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13 best alcohol-free and low-alcohol beers, expert tested
Our pick of the best buys to help you cut back or go booze free
Tested by Callum BlackFood and Drink Testing Manager
Whether you’re looking to moderate your alcohol intake for health reasons or are abstaining long-term, there’s never been a better time to be a non-drinker, thanks to the growing range of alcohol-free alternatives.
To prove it, the Good Housekeeping Institute experts have sipped their way through 75 no- and low-alcohol beers to find the best alternatives.
Best alcohol-free and low-alcohol beer 2025
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To ensure you fill the fridge with the best, the Good Housekeeping Institute enlisted a panel of WSET-accredited experts and consumers to try a range of the market leading brews. They've given their Taste Approved stamp of approval to a range of options for every budget, starting at 58p a bottle and going up to £3.75 a can.
Read on to find their favourite booze-free beers for 2025.
Score: 90/100
St Austell has created a low alcohol version of its popular IPA, mimicking the same bold hops, citrus and malt flavour profile. Our testers couldn’t get enough, saying it reminded them of an English pub garden in summertime. One ardent IPA drinker described it as “fantastic”.
Key specifications
| Volume | 6 x 500ml |
|---|---|
| ABV | 0% |
| Price per unit | £2.79 |
Score: 90/100
This extra pale ale is light and very easy‑drinking. Expect plenty of thirst‑quenching lemon and pronounced tropical mango, with a hint of freshly cut grass. Our experts thought it had good body and a convincing bitterness – enough to make us question whether it was full strength.
Key specifications
| Volume | 440ml |
|---|---|
| ABV | 0.5% |
| Price per unit | £3.75 |
Score: 89/100
This Heineken is an excellent choice for an everyday lager, minus the booze. The alcohol may have been removed, but the flavour remains — expect refreshing zesty citrus, a little honeyed sweetness, and a full malty body. We recommend pairing it with your next spicy curry.
Key specifications
| Volume | 4 x 330ml |
|---|---|
| ABV | 0% |
| Price per unit | £1.25 |
Score: 86/100
Deliciously smooth and full-bodied, this 0% larger tastes very similar to Asahi’s alcoholic super dry Japanese version. Bursting with hops and toasted malt, there’s also a hint of lemon citrus and a beautiful touch of honey on the finish, which our testers loved. The soft bubbles made this a very refreshing beer, too.
Key specifications
| Volume | 6 x 330ml |
|---|---|
| ABV | 0% |
| Price per unit | £2.09 |
Score: 85/100
Spider-man actor Tom Holland has recently launched non-alcoholic beer brand BERO, and this variety pack lets you 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.
Key specifications
| Volume | 12 x 330ml |
|---|---|
| ABV | 0.5% |
| Price per unit | £2.38 |
Score: 85/100
Beer doesn’t come much more refreshing than Cobra’s non-alcoholic lager. Our panel enjoyed the 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 it again.
Key specifications
| Volume | 24 x 330ml |
|---|---|
| ABV | 0% |
| Price per unit | £1.50 |
Mikkeller Drink'in the Sun Non Alcoholic Wheat Ale (6 cans)
Score: 84/100
This Copenhagen-based craft brewery can always be relied upon for a jazzy can, and its vibrant low-alcohol American wheat beer is no exception. Bursting with crisp citrus, there’s also a touch of bitter rosemary, chamomile and honey. All in all, our testers found it light, smooth and super refreshing.
Key specifications
| Volume | 330ml |
|---|---|
| ABV | 0.3% |
| Price per unit | £2.93 |
Score: 83/100
Deep brown in colour with a creamy head, this alcohol-free milk stout certainly looks the part, but how did the flavour match up?
Well, our panellists were big fans of the rich, roasted coffee and cocoa aromas and bitter backbone. For stout drinkers looking for an alcohol-free alternative, this ticks all the boxes.
Key specifications
| Volume | 330ml |
|---|---|
| ABV | 0.5% |
| Price per can | £1.80 |
Score: 83/100
Beavertown's low-alcohol beer impressed our testers with its tropical fruit aroma – we're talking juicy peach and guava – and well-balanced bitterness.
Beavertown uses a pilsner base to give the beer a crisp, smooth mouthfeel, while azacca adds a piney freshness and citra brings that classic zesty citrus note. A certified crowd-pleaser.
Key specifications
| Volume | 8 x 330ml |
|---|---|
| ABV | 0.3% |
| Price per unit | £2 |
Score: 81/100
If you’re looking for a non-alcoholic version of the “black stuff”, stop searching. 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 and we found it incredibly refreshing when served well chilled.
Key specifications
| Volume | 24 x 440ml |
|---|---|
| ABV | 0% |
| Price per unit | £1.25 |
Score: 81/100
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.
Key specifications
| Volume | 24 x 330ml |
|---|---|
| ABV | 0% |
| Price per unit | 83p |
Score: 77/100
Aldi's budget-friendly beer comes in at just 58p a bottle, meaning you can happily indulge guilt-free, whenever the mood strikes!
Like all pilsners, it's best drunk well chilled to enjoy the fresh, grassy core, funky bitterness and refreshing bubbles.
Key specifications
| Volume | 6 x 330ml |
|---|---|
| ABV | 0% |
| Price per unit | 58p |
Score: 76/100
Lucky Saint is probably better known for its unfiltered brew, but its new Hazy IPA proved even more popular with our panel.
Beautifully balanced, you can expect a fresh, citrus profile with sweet, grassy notes and juicy tart fruit, delivered on a wave of smooth bubbles.
Key specifications
| Volume | 4 x 330ml |
|---|---|
| ABV | 0.5% |
| Price per unit | £1.25 |
How we test non-alcoholic beer
Our panel – made up of WSET-accredited experts and consumers — tasted 75 no-and low-alcohol beers from the leading breweries and supermarkets, in search of those that offered all the authentic, hoppy flavour and refreshment of a traditional beer, minus the alcohol. Each was served chilled and blind to avoid brand bias.
Why trust the Good Housekeeping Institute?
The Good Housekeeping Institute has been testing products for over 100 years, so we have plenty of experience when it comes to finding the best products for every budget.
Whether it’s stress-testing suitcases or assessing wrinkle cream in the lab, our dedicated teams are experts in their fields. They design strict testing protocols based on how you use and enjoy products at home, to ensure fair and unbiased results.
Senior Food & Drink Editor, Stacey Smith, looks after all food and drink reviews, drawing on her extensive knowledge of the wine and spirits industry. She works closely with Callum Black, the Good Housekeeping Institute's food and drink testing manager, who oversees all our taste tests.
Alcohol-free beer buying guide
What are the benefits of reducing your alcohol intake?
It’s no secret that reducing your alcohol intake has significant health benefits. According to a study by Alcohol Change UK, 70% of people who take part in Dry January report better sleep, 86% say it saves them money and 65% notice improvements to their overall health.
How is alcohol-free beer made?
No- and low-alcohol beers are made just like alcoholic versions, with water, yeast, hops and barley. Some use yeast strains that are naturally low in ABV, while others will remove the alcohol via various brewing techniques such as steam distillation or reverse osmosis.
Thanks to ongoing advances in no and low brewing techniques, the market is more diverse (and delicious) than ever.
The verdict on the best alcohol free beers
With so many types of beer out there, there really is a brew for everyone. However, our top-rated overall was St Austell's Proper Job IPA, scoring highly with testers.
Lager drinkers may prefer to try Heineken's Alcohol Free Beer, which our testers deemed ultra-refreshing.
However, for more variety, we recommend Bero's Classics Variety Pack. It contains four of the brand's flavours, so you're sure to find a favourite.
Stacey looks after all food and drink reviews — from coffee pods and veg boxes, to natural wine and tequila. Stacey is also founder of Crummbs, where she’s written nearly 2,000 restaurant and hotel reviews since 2013. Prior to this, Stacey wrote hundreds of in-depth buying guides for the Independent, i newspaper and BBC Good Food, as well as reviewing restaurants and interviewing celebrities in her column at Balance Magazine. Stacey has also appeared in BAFTA-nominated BBC documentary Blood, Sweat & Takeaways, where she investigated South East Asia's food production industry, appearing on both Newsnight and BBC World Service to share her findings. Regularly checking out the latest restaurants, bars and product launches, Stacey also loves experimenting with recipes at home, and is a WSET-certified wine and spirits expert, with over 10 years of experience in the business. You can follow Stacey on Instagram @crummbs_uk
Millie is freelance journalist and editor with five years’ experience writing product reviews, buying guides, breaking news and about the latest trends.
Millie has also reviewed countless restaurants and written travel features for British GQ, The Telegraph and the Independent, and has interviewed a number of leading chefs, including Jamie Oliver, Heston Blumenthal and Raymond Blanc.
Founder of creative catering brand @grazeandgorge, Millie also spends her time creating seasonal recipes and tablescape content, as well as planning her next golden retriever-friendly getaway and rearranging her own home bar cart (... again).
Callum is our Food and Drink Testing Manager and has been part of the world of professional catering for 10 years, from cheffing to food manufacturing. While working in manufacturing he specialised in bespoke product and menu development for several start-ups and well-known brands such as Wrap It Up! and HOP Vietnamese. He holds the WSET Level 2 in wine, a Level 3 in spirits and has a particular interest in agave spirits.
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