JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser.
Non-alcoholic beer ranges from 0.0% to 0.5% alcohol, and are gaining popularity as more people are seeking alcohol free alternative beverages for a variety of reasons. From Pilsners to Stouts and everything in between, low and no-alcohol beers are available from breweries around the world, and they are 100% worth celebrating. Here's what you should know about these alcohol-free beers, as well as a few favourites offered online at Beer Hawk:
1. They taste amazing
Don’t believe us? Order the award-winning Stout from Big Drop Brewing Co, a silky smooth, unctuous stout, with intensely roasted coffee aromas with a milky chocolate finish. Prefer a hoppy pale ale? Then it is BrewDog’s Nanny State, a beer that defies the equation that alcohol = flavour. Infinite Session Pale is another hop forward beer, and with the malt balance to back it up.
2. They are healthy…
As well as being low in alcohol, these beers are also isotonic (read this great story about German Winer Olympians in the New York Times here). You’ll recognise the word from sports drinks, and like them, they offer up energy and nutrients, as well as water. It’s also a good source of antioxidants, magnesium and soluble fibre. And unlike many sports drinks, they don’t have stuff like sodium nitrate, aspartame and beta-carotene, just malt, hops, water and yeast. Low alcohol beers also usually have significantly few calories, often less than half, than full alcohol beers. No wonder that in Germany they are sold as sports drinks
3. There’s loads of choice
You’re no longer limited to a certain German low-alcohol beer that can, ahem, give you the blues. These days you can get [deep breath] stouts, wheat beers, lagers, sours, IPAs, pale ales, and even a Berliner Weisse, and a classic Kölsch from Früh. At Beer Hawk alone we have low or no alcohol beers from a dozen breweries.
4. Low-alcohol and alcohol-free means different things
According to DrinkAware, in the UK, ‘low alcohol’ beers have an alcoholic strength by volume (ABV) of between 0.5% and 1.2%. ‘Alcohol-free’ beers are those with an ABV of 0.05% or less. ‘Non-alcoholic’ drinks mean no alcohol at all, such as sodas.
5. They’re brewed in different ways, and they’re not all equal
There are two main ways to limit the alcohol in beer while still leaving a liquid that tastes like beer. The first is to restrict the fermentation of the beer. This, in turn, can be done in several ways: by stopping the fermentation by cooling the beer, by controlling the fermentable sugars in the wort (the malty liquid that is fermented) or by mashing in at temperatures that the malt doesn’t like. However, the problem with these methods is that the flavours may not fully develop or characteristics that are usually removed through fermentation remain. A second method, and most common for modern breweries, is to remove the alcohol from fully fermented beers through evaporation in a vacuum (that doesn’t lose the flavours), reverse osmosis or dialysis.
6. Low and no alcohol beers are big business
In Spain, low alcohol beers make up more than 10% of the whole market. In the UK, it hasn’t even bothered 0.5% of the market, but given the investment by the big brands such as Heineken, Guinness and Budweiser as well as the expansion of German breweries into the UK market as well as homegrown breweries, we’re likely to see this increase.
7. More people are drinking less alcohol
More than three million people took part in dry January this year. Non-alcohol beer sales rose by 19% between 2016 and 2017 according to Kantar Worldpanel, and low alcohol beers regularly top Beer Hawk’s best seller list. The number of people who don’t drink alcohol, especially 16-24-year-olds, has increased by 7% between 2005 and 2016.
8. Low alcohol beer has always been popular
Everyone used to drink beer, even children, up to the 19th century. They didn’t know it was because of the heating or boiling that killed the nasties, or the fact fermentation also helps, but small beer or table beer was drunk by everyone. It was probably less than 1%. Eton and Winchester schools had their own breweries for this.
BONUS: Alcohol free beer can help fight prostate cancer!
Did you know that 1 in 8 men in the UK is affected by prostate cancer? Throughout the entire month of November 2020, Beer Hawk has partnered with Prostate Cancer UK and will donate £10 for every £25 case sold of the PCUK low and no-alcohol mixed case.
----------
FIVE LOW AND NO-ALCOHOL BEERS TO TRY
Yep, another list. But these are our favourite low/no alcohol beers.
1. BrewDog Punk AF IPA
Enjoy this hardcore alcohol-free IPA with juicy, citrusy flavours from the time you crack it open down to the very last drop. Available in a 12-pack.
2. BrewDog Nanny State
This 0.5% ABV offering will appeal to lovers of BrewDog's characteristic style, using Cascade, Columbus, Centennial, Simcoe and Amarillo hops. With a light, bitter body and flavours of citrus and pine, Nanny State is a refreshing low alcohol option.
3. Infinite Session Pale
A juicy, tropical American pale ale which is full bodied and packed with aroma. Pale combines a smooth six-grain body, tropical New World hops and a refreshing bitter flavour. 36 kcals a bottle.
4. Mikkeller Hallo, Ich bin: Berliner Weisse
A low-alcohol version of a Berliner Weisse, a slightly tart German style from the cult brewery.
5. Schneider Tap 3 Mein Alkoholfreies
Isotonic thirst-quencher energizes with 100% wheat beer taste at less than 0,5% alcohol.
Bonus: Low & Alcohol-Free Mixed Case
Not sure where to start? We've hand-picked this alcohol-free beer mixed case so you can try some of the best low and no alcohol beers to find your favourite! Makes a great beer gift for friends who live an alcohol-free lifestyle.
Father’s Day, 19th June 2022, is the special date in the calendar when we celebrate and give a nod to the Dads in our lives. It’s an excuse to spoil them with a little something to say thank you for being awesome. If you’re looking for inspiration for a craft beer-loving Dad, then check out our top 7 Father’s Day beer gifts.
Every year, Beer Hawk releases a lineup of limited edition craft beer mixed cases for the holiday season. This year's lineup of festive Christmas beer gifts is guaranteed to put a smile on everyone’s face.
Remember the childhood excitement of opening a new door on your advent calendar every day in the run up to Christmas? It gave each day a little sparkle of festive magic, even though those tiny chocolates behind the doors were always a bit rubbish. How would you like to recapture that childhood magic, but with bottles of delicious beer instead of powdery chocolate? Sounds amazing, right? In that case, you need to get your hands on our Craft Beer Advent Calendar.
Pairing beer and food together isn’t all rules and science. That would make for a terribly boring dinner party! Instead, it’s the art of taking a good beer, some good food and partnering them together to make something even better. It’s the adventure of discovering what works, what doesn’t and what you like. It’s you taking a bite, taking a sip and then declaring your undying love for that imperial stout and chocolate cake.
Barrel-ageing beers is not a new thing, but it is getting more and more popular, and has probably never been as inventive. Adrian Tierney-Jones explores the new wave of ageing beer in wood
Don't have an account yet? Register Here
By signing into your account, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
Already have an account? Sign In Here
By creating your account, you agree to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
Earn Beer Tokens when you buy and review beer including from any guest orders in the last 3 days. Find out more
Birthday bonus (if you provide your date of birth)
Here you can validate your account with your phone number. If you do not have access to a phone or you do not receive the code, please make a standard return.
Please enter a valid phone number
We just sent you a verification code via SMS, please fill in the form below. If you have not received anything, you can ask to re-send the code. Re-send the code.
Please enter a verification code