The best alcohol-free beers for Dry January 2023: Low ABV tipples that are as good as the real deal
Behind water and tea (yes, even beating wine and coffee), beer is said to be the third most popular drink in the world – but it’s taken years for brewers to crack an alcohol-free version that rivals the real deal.
There was a time when going without booze meant opting for fresh OJ or lime and soda in the pub, but now, breweries are catching on to a boom in all things low ABV.
Far from being reserved for Dry January or Sober October – or for people who are hungover or pregnant – there’s been an unprecedented rise in consumers opting for non-alcoholic alternatives. When they were once shamed for forgoing a beer, younger people especially are interested in alcohol-free (AF) beverages to protect their physical and mental health, rather than guzzle down the pints multiple times a week.
The generation of “sober sceptics” has fizzled out, and more and more people are realising that you don’t need to drink – or pay for – a high-ABV beer to socialise. This helps to explain why the UK’s “lo ’n no” market in the UK is predicted to increase a whopping 31 per cent by 2024, according to IWRS.
Now, many of these AF beers are as good as – if not sometimes better than – the real deal. Instead of tasting like soggy cardboard or flat, watered-down lager with no oomph to speak of, AF beers boast impressive head retention, sumptuous mouth feels (the sensation on your tongue) and a body that would rival the “full-fat” stuff.
Over the course of a month, we tested a range of non-alcoholic beers, all under 0.5 per cent ABV – with the help of a very grateful husband.
We used our knowledge as a beer writer to judge each beer on aroma, appearance, taste, mouthfeel and the can’s appearance (we’re a sucker for nice branding).
We judged a range of low ABV beers – including non-alcoholic alternatives to lagers, pale ales, sour beers, IPAs and more – to come up with a list of the best alcohol-free beers you can buy in 2023. We’ll drink to that.
