The best NA beer shouldn’t taste like you’re giving something up. It should taste like fresh beer—not cooked beer. Not beer-flavored hard seltzer. Actual, real, beer. Over the course of four separate taste tests, we sat down to find the best non-alcoholic beer out there. And, guess what? Non-alcoholic beer just keeps getting better and better. We added two new NA beers after our latest taste test.
Non-alcoholic beer used to be a requirement and nothing more. Bars would stash a six-pack in a cupboard or under a sink on the off chance a non-drinker came in to hang with friends or watch a game. The bottles would get dusty, they’d taste a little off, but it was fizzy and it was in a beer bottle. And, for ages, that was the most you could ask of a non-alcoholic beverage brewed with grain, yeast, and water. But a few years ago, something changed. The NA lifestyle started to become trendy—even if only for Dry January. Suddenly, there was a demand for good non-alcoholic beer. Breweries responded, and every time we revisit the category, we find better and better non-alcoholic beers to add to our ranking of the best NA beers.
When tasting non-alcoholic beers, we’re looking for NA beer that best resembles its alcoholic counterpart. So, if a non-alcoholic beer says it’s a hoppy IPA, it should taste like a good, alcoholic, hoppy IPA. If it’s an NA party beer, it should be guzzleable. If it’s fruity, it should taste fruity—but also still like beer. We emerged from our most recent tasting reeking of beer and feeling none of the effects. But we did find some of the best non-alcoholic beer out there.
The following article contains affiliate links that may generate a small commission to us when you make a purchase through the link. Learn more about how we work with affiliates here.
- Heineken 0.0
-
There’s not much to say about this non-alcoholic beer except that it tastes like a Heineken. So, if you’re a Heineken drinker taking a break from booze, you’ll find this to be the best tasting non-alcoholic beer. It’s extremely effervescent, very quaffable, and quite good (as long as you like the taste of Heineken, which, it turns out, I do).
Credit: Ryan Martin / Amazon
- Brooklyn Brewery Special Effects Hazy IPA
-
We broke one of our own rules here, because this brew does not taste like a hazy IPA. It tastes, as one taster put it, “like if you carbonated mandarin oranges.” But it is so good, we couldn’t leave it out of the ranking. It smells like a Sunkist soda and tastes like fresh mandarin zest—yet there’s no mention of orange anywhere on the can. It’s so crisp and delicious, though, that it really doesn’t matter what’s on the can as long as I’m allowed to drink what’s in it. I should note that this beer is primarily available as part of the brewery’s Special Effects mixed pack. The other beers in the pack are also good—this one just happens to be the best non-alcoholic beer in the mix.
Credit: Ryan Martin / Instacart
- Clausthaler Original Non-Alcoholic
-
I’ll be honest, I never really got into German beers. I know Germans are the keepers of the sacred beer purity rules and they have the big beer party (Oktoberfest), but their brews were just never my bag. That being said, I do know what a German beer is supposed to taste like, and this non-alcoholic beer does a great job of approximating those bright, lightly bitter flavors. Pour it into a great big frosted stein, grab a pretzel the size of your head, don your best pair of lederhosen, and enjoy the best NA beer—German style.
Credit: Ryan Martin / Amazon
- Ration Ale Mexican Cerveza
-
While I still think the non-alcoholic Corona is a superior recreation of a Mexican-style beer (more on that in a bit), this new addition to the list is pretty darn good. And it’s definitely the best non-acoholic beer to buy if you like Mexican-style lagers but don’t like the very distinct Corona flavor. It’s light, crisp, frothy, and it tastes just a little bit peachy—almost like a very, very faint Bellini. While I continue to be an NA Corona apologist, other Sporked tasters really flipped for this non-alcoholic beer.
Credit: Liv Averett / Total Wine
- Hairless Dog Non Alcoholic Citra Lager
-
If you know your hops by name (citra, cascade, saaz, etc.) and like a chewy, unfiltered brew, then this is the best NA beer for your particular palate. It smells malty and sweet—almost like a homebrew—then slaps you with a bitter, hop-forward flavor. It’s complex. It’s a thinker. It’s a good-with-food beer. You won’t go through a six-pack of these in an afternoon, but you’ll happily sip one on a sunny day with your lobster roll or succotash. “I could see myself drinking this next to a pool,” said one taster. And after they’re done drinking it, they’ll actually be able to swim a few laps. Thanks to one of the best non-alcoholic beers!
Credit: Ryan Martin / Walmart
- Corona Non-Alcoholic
-
The folks over at Corona understood the assignment: Make a non-alcoholic version of Corona that tastes like regular Corona. I don’t pretend to understand the science behind making non-alcoholic beer, but I assume it’s complicated since so few other breweries are able to accomplish what Corona has done. Some people like Corona (me), some people don’t. If you like Corona, you will like non-alcoholic Corona. It has that same refreshing, bright, light, citrusy flavor that’s enhanced by a lime wedge. This is the best non-alcoholic beer to drink while captaining a boat.
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
- Sam Adams Just the Haze
-
Listen up, all you New England IPA fans. If you insist that your beer be opaque and practically chewy, this is the best non-alcoholic IPA beer you can buy. It almost tastes like a beer and a cream soda mixed together. It’s a little sweet in the way a hazy IPA can be, but it goes much easier on the hops than traditional hazy IPAs. It’s extremely easy-drinking—not too bubbly—so you can drink more than one can.
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
- Bravus Blood Orange IPA
-
This fruited non-alcoholic IPA definitely tastes like beer. It smells like a ripe blood orange—but the flavor is a zesty mix of bright and bitter citrus zest and hops, with a rounded finish reminiscent of an orange phosphate (something that was popular in the late 1800s, so I’m sure you’re all very familiar). If you like a citrusy beer—but not a sweet beer—this is the best NA beer for you.
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Lusty Lush She’s Passionate Tropical Weisse
-
This was the first non-alcoholic sour beer I’d ever had and I was super impressed. I was nervous at first because the packaging is so great—I thought, perhaps, they were trying to make up for a lack of quality with an abundance of design. But I was wrong. This is a really good non-alcoholic sour beer that happens to come in a really great looking can featuring a buxom bombshell or, I guess more appropriately, a Lusty Lush. It’s tart and tropical and tangy and spritzy. It’s quite sour, so you probably won’t have a ton in one sitting, but if you’ve been missing sour beers (or if you’re curious about them), this is the best non-alcoholic beer for you.
Credit: Liv Averett / Total Wine
- Gruvi Mocha Nitro Stout
-
Here’s something I don’t say about a lot of non-alcoholic beers: I wish they made an alcoholic version of this NA beer. That’s how much I like it. I want a boozy version to drink after Dry January wraps. It tastes very mocha-like. It’s a little bit sweet with a good, malty flavor and just the right amount of cocoa flavor. It’s crazy cozy. And it’s also very low in carbonation, making it a smooth sip.
Credit: Liv Averett / Total Wine
- Guinness 0
-
This non-alcoholic stout tastes almost exactly like its alcoholic counterpart. It has that touch of umami—that hint of soy sauce that many stouts have. It also includes a widget (that thing that makes noise when you shake an empty can of Guinness around), which helps give it that frothy, creamy head for which Guinness is known. There was thought and care put into this non-alcoholic brew, and it shows. It’s definitely one of the best NA beers out there, especially if you like stout beer. Plus, it’s actually zero percent alcohol (some NA beers have trace amounts), making it the best alcohol free beer we tried.
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
- O’Doul’s Premium Golden Non-Alcoholic Brew
-
The original non-alcoholic beer is still one of the best non-alcoholic beers—in fact, it used to be ranked as the number one best non-alcoholic beer until one of our most recent taste tests. It’s not trying to be fancy. It’s not trying to be nuanced. It is trying to taste like your basic domestic lager and it does so with great success. “This one tastes like beer,” one taster commented. And it does. Specifically, it tastes like what I believe the beer tastes like at Cheers or Moe’s Tavern or another fictional TV bar. It’s light. It has little to no aftertaste. It’s refreshing. It’s crushable. If you want “a beer,” then this is one of the best NA beers for you.
Credit: Ryan Martin / Target
- Sierra Nevada Trail Pass IPA
-
Non-alcoholic beer drinkers, Sierra Nevada is here for you. They are at the top of the NA beer game. Both the NA IPA and their NA golden ale (our number one best non-alcoholic beer, spoiler!) are extremely good. The IPA smells hoppy and bitter, just like a Sierra Nevada IPA. It tastes pine-heavy and mouthwateringly resin-y. It’s like licking a tree in a California mountain forest. IPA drinkers-turned-non-drinkers, this is the best tasting non-alcoholic beer you’ll ever have.
Credit: Liv Averett / Sierra Nevada
- Sierra Nevada Trail Pass Golden
-
Everyone agreed this was the best non-alcoholic beer—both the professional Sporked tasters and the avid non-alcoholic beer drinkers who benefitted from our leftovers. It smells warm and malty. It tastes like a classic golden ale but with a splash of lemonade, which makes it extra refreshing and extremely quaffable. It’s almost like a really beer-forward NA Shandy. It’s hoppy but not too bitter at all. This is the best NA beer. It’s going to take a lot to push it out of the number one spot. Challenge extended, NA breweries.
Credit: Liv Averett / Sierra Nevada
Best Game Day
Best Citrusy
Best German
Best Mexican Lager
Best Hoppy
Best NA Boat Beer
Best Hazy
Best Flavored IPA
Best Non-Alcoholic Sour
Best Mocha Stout
Best Stout
Best Standard Beer
Best Non-Alcoholic IPA
Best of the Best
Other non-alcoholic beers we tried: Athletic Brewing Co Beer Free Wave, Athletic Brewing Co Run Wild, Estrella Galicia 0.0, Budweiser Zero Non-Alcoholic Beer, Becks Non Alcoholic, Gruvi Non Alcoholic Stout, Surreal Brewing Non Alcoholic Juicy Mavs Hazy IPA, Coors Edge, Sober Carpenter White, Blue Moon Non-Alcoholic Belgian White, Suntory All-Free, Best Day Brewing West Coast IPA Non-Alcoholic, Partake Brewing Non-Alcoholic Pale, Clausthaler Grapefruit Non-Alcoholic, Clausthaler IPA Dry Hopped Non-Alcoholic, Clausthaler ISO 0.0%, Lagunitas Brewing Non Alcoholic IPA, Paulaner Munchen Paulaner Weizen Radler, General Admission Orange Ovation, General Admission Grapefruit Groove, General Admission Lemon Lime, General Admission Raspberry Remix, Hoplark Hop Sour, Partake Peach Gose, Athletic Lite, Firestone Walker 805 Zero, Brewdog Elvis AF, Hoplark Citra
