Non-alcoholic beers no longer taste like sweet, bubbly, brown water. These days, they’re so good they can almost pass for the real thing. There’s everything from fruity IPAs to pale ales bursting with floral hop aromas and even malty stouts. All the flavor, minus the booze. Here are the best new non-alcoholic and low alcohol beer offerings.
Everyone’s favourite tradies slash Instagram comedians slash models, The Inspired Unemployed, introduced their zero-carb, zero-sugar brew, Better Beer late last year. Now, they’re adding a zero-alcohol option. Better Beer Zero Alc uses a ‘vacuum evaporation’ method to create a crisp, refreshing less than 0.5% ABV beer that’ll knock your socks off, without knocking you on your proverbial.
Head brewer and founder, Nic Sandery, created these zero alcohol beers after becoming a dad and wanting to drink without the hangover. The citrus IPA and Strawberry and Lime Gose were so popular they quickly became part of the core range. A limited-edition 0% Yuzu and Lime-infused Farmhouse Ale will be released at the end of the month.
For something a little different, why not try Australia’s first electrolyte beer? Brewed as a non-alcoholic Australian Pale Ale, it has tropical passionfruit and pear notes as well as vitamins B1, B3 and B9. It claims to completely replenish 100 per cent of the electrolytes and vitamins you lose whilst sweating it out. So it’s basically beer-flavoured Gatorade.
Beer nerds will fall in love with this Victorian brewery that boasts one of the broadest ranges of ultra-low craft beers. You’ve got stout, lager, pale ale, IPA, brown ale, golden ale, hazelnut porter and a sour. Plus, there are limited editions and collaborations. While it’s not no-alcohol, everything is 0.5% ABV or lower.
The team from Modus Operandi turned their hand to a zero-alcohol beer and nailed it with Nort. It’s Refreshing Ale has got all the hallmarks of a thirst-quenching beer – golden colour, fruity aroma and crisp finish. It was so popular, it spawned an IPA, Pacific Ale and Tropical XPA.
Canberra’s Capital Brewing Co worked on this for two years to get it right. It’s a tropical Pacific Ale that hits all the notes you’d expect; refreshing, crisp and with a smooth finish. It’s also Australia’s first carbon neutral non-alcoholic beer. It has just launched, in time for Dry July.
This pale ale is the Aussie brewer’s most ambitious non-alc beer yet. The tropical ‘sunshine-in-a-can’ flavour profile contains less than 0.5% ABV, and it’s designed for the ultimate breezy kickback. Knock off early and grab a can now.
