also came in as the best non-alcoholic Mexican-style lager for Serious Eats, making this company one to keep an eye on!
Don’t believe me? Forbes called Athletic Brewing Co. “arguably the biggest name in NA beer.” Check them out!
This company’s expansive line of non-alcoholic beer options gains a high rating from NAbeerclub.com, where the Trail Pass IPA has a 5-star rating and the Trail Pass Golden clocks in with over 4-stars.
Sierra Nevada even offers sparkling hop-infused water for people looking to explore more NA options.
Lovers of stout beers will enjoy this oatmeal dark stout from Bravus. The liquor.com rating mentions tasting notes of coffee, chocolate, and caramel. With a 4.37-star rating on the manufacturer’s website, it’s clear that nonalcoholic beer drinkers are enjoying this one! Bravus’s Peanut Butter Dark is another to keep an eye on. Co-winner of the Best Non-Alcoholic Dark Beer category at Serious Eats, this beer is clearly a top contender.
Reviews list this as either close to the real thing or better at retailers such as Walmart, making this beer an everyman’s (and woman’s) option for both availability and recognizable flavor profiles. Serious Eats gave this brew the co-winning title in the Best Non-Alcoholic Dark Beer category, tying it with Bravus’ Peanut Butter Dark (see above).
Freedom Cali Pale is made without gluten, making this non-alcoholic beer a great option for people with gluten allergies or sensitivities. At the time of this compilation, this beer had 78 5-star reviews out of 87 total.
CNN ranked this dessert-style beer among its top picks for non-alcoholic beers based on its rich, smooth texture and chocolatey goodness.
This fruity non-alcoholic IPA was rated a co-winner for Best Non-Alcoholic IPA by Serious Eats. The pineapple notes are a perfect match for our Pineapple Mocktail Recipe to offer to guests for a similar — but alcohol-free — experience.
And remember, if you don’t see what you’re looking for on this list — maybe you want something specific like more West Coast IPA style options, or sour beers, etc. — this market is always evolving! No doubt there will be a new best NA beer in a couple months, maybe even by the time you win this.
With so many different flavors possible and demand continuing to climb in recent years, your overall winner may be coming any moment from craft breweries in your community. So keep your eye out for it!