13 best alcohol-free beers for Dry January 2026 (and beyond)

I was so impressed by this beer that I even double-checked the label to make sure it was definitely alcohol-free. Astonishingly convincing, it was created by Luke Boase who couldn’t find an AF beer he loved so started working with brewers in Germany to create one instead.

It has all the same ingredients as a regular pilsner – Bavarian spring water, Pilsner malt, Hallertau hops and single-use yeast but no flavourings, additives or added sugar. It’s then brewed and fermented for six weeks to develop flavour so the beer can be left unfiltered for maximum taste before the alcohol content is reduced using vacuum distillation. The impressive result is a golden, slightly cloudy beer with a nicely foamy head and a pleasing citrus tang. It’s light but malty with a great mouthfeel that will appeal equally to ale and lager drinkers, plus I loved the smart but understated teal-colour packaging. Better still, it’s now available on tap across the UK and in venues including Everyman Cinemas and Pizza Pilgrims so – at last – there’s an AF option that won’t feel like second best.

If you’re a dedicated Belgian blond-style beer drinker, you won’t need to hanker after your regular pint any more. The standard Chouffe beer clocks in at an eye-watering eight per cent ABV so is a definite no-go if you’re hoping to cut out the booze, yet this alcohol-free version is a decent alternative you can reach for without worrying about the next morning.

Golden yellow in colour, it’s brewed with a special type of yeast that doesn’t turn sugars into alcohol during fermentation to keep the alcohol content below 0.4 per cent. It’s seriously refreshing, with tropical fruit flavours, grainy aromas and an appealing maltiness on the palate. A hint of spiciness keeps things interesting so I reckon this would slip down a treat after a long day at work.

Close your eyes and you’d almost believe you were drinking the bona-fide black stuff. This alcohol-free Guinness is brewed exactly the same way as its boozy brother but an extra stage of cold-filtration removes the alcohol while preserving the famous flavour. Crucially, it also has the brand’s famous widget which you can hear rattling around in the empty can and releases bubbles when opened to replicate the draught experience.

I certainly had no complaints about the flavour. It’s as thick and silky as you’d expect with a distinctive creamy head and a noticeable hint of coffee. Although it’s a tiny bit sweeter than the real thing, its smooth-as-silk finish means this one is a no-brainer swap when I’m binning the booze.

While there’s no question it’s better to minimise your alcohol intake, I can’t help but miss the gentle buzz that kicks in after that first alcoholic drink. Founded in 2022 and since seen on Dragon’s Den, Impossibrew aims to provide an alcohol-free solution by adding a mix of plants, vitamins and minerals to their drinks that mimic the relaxing benefits of alcohol without the hangover.

They taste great too. There’s currently a pale ale and lager in the range and neither tastes non-alcoholic – I tested one on a friend who didn’t even realise it wasn’t the real thing. The lager is genuinely refreshing with a touch of citrus and honey and a decent mouth feel, although it is a touch heavy on the hops for a lager. I doubted whether the added nootropic herbs including L-Theanine and organic Ashwagandha root would make much of a difference but I definitely felt myself unwind more after drinking this than with other alcohol-free beers. Don’t expect to get drunk but the mild mood boost still makes this one of the best alcohol-free lagers on the market.

I’m a big fan of Lowtide, who have been shaking up the alcohol-free world since 2019 when founders Rob and Dave launched a website selling the best alcohol-free craft beers from around the world. When they still couldn’t find their dream booze-free beer, they took the next step and started brewing their own in 2021. They now make a whole range of cheekily-named beers including Check This Stout, Forgot To Take My Pils, Brune-DMC and Wild Juice Chase, all of which come in larger 440ml cans decorated with cool original artwork.

I was hard-pushed to find my favourite but plumped for their alcohol-free West Coast ale which is packed with all the citrusy pine flavours you’d expect. Clear and amber in the glass, it’s smooth and surprisingly crisp with a tropical twist and a just-right bitterness from the hops. Take it to a sunny barbeque and you won’t miss the booze a bit.

Another fairly new name in the alcohol-free beer world, keen sailor Sonja Mitchell loved beer but hated hangovers so quit her day job to see if she could produce a booze-free version that would taste just as good as her regular pint. It took nearly a year to produce the first beer – the Yardarm lager – and the range now also includes an IPA, pale ale and a stout plus regular seasonal releases made in Scotland’s first and only dedicated alcohol-free brewery.

The lager has since been awarded the world’s best non-alcoholic lager at the World Beer Awards in 2021 and it’s not difficult to see why. Lager is the hardest AF beer to get right and often tends to be too sweet but this is delightfully drinkable, with a lively pop of citrus and biscuity malt.

Better still, the beers come in lighter cans to reduce carbon emissions and make them easier to recycle, plus grain left over after brewing is used to feed cattle. The company have also pledged to donate at least 10 per cent of profits to various charities nominated by customers. A winner all round then.

Don’t panic if you’re skipping alcohol and you pick up a drink marked 0.5 per cent ABV. This still counts as alcohol-free and even an over-ripe banana would contain more alcohol. However, if you have to avoid alcohol completely and don’t want to be stuck on lemonade, this is one of the best booze-free beers going.

It’s brewed using a special yeast strain that doesn’t produce alcohol at all during brewing. That means the alcohol doesn’t need extracting at a later stage which can affect the flavour. Instead, it uses only pale ale malt as its base rather than a blend of lager malt and ale malt, plus golden naked oats to add a delicious smoothness. It doesn’t have the cloying sweetness of some alcohol-free lagers, but is a full-bodied, flavourful beer that will satisfy any drinker.

Lager is the trickiest type of beer to reproduce sans alcohol, so many alcohol-free versions tend to be a little more hoppy than the average lager drinker would like. But grab this from the supermarket shelf and you won’t be disappointed.

It’s an impressive Stella dupe with the crisp, clean finish of the original and just a touch of hoppy bitterness so you’ll (almost) believe it’s the real thing. I found it a touch sweeter than normal Stella with traces of caramel in the mix but found that meant it went down a treat with rich or fatty foods. I especially loved the fact that the bottle looks exactly the same as the original meaning it’s a simple swap to make if you like drinking Stella anyway.

There’s nothing worse than spending an evening virtuously sipping alcohol free drinks only to discover that you’ve almost consumed more sugar than in a box of chocolates. If you’re cutting down on alcohol to be healthier, it’s an even bigger blow, yet many booze brands mask the absence of alcohol by loading up with the sweet stuff instead.

Amazingly, this zero alcohol lager from American brewing giants Budweiser has no sugar in at all – and only 46 calories per can. It’s made from just water, barley malt, rice, hops and natural flavours and brewed through the same beechwood ageing technique that is used for Budweiser itself. While it will go down a treat with any Bud drinker, I found it a little watery although it has a moreish malty taste and a clean, dry finish which makes it the gloriously gluggable on a hot day.

I was hugely impressed by this entirely alcohol-free Corona, which is every bit as thirst-quenching and refreshing as the original.

Brewed with natural ingredients, it has the same Mexican zing I already know and love from the brand with a well-balanced flavour and rush of citrus notes that lends it that distinctive summery taste. A slight maltiness gives it backbone so you won’t feel like you’re supping water and the bright fruitiness means it pairs well with spicy food. Serve it ice-cold with a wedge of lime and you’ll barely notice it has no booze at all.

It’s not always easy to swear off the booze – especially on big occasions or around Christmas. Make it a little easier for someone by sending them this mixed pack of alcohol-free beers which will feel like a treat but encourage them to stick to sobriety.

This pack of eight beers contains two each of BrewDog’s Punk IPA 0.5 per cent, Nanny State 0.5 per cent, Hazy Jane 0.5 per cent and Elvis juice 0.5 per cent. They look just like regular BrewDog beers and taste nearly as good, with plenty of flavour and hoppy bitterness across the range, although a little thinner in texture. My favourites were the punk alcohol-free, which packs a proper hoppy punch and the crisply citrus Elvis juice alcohol-free, but I’d be chuffed to receive the whole lot so I could sample the whole range in one.

Who hasn’t enjoyed a cold San Miguel on holiday? The good news is that it’s possible to enjoy the experience year-round, even when you’re back at home avoiding alcohol with this entirely alcohol-free version.

It’s brewed in a pilsner-style with traditional beer ingredients although the temperature and time are strictly controlled to ensure there are fewer fermentable sugars and alcohol is never produced. It has a great golden colour in the glass and strong biscuit aromas with the same malty flavour you’d expect, a medium bitterness and a bright grassy note. Crisp and refreshing, it’s a little thinner than the original and a touch sweeter but I think it would work a treat swigged alongside food including seafood and even spicier dishes.

Inspired by the stories of the ghost ships that haunted the shores of Walberswick, this alcohol-free dupe of Southworld-based Adnams’ best-selling Ghost Ship ale has been wildly popular with its customers and it’s not difficult to see why.

Though of course, it doesn’t have quite the same mouthfeel as the 4.5 per cent version, it’s remarkably similar with a fresh fruitiness on the palate from the blend of Citra and other American hops used in brewing. For an alcohol-free pale ale, it has an impressive complexity, with alcohol removed at cold temperatures after brewing to preserve the flavours. Better still, it’s entirely gluten-free as an enzyme is used during filtration that reduces gluten to below 20 ppm making it the beer of choice for anyone looking to swerve alcohol and gluten in one satisfying glass.