Non-alcoholic beer is very hit-and-miss. Thoughts of water-thin lagers come to mind first and foremost for many beer drinkers. That’s fair. Like all types of beer, there’s a lot of bogus brands out there. Still, if you do a little research, you can find a tasty non-alcoholic beer that’ll satisfy your family and friends who aren’t hitting the booze.
We popped over to Ranker to find out which non-alcoholic beers are worth stocking in your fridge. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Germans dominated this one. Luckily, they’re all pretty big brands — so these won’t be too hard to track down domestically.
So, did the masses get this one right? Are these the best non-alcoholic beers out there today? If not, let us know in the comments which N.A. beers are your go-to.
10. Erdinger Weissbier Non-Alcoholic
It’s actually surprising this one didn’t rank a little higher. Generally, non-alcoholic beers are adjunct lagers with little oomph. Erdinger’s Weissbier Non-Alcoholic is a step up from that. The wheat beer has all the markings of a full-bodied hefeweizen with a nice echo of the original. There’s a little spice here that has a fruity undertone. We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
9. Kaliber
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Guinness’ contribution to the non-alcoholic market, Kaliber, is a nice sipper. There’s a floral note up front that gives way to a dry fizziness with hints of caramel and hop bitterness at the end. Overall, this is a decent beer to have on hand for anyone looking to avoid a hangover on Monday.
8. Alternativa 0.0 Birra Artigianale
Okay, this is an Italian artisanal beer that’s not available in the United States. Yet here it is at number eight. We have to cop to the fact that we have yet to try this one. Our guess, it’s probably pretty good — as most food and drink related things in Italy are “good to great” as a standard.
If you pop over to Italy this year, give it a try and let us know how it tastes.
7. St. Pauli Girl N.A.
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St. Pauli Girl N.A. is a perfectly okay non-alcoholic beer. In fact, this one is where we start to get close to standard alcoholic lagers in taste. You might even be tricked into thinking this one is just a regular St. Pauli Girl with the whispers of bitter hops and sweet malts right up front. “Might” being the key word in that sentence.
6. Coors Non Alcoholic
If you’re into Coors, you’ll dig on this non-alcoholic quaffer. There’s a grassy hop feel here that’s bolstered by a sweet bready malt that helps this taste close to the real thing. It’s fizzy and dry on the end which is refreshingly nice. You can also find this one in pretty much every shop that sells beer across the country.
5. Clausthaler Golden Amber
The Germans are pretty much going to dominate the top five. Clausthaler’s Golden Amber is lush and rich (for a non-alcoholic beer). There’s a real sense of caramel sweet malts balanced with nicely-bitter hop echoes. The color is a nice ruby red, giving this the illusion of a full-alcohol beer. The taste is there, the alcohol isn’t — making this one a winner.
4. Clausthaler Premium
This is a surprisingly hoppy lager, even for a non-alcoholic beer. There’s a real sense of earthy hops here with a subtle malt underpinning. This is the sort of German lager you’d be hard-pressed to name as the non-alcoholic beer in a blind taste test.
3. Buckler
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Buckler is the one non-German beer in the top five. This Dutch brew feels like an American lager. There are light touches of hops, balanced with slightly sweet malts at play that gives you the feel of a PBR or Miller High Life. It’s an easy beer to drink that won’t get you drunk.
2. Erdinger Non-Alcoholic
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This is a good beer, full stop. Erdinger Non-Alcoholic has a nice grassy hop note that’s balanced with subtly sweet malts. There are citrus bursts with every sip. This is a crowd-pleaser all around.
1. Beck’s Non-Alcoholic
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Surprisingly, non-alcoholic Beck’s is pretty much exactly like regular ol’ Beck’s. It’s a simple lager from Germany that gets the job done. There’s a mild hop essence here with clear malt sweetness underneath. Overall, this is a perfectly good alternative to have on hand for all occasions.
