The 10 Best Non-Alcoholic Beers With Tons of Flavor, According to Editors
An expert in the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen crowned one beer top dog for its superior malt flavor profile.
Non-alcoholic drinks have slowly shed an awkward social faux pas status as more people cut alcohol out of their lives — and beer is no exception. Because more people are ditching booze altogether, it's good news for those who are thinking of cutting back, as more and more alcohol-free brands spring up with new brews specifically. In fact, taste purveyors in the beer space have gotten so good at drafting NA (non-alcoholic) beer that, sometimes, even the most refined palettes would have a hard time telling the difference at first.
Take our very own Good Housekeeping Institute's Becca Miller, an assistant editor in the Test Kitchen. She recently crowned the top pick in this ranking thanks to a taste test of a faux beer that mimicked all the best elements of an IPA, minus any potential hangover. In her words, if she hadn't poured it herself: "I would drink it and not know it was alcohol-free."
As any beer aficionado would quickly tell you, there's a tiny catch with non-alcoholic beer — there's indeed a smidge of alcohol in most products. Current Food and Drug Administration language suggests a faux beer can be labeled as so as long as the amount of alcohol doesn't exceed 0.5% ABV. Some brands may go out of their way to ensure there's literally zero alcohol in their products, but if you notice the 0.5% ABV threshold on your new favorite product, don't stress too much. FDA officials report that any drink (even soda!) could contain traces of alcohol naturally thanks to "flavoring extracts or from natural fermentation."
What is non-alcoholic beer?
Non-alcoholic beer is much different than low-alcohol beer or any other special diet subset (like light beers!) as it's made differently. Mainly, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beers start their production process in the same manner — it's only when brewers heat the beer in production that alcohol is largely burned off. Per this Times of India report, alcohol can also be removed from the beer by filtering it out before the brewing process is complete.
In addition to being a great alternative for those wishing to avoid alcohol entirely, non-alcoholic beer tends to be lower in calories for those working through a diet where alcohol is restricted for its caloric blowback (or something like Dry January). There's a solid range in the sugar content on these beers, which you'll certainly taste since there's no alcohol to balance out sweetness, but most are within good dietary limits.
Below, follow along as we share the 10 best non-alcoholic beers in all different styles — IPAs to lagers and beyond — for every beer fan. Cheers!
Zee Krstic is a content strategy manager for Hearst Magazines, focusing on SEO optimization and other editorial strategies for four brands, including Country Living, House Beautiful, ELLE Decor and VERANDA. He previously served as Health Editor for Good Housekeeping between 2019 and 2023, covering health news, diet and fitness trends as well as executing wellness product reviews in conjunction with the Good Housekeeping Institute. Prior to joining Hearst, Zee fostered a strong background in women's lifestyle media with eight plus years of editorial experience, including as a site-wide editor at Martha Stewart Living after developing a nutrition background as an assistant editor at Cooking Light. Zee produces service-based health coverage, as well as design and travel content, for Hearst brands on a contributor basis; he has written about food and dining for Time, among other publications.
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