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Dry January: The Best Non-Alcoholic Beers to Drink Now

NAs or near beers — no matter what you call them, booze-free drinks are blowing up.

cans of non-alcoholic beerPhoto by Jack Seemer for Gear Patrol

By Tyler Chin, Jack Seemer, and Ryan Brower

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Non-alcoholic beer was a meme just a few short years ago. Now sales are a soarin’, as beer lovers far and wide have discovered the truth about NAs, near beers or whatever the hell you want to call them: they’re delicious.

Over the years, our team has tasted well over 50 different non-alcoholic beers, ranging from regional and hard-to-find cans to the mass-market offerings available at grocery stores and bars.

The picks below should appeal to a wide variety of palettes — whether you’re into IPAs, Pilsners or even dark beers.

When making our selections, we factored in taste, general availability and also the total number of calories, since many drinkers are switching to NAs for that reason alone.

Learn more about our testing methodology and how we evaluate products.

Best Non-Alcoholic Classic IPA

Athletic Brewing Co. only makes NAs, and Free Wave Hazy IPA is the best of the bunch. It’s bursting with tropical hop notes and finishes with just the right amount of bitterness.

It has a few more calories than Athletic’s other offerings — Run Wild IPA (65 calories) and Upside Dawn Golden Ale (45 calories) — and it’s not as “hazy” as the name implies. But it’s as good as NAs come and readily available from coast to coast.

Another Great NA IPA, But Harder to Find

Deep Fake is just an NA version of Flying Dog’s Dog Deep IPA, it’s an exact dupe from head retention and taste to mouthfeel and look — all for just 39 calories per can. Its hops include Mosiac, Simcoe and Centennial.

Few NA beers come this close to standing side-by-side to a traditional one. The only downside? Distribution is somewhat limited.

Best Non-Alcoholic Hazy IPA

Sierra Nevada has doubled down on its NA portfolio in recent times, with up to four styles now available as part of a variety pack. The Hazy IPA steals the show.

Unlike many NAs coming to market, it’s brewed using traditional brewing methods, rather than the traditional way of alcohol removal. That means it’s fully flavored and balanced with Mosaic and El Dorado hops.

What’s more, it’s widely available and, considering Sierra Nevada’s profile, only destined to become more so.

Best Non-Alcoholic Pilsner Beer

Crisp, clean, a little grassy — Safety Glasses is no ordinary lager, it’s a full-on Pilsner. And it’s proof in a can that NAs can be just as quaffable as their alcoholic counterparts.

On the flip side, this NA is pricey. Depending on your bottle shop’s prices, a 6-pack of the stuff can run you back as much as $16 (that’s before shipping if ordering online, by the way).

Another Great Pilsner

From Pat Corcoran, the drinks vet behind No Fine Print Wine (and the former manager of Chance the Rapper), comes an entirely new brand, where NAs are the sole focus.

Years is a pilsner, contract-brewed in collaboration with Pilot Project Brewing. It contains just four ingredients: barley, hops, yeast and water, the latter of which comes by way of Lake Michigan.

Best Non-Alcoholic Wheat Beer

Tom Holland gave up drinking in 2023. The following year, the Spider Man actor launched his own NA brand called Bero. Noon Wheat is the company’s take on a Belgian-style witbier.

It’s light and refreshing, with a snappy finish that’s reminiscent of a Hoegaarden or Allagash White, sans the alchohol, of course.

It’s also brewed using Kernza, a perennial grain known to “improve soil health, minimize erosion, preserve biodiversity and protect waterways,” the brewery says.

Best Organic Non-Alcoholic Beer

Patagonia Provisions x Deschutes Brewery Kernza Golden BrewDeschutes Brewery

Patagonia Provisions x Deschutes Brewery Kernza Golden Brew

Specs

Calories Undisclosed
ABV Less than 0.5 percent

Kernza Golden Brew may be the second Deshutes beer on the list, but it’s a first for the beer industry. This light blonde ale, brewed in partnership with Patagonia Provisions, is the first certified organic non-alcoholic craft beer in the US.

Best Non-Alcoholic Dark Beer

Smooth. Creamy. Luscious. This is real-deal Guinness — sans the alcohol. Plus, it’s readily available at shops around the country.

It only comes in 4-packs of tall-boy cans, so it ends up being more expensive per serving than other options on the list.

Best Low-Calorie Non-Alcoholic Beer

Not the only Athletic brew to make our list, Lite is a crisp NA beer that combines a rice and malt base with noble hops for a next-to-Pilsner drinking experience, at just 25 calories per can.

Although Athletic’s other offerings can be easier to find at retail, Lite is readily available online.

Best Non-Alcoholic Light Lager

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.

While distribution has improved since the brand launched, Al’s still isn’t readily available in many stores. Order online.

Best Non-Alcoholic Amber Ale

Special Effects is the complete package: it successfully tightropes the line between malty and hoppy, and it has one of the best mouthfeels of any NA beer on this list.

The can says “hoppy” brew” but don’t mistake it for an IPA. With notes of black tea and caramel, Special Effects tastes most like an amber beer. That’s just fine with us.

Best Non-Alcoholic Fruit Beer

If you’re looking for a near-beer that doesn’t taste like a beer, Mango Cart NA should be on your radar. Mango smoothie-like flavors and consistency make this one a nice mix-up.

Best Non-Alcoholic West Coast IPA

If you yearn for an NA version of a West Coast IPA, look no further than Karbach Brewing. Utilizing Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe and more hop variants, this beer finds a nice balance between the caramel malt base and grapefruit hop notes.

However, unless you’re in Karbach’s distribution network (they’re a regional brewery out of Houston, TX), you’ll have to try to find it online.

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