What is the best tasting zero alcohol beer?

January 6, 2026 •

4 min read

The non-alcoholic beer market is experiencing a massive boom, with global sales revenue predicted to exceed $36 billion by 2026. This surge has led to an explosion of options, but with so many choices, figuring out what is the best tasting zero alcohol beer can be a challenge. We've compiled the tastiest options to help you find your new favorite brew.

Quick Summary

This article provides a comprehensive overview of the best-tasting zero alcohol beers across different styles. It compares award-winning options, detailing their flavor profiles, brewing methods, and why they stand out. Recommendations are organized by beer type to help readers find a perfect match for their personal preferences.

Key Points

Innovation in Brewing: Modern non-alcoholic beers use advanced techniques like vacuum distillation and specialized yeast to maximize flavor and mimic alcoholic versions.
Variety of Styles: Unlike older, watery alternatives, today's NA beers include flavorful IPAs, rich stouts, and crisp lagers, catering to diverse preferences.
Guinness 0.0 for Stout Lovers: This non-alcoholic version of the classic stout is praised for its rich, creamy texture and notes of coffee and chocolate, making it almost identical to the original.
Athletic Brewing for IPA Fans: Athletic Brewing's Run Wild IPA is a craft beer market leader, known for its balanced pine and citrus flavors and a classic West Coast style profile.
Lucky Saint for Lager Connoisseurs: An unfiltered lager that offers a malty, clean taste and refreshing fizz, often fooling drinkers in blind taste tests.
Wide Availability: Top-rated NA beers from brands like Heineken and Athletic Brewing are increasingly available in supermarkets, bars, and online, making them accessible to a broader audience.
Match Taste to Style: Choosing the 'best' NA beer is subjective and depends on your preferred style; whether you like hop-forward IPAs or smooth stouts, there's a premium NA option available.

The Rise of Exceptional Zero Alcohol Beer

For decades, non-alcoholic (NA) beer was synonymous with bland, watery substitutes. Brewed primarily by large commercial brands, the early offerings often lacked the body, flavor complexity, and aroma of their alcoholic counterparts. However, thanks to a revolution in brewing technology and a new generation of craft brewers specializing in NA, the game has completely changed. Modern zero alcohol beers are now celebrated for their innovative profiles and are often indistinguishable from their full-strength versions.

How NA Beers Retain Flavor

Brewers today use several sophisticated techniques to create high-quality, flavorful zero alcohol beers:

Dealcoholization: This method involves brewing a full-strength beer and then removing the alcohol. Processes like vacuum distillation and reverse osmosis minimize the heat exposure, preserving delicate hop aromas and complex malt flavors.
Controlled Fermentation: Some brewers use a special yeast strain that produces minimal alcohol during fermentation. This low-and-slow approach allows the flavor compounds from the malt and hops to develop without the off-flavors that often plague NA beers.
Ingredients and Additives: Specialist NA brewers are also experimenting with high-quality ingredients, from unique hop varieties to natural flavorings. Adding lactose for stouts or fruit purées for sours can significantly enhance flavor and mouthfeel, compensating for the lack of alcohol.

Top-Rated Zero Alcohol Beers by Style

Finding the best zero alcohol beer is a matter of personal taste. Here are some of the highest-rated options across various styles to help guide your selection.

Best Zero Alcohol IPAs

IPAs were once a difficult style to replicate in NA form due to their reliance on hop oils and a robust body. Today, several standouts deliver a punchy, flavorful experience:

Athletic Brewing Run Wild IPA: A perennial favorite and a deserving leader of the NA craft beer movement, Athletic Brewing's Run Wild uses a blend of five Northwest hops to deliver a classic West Coast IPA profile. It offers notes of pine and citrus with a crisp, hoppy finish.
Brooklyn Brewery Special Effects Hoppy Amber: With notes of citrus, hops, and bread, this amber provides a delightful balance of bitterness and smooth maltiness. It has received high praise as an impressive, crowd-pleasing brew.
Lagunitas IPNA: Made by one of the O.G. craft breweries, the IPNA delivers a flavor remarkably close to its alcoholic namesake. Expect prominent pine and citrus notes with a satisfying bitterness.

Best Zero Alcohol Stouts and Dark Beers

Crafting a rich, full-bodied stout without alcohol is challenging, but these brewers have mastered it:

Guinness 0.0: Widely considered a groundbreaking NA stout, Guinness 0.0 offers a dark, creamy, and surprisingly rich experience that is nearly indistinguishable from the original. It features the signature roasted malt flavors with hints of coffee and chocolate.
Bravus Brewing Oatmeal Dark: Specializing exclusively in non-alcoholic beer, Bravus created a complex oatmeal dark stout with prominent chocolate, coffee, and caramel notes. It has a robust and satisfying mouthfeel.
Big Drop Galactic Milk Stout: This pioneer of the NA beer category sweetens its version with lactose, which helps build the body lost without alcohol. The result is a big, sweet flavor profile with bitter chocolatey undertones.

Best Zero Alcohol Lagers and Pilsners

For those who prefer a crisp, easy-drinking brew, there are now exceptional zero alcohol lagers on the market:

Lucky Saint Unfiltered Lager: Praised for its clean, malty taste and refreshing fizz, Lucky Saint is a top-tier choice that many mistake for a full-strength lager. It is brewed for six weeks and dealcoholized to maintain maximum flavor.
Heineken 0.0: A reliable and widely available option from a major brand. While some taste testers find it a bit thin, others claim it's hard to tell apart from the original in a blind tasting. It offers a familiar malty and fruity profile.
Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0%: This Italian brew is made using the same ingredients and yeast as the alcoholic version before dealcoholization. The result is a crisp, clean lager with distinct citrus and hoppy notes.

Comparison of Top Zero Alcohol Beers


Feature	Guinness 0.0	Athletic Run Wild IPA	Lucky Saint Lager	Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0%
Style	Stout	IPA (West Coast)	Unfiltered Lager	Lager
Flavor Profile	Roasted malt, coffee, chocolate	Pine, citrus, hoppy bitterness	Malty, clean, slight citrus	Crisp, citrus, hoppy
Mouthfeel	Creamy, smooth, full-bodied	Lively carbonation, dry finish	Refreshing, fizzy	Crisp, clean, light-bodied
Availability	Wide (UK/US)	Wide (US/Online)	Medium (UK/Online)	Wide (International)
Taste Accuracy	Excellent (Very close to original)	Excellent (True to style)	Excellent (Often fools tasters)	Good (Slightly less complex)

Conclusion

The non-alcoholic beer market has truly matured, offering a diverse and delicious range of options for every palate. There is no single answer to what is the best tasting zero alcohol beer, as it depends on your preferred style. For stout lovers, Guinness 0.0 is the undeniable champion. For fans of classic craft IPAs, Athletic Brewing's Run Wild is a superior choice. If a crisp, clean lager is what you seek, Lucky Saint consistently impresses. With so many high-quality options now readily available, cutting back on alcohol no longer means compromising on flavor. Explore these varieties and raise a glass to the future of mindful drinking. Learn more about the evolution of NA beverages from experts at VinePair.

Frequently Asked Questions

Older generations of non-alcoholic beer often tasted watery due to poor brewing techniques. However, modern zero alcohol beers, especially from craft brewers, use advanced methods like specialized yeast and dealcoholization to retain body and complex flavors, leading to a much richer taste.

Some of the most highly-rated and best-tasting zero alcohol beer brands include Athletic Brewing (especially their IPAs), Guinness (for their stout), Lucky Saint (for lager), and Bravus Brewing Co. (for dark beers).

The term "non-alcoholic" can be misleading. In many regions, beers labeled as such can legally contain up to 0.5% ABV. However, brands like Heineken 0.0% and Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% are brewed to contain 0.0% alcohol, making them truly alcohol-free.

Yes, some styles translate more effectively into the non-alcoholic format than others. Brewers note that styles with lower typical ABV and bolder flavors, like stouts and some IPAs, can be more successfully replicated in NA form, as the alcohol's impact on flavor is less pronounced.

Yes, many mainstream and craft non-alcoholic options are now widely available in supermarkets. Major brands like Heineken and Peroni have excellent NA offerings, while craft brewers like Athletic Brewing have also expanded their retail presence.

Brewers use several methods. Dealcoholization uses processes like vacuum distillation to remove alcohol from a finished beer while preserving flavor. Other techniques, like controlled fermentation with specialized yeast, prevent significant alcohol formation in the first place, ensuring the final product is full of flavor.

Many zero alcohol beers are lower in calories and sugar than their full-strength counterparts. Some are fortified with vitamins and minerals, and many people choose them to support mindful drinking, reduce hangover risk, and improve overall health.