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See why.The Best Nonalcoholic Beer
Nonalcoholic beer is having a moment. With big-name brands and craft-beer brewers joining the game, which should you stock up on?
By Published Apr. 6, 2023
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What You Need To Know
Nonalcoholic beer had a bad rap but is staging an exciting comeback. Sales have skyrocketed in the United States, growing almost 70 percent from 2016 to 2021, with annual sales totaling $670 million in 2021. Though still a tiny fraction of the beer market, nonalcoholic beer accounts for 85 percent of the alcohol-alternative sector, according to NIQ, a consumer-data provider.
The rising demand was led by the ”sober curious” movement that motivated people to cut down on alcohol intake and by technological advancements that made nonalcoholic beer better able to mimic the sensory experience of alcoholic beer. So how did nonalcoholic beer go from having the reputation of tasting skunky and metallic to being full-bodied, nuanced, and, well, tasting good?
The History of Nonalcoholic Beer
The tradition of making nonalcoholic beer in the United States goes back to 1920, when Congress passed the Volstead Act, banning alcoholic beverages with more than 0.5 percent alcohol by volume (ABV). To bypass the law, Pabst and Anheuser-Busch pivoted to making low-alcohol beers; this method didn’t make beer alcohol-free, but the residual alcohol was lower than 0.5 percent ABV in the final product, which became known as “near beer.” Most of those near beers were riffs on mass-market lager, notes Joshua Bernstein, a Brooklyn-based beer journalist and author of The Complete Beer Course. “The lack of options beyond lager contributed to the delayed takeoff of nonalcoholic beer,” he adds.
Starting in the 2010s, the demand for nonalcoholic beer began to rise. Notably, 82 percent of nonalcoholic-beer buyers also purchase alcoholic beverages, says Jon Berg, VP of Beverage Alcohol Thought Leadership at NielsenIQ. “The takeaway is that people want moderation in their consumption.” The rise of the craft-beer movement in the early aughts also helped turbocharge the nonalcoholic beer resurgence, leading breweries to diversify the styles of very low-alcohol and completely nonalcoholic beer to mirror current trends in the craft-beer industry. You can now find nonalcoholic versions of popular styles in the craft-brew scene, from hoppy and fruity IPAs and chocolaty stouts to crisp Italian pilsners and funky sour ales.
The Art of Making Nonalcoholic Beer
To remove alcohol or prevent it from being created, brewers can use physical or biological methods, both of which have merits and drawbacks. The oldest physical method involves brewing beer as normal and then heating it to 173 degrees, the temperature at which ethanol boils off. It reduces the alcohol content to less than 0.5 percent but often results in a flavorless, metallic, and “skunky” beer, kn...
Everything We Tested
Recommended - Lager
With “balanced flavor and yeastiness,” this beer was “pretty close to the regular alcoholic thing.” It was pleasantly “full-bodied” but “a bit too sweet” for some.
This German-brewed beer reminded us of the characteristics of other beers that are German brewed. It had the “right amount of bitterness” and “yeasty flavor.” However, tasters noted “low carbonation” and “lack of body” in this beer.
One of America’s original nonalcoholic beers, it was “pretty spot on for a macro brewery lager in taste and mouthfeel.” We noticed a “sweet aftertaste” that “lingered in an almost-cloying way,” but it still had “nice effervescence and flavor.”
“Medium-bodied” with “nice carbonation,” the nonalcoholic version of one of America’s most iconic beers was almost like a “beer-flavored soda.” It fell “slightly more on the sweet end” with a “fruity nose.”
This beer had a “pleasant, hoppy taste” that also had “slightly yeasty” notes. It was a bit “watery,” which reminded one taster of the beer from her college days.
Recommended - Ale
This beer began with “slight sweetness,” followed by “quinine-like bitterness” and a “lemon zest finish.”
“Good body and complex flavors” with “floral and fruity notes” and the “right amount of carbonation” gave the impression that this crowd favorite was “robust,” “craft-brewed”, and “heartier than others.”
“Hop-forward,” this beer had “strong bitterness that lingers.” It also had notes of “dark roast coffee” with an “herbal,” “oaky” undertone.
“Bready” and “toasty,” this beer had some “nice bitterness” with a “hint of sweetness.”
Tasters noted it was "bread-forward" and "refreshing," with a "light mouthfeel" and a "slightly bitter finish.”
One taster summed up this beer as a combination of “cherry ChapStick and cough drops.” One taster noted its “fruity, berry flavor” while another noted “some tartness.”
Recommended - Wheat
This beer had notes of “rose” and “brewed tea” with a “lengthy bitter finish.” One taster compared its sweetness and hints of “fruitiness” to “bubblegum."
We detected “strong dry, hoppy flavors” and “a funky vinegar taste” in this golden wheat beer. It also had notes of “biting bitterness that masks any complexity that’s going on.”
This wheat beer was “light,” “yeasty,” and “slightly sweet.” But it also tasted “metallic” and “watery” and had “somewhat exaggerated chemical fruity notes in the aftertaste.”
Dr. Keith Villa, creator of the iconic Belgian-style ale Blue Moon, designed this nonalcoholic beer to replicate the taste and mouthfeel of his invention. It's so sweet and tropical," noted one taster while another asked "Is this Fresca?”. We found it also had notes of “Froot Loops and Sprite with a malty aftertaste.”
Recommended - India Pale Ale
“Fizzy” and “bright” with “a fair bit of hoppiness,” this beer won top marks from our tasters because of its “nice complexity in the nose and on the palate” and a hint of “cherry” in the middle.
It tasted like a “watermelon Jolly Rancher”—in a good way—and had a “refreshing hoppy start followed by rich, sweet tropical fruit (pineapple) notes.” The tropical fruit notes in both alcoholic and nonalcoholic New England IPA come from the hops used; in Just the Haze, a combination of citra, mosaic, sabro, and cascade hops are used to elicit the flavors.
This “medium-bodied” beer had “citrus notes similar to that of a New England–style fruity IPA” with the “right amount of hoppiness.”
Tasters found “heavy whey scent” with a dense, “grain-like” body in this beer; flavorwise, it centered around “savory notes” that reminded some of “onion and bacon.”
Tasters identified the fruity flavors, such as “apple,” “strawberry,” and “grape,” which gave the beer “light sweetness.” It also reminded us of “Crystal Lite” but “bitter,” likely coming from the hops that lend IPA its characteristically bitter taste
Recommended - Stout
Many tasters correctly recognized that this was Guinness, noting flavors reminiscent of “malty dark chocolate,” “pumpernickel bread,” and “coffee.” Each can contains a small widget (smaller than a ping pong ball) that provides a burst of nitrogen for great froth.
This “convincingly beer-like” stout was “funky” and “bitter,” and had “tropical fruitiness, like mango and passionfruit.” We also noted “pine-y” and “wheaty” flavors.
It had a “nice malty scent” and tasters described “molasses” and “vegetal” notes. This oatmeal stout was compared to a “less sweet Coca-Cola.”
Reviews you can trust
The mission of America’s Test Kitchen Reviews is to find the best equipment and ingredients for the home cook through rigorous, hands-on testing.
Valerie Sizhe Li
Valerie is an assistant editor for ATK Reviews. In addition to cooking, she loves skiing, traveling, and spending time outdoors.
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