Why? That’s the first question you’ll have to answer holding a can of non-alcoholic (NA) beer at your next party. And while you may be inclined to offer up an excuse — “I’ve got a big meeting tomorrow.” “I’m training for a marathon.” “I have to drive, asshole.” — you shouldn’t give in. Today’s best NA offerings pack all the flavors found in traditional beer, with none of that next-day regret. So go ahead and have one. Then have another.
We tested more than 50 different non-alcoholic beers for this story. The calories listed below are for 12 ounces, the typical serving size.
What We Like: Crisp and refreshing with a great mouthfeel, Al's isn't just a good non-alcoholic beer. It's a good beer, period. If you don't like the IPAs or just want something different in your non-alcoholic rotation, this European-style lager is one to try. Plus, each can only contains 54 calories.
Watch Out For: Al's isn't readily available in stores, so you'll need to order it online when you want a fix. While shipping is quick, it isn't free unless the company is running the occasional promo.
What We Like: One of the new kids on the block, Athletic Brewing Co. only makes NAs, and Free Way Double Hop IPA is the best of the bunch. It’s bursting with tropical hop notes and finishes with just the right amount of bitterness.
Watch Out For: Free Way Double Hop IPA is harder to find than Athletic’s other offerings, Run Wild IPA (70 calories) and Upside Dawn Golden Ale (50 calories). It also has more calories.
What We Like: It’s not even close. With a good head and subtle notes of sweet chocolate and roasted coffee, Bravus’s award-winning Oatmeal Stout blows every other NA dark beer out of the water.
Watch Out For: Like many other NA beers, this beer is a little watery. If you like Guinness, give it a shot. If you want a full-bodied dark beer to knock you on your ass, you’re reading the wrong list.
What We Like: Special Effects is the complete package: it successfully tightropes the line between malty and hoppy, and it has the best mouthfeel of any NA beer on this list or otherwise.
Watch Out For: The can says “hoppy brew” but don’t mistake it for an IPA. With notes of black tea and caramel, Special Effects tastes more like an amber lager than any sort of ale.
What We Like: This beverage may not taste like a beer, but it doesn’t try to, either; it’s a lightly carbonated black tea made with Simcoe and Citra hops. It’s delicious.
Watch Out For: Drinking at night? Every 16-ounce can has 70 mg of caffeine. (Check out one of HopLark’s other flavors, The Calm One, which has no caffeine.)
What We Like: Another new import from Mikkeller, Drink’in the Sun looks to citrusy wheat ales for inspiration. It’s light in both color and mouthfeel, and you’ll probably want to drink a whole 6-pack when the weather’s right.
Watch Out For: Drink’in the Sun is so light and refreshing, it could pass as a seltzer. Is that really a knock? You decide.
What We Like: Credit where it’s due. Compared to other NAs in its weight class — Clausthaller, Heinken, Beck’s — O’Doul’s was crisp, dry and refreshing, not cloyingly sweet and artificially malty.
Watch Out For: Forget about complexity. Old-fashioned O’Doul’s is what you drink when you’re thirsty, not curious.
What We Like: Partake’s brews offer an impressive amount of flavor considering the simplicity of the ingredients (water, barley, hops, yeast) and number of calories in each can. The Pale Ale, at just ten calories, is floral and hoppy with delicate hints of lemon peel.
Watch Out For: This brew really puts the pale in pale ale. If you like your brews hoppy and bitter (think: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale), look elsewhere.
What We Like: Though famous for its lager, Samuel Adams makes one of the best imitations of a hazy IPA. It's also widely distributed and easy to track down at grocery and liquor stores.
Watch Out For: Just the Haze is very sweet, so it can be difficult to put down more than one at a time. If you're watching your weight, there are lower-calories options available.
What We Like: Suntory's All-Free is a near beer that's like a seltzer with beer-like properties. It uses hops to give the brew aromas and a bitterness like your favorite beer, but there is absolutely zero alcohol. In essence, All-Free is like a cereal seltzer that's light, crisp and refreshing.
Watch Out For: Don't go into this thinking you're about to have full-beer flavor. Enter All-Free with the expectation that it's a seltzer mimicking a beer and you'll be pleasantly surprised.
What We Like: Unlike Samuel Adams Just the Haze, Two Roots's take on a hazy IPA better balances the tightrope between sweet and bitter. It's a great option when you're craving something juicy.
Watch Out For: Two Roots isn't as readily available as Samuel Adams, so you'll need to head to a specialty store to find it. It also packs 120 calories per can — on the higher end of the NA spectrum.
Calories: 120
ABV: Less than 0.5 percent
Looking for Alcohol-Free Drinks That Don't Suck? Check Out This Website
Jon Cherry
Better Rhodes is the world's best non-alcoholic liquor store.
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