As Champagne season comes to a close and we reflect on our New Year’s resolutions, many of us brace for 31 days of Dry January. For some, the annual detox turns into a full-on lifestyle change. Maybe it evolves into a year of alcohol abstinence, or perhaps zebra striping becomes the new norm when the weekends roll around.
Whatever the case may be, anyone opting to put down the booze for a while is in luck, as the non-alcoholic beer market is absolutely booming right now. According to data from Circana, nationwide dollar sales for NA beer leaped by 29.2 percent in 2023. Of course, when a market expands, we get more options flooding the shelves. But finding a solid NA brew is no simple task. Many brands in the space have only been around for a couple of years, and thus are still working out some kinks in their production processes. On the other hand, beer industry stalwarts just breaking into the NA scene don’t always make solid alternatives to the brews we already know and love.
But venturing into the new world of non-alcoholic beer doesn’t have to be an expensive pursuit with endless rounds of trial and error, as VinePair is here to be your guide through the treacherous suds of the current industry landscape. After tasting over 100 different brews, we’ve plucked out our top 20 favorites from across the country. Let’s dive in.
Table Of Contents
Why You Should Trust VinePair
How We Taste
How We Compiled This List
The Best Non-Alcoholic IPAs
The Best Non-Alcoholic Lagers, Pilsners, and Amber Ales
The Best Non-Alcoholic Wheat, Golden, and Blonde Ales
The Best Non-Alcoholic Fruited Beers
The Best Non-Alcoholic Dark Beers
FAQ
Why You Should Trust VinePair
Throughout the year, VinePair conducts dozens of tastings for our Buy This Booze product roundups, highlighting the best products across the world’s most popular wine, beer, and spirits categories.
As part of this work, VinePair’s tasting and editorial staff samples thousands of products every year. This helps us keep a finger on the pulse of what’s new and exciting. It also provides us with the crucial context needed to distinguish the simply good from the truly great — whether from a quality or value-for-money perspective, or both.
VinePair’s mission is to offer a clear, reliable source of information for drinkers, providing an overview applicable to day-to-day buying and drinking.
Learn more about VinePair’s tastings and reviews department here.
How We Taste
We believe in tasting all products as our readers typically would: with full knowledge of the producer and — importantly — price. Our tastings are therefore not conducted blind.
VinePair’s tasting panel evaluates every beer — alcoholic and non-alcoholic — on its aromas, flavors, structure, balance, and quality. We also consider whether or not the beer was true to its intended style or category.
How We Compiled This List
In order to provide our readers with the most comprehensive and thoroughly tested list of the best non-alcoholic beers, VinePair invited producers, distributors, and PR firms working on their behalf to send samples for consideration. These products were submitted free of charge — producers didn’t pay to submit nor did VinePair pay for the products. All were requested with the clear understanding that submission does not guarantee inclusion in the final list.
For the best non-alcoholic beers of the year roundup, our tastings panel sampled more than 100 expressions at the VinePair HQ. We tasted and considered samples in the context of their stated style (i.e. IPA, lager, pilsner, fruited sour, etc.), while also evaluating each beer on its individual merits. We then pared a long list of favorites down to the 20 absolute best non-alcoholic beers.
The Best Non-Alcoholic IPAs
Athletic Brewing Company Free Wave Hazy IPA
Stratford, Conn.
Athletic Brewing Company’s Free Wave Hazy IPA is essentially the New England-style counterpart to the brand’s Run Wild IPA. It’s a hoppy, no-frills juice bomb that straddles dank, tropical, and herbaceous flavors all in the same sip. Citra, Mosaic, and Amarillo hops are all present and accounted for with notes of citrus, cannabis, and orange Creamsicles coming through from nose to finish.
Athletic Brewing Company Run Wild IPA
Stratford, Conn.
Since its founding in 2017, Athletic Brewing Company has become one of the biggest names in the NA beer market. It may not be the first NA beer brand to hit the scene, but it was the first one to consistently capture the look, feel, and flavor of craft beer in the NA space.
One of the year-round core expressions that’s been in the brand’s lineup from the get-go is its Run Wild IPA. Brewed with a blend of five Pacific Northwest hop varieties, this NA brew hits like a true-to-form West Coast IPA. The nose kicks off with a burst of pine and citrus atop an assertive malty backbone. On the palate, lively carbonation, resinous hops, and a dry finish make for a crushable, easygoing profile.
Good Time Brewing IPA
New York City
A newcomer to the NA space, NYC’s Good Time Brewing made its market debut in late 2023 with this American IPA alternative. Since then, the brand has added an NA pilsner to its portfolio, but in light of some stiff competition in the pils department during this year’s tasting, we’re highlighting the brand’s crisp, balanced IPA again as a go-to in 2025. The NA brew kicks off the show with a bright, citrus-forward nose that segues into a bitter, hop-forward profile on the palate.
Grüvi Imperial Dawn IPA
Denver
Purveyors of both NA beer and wine, Denver’s Grüvi expanded its offerings in December 2024 with the releases of a Belgian-style witbier and this stellar new Imperial IPA. Admittedly, the IPA substyle has been a tough one for NA beverage producers to recreate considering the typical high ABV content of these beers, but Grüvi has done the category justice with Imperial Dawn. Through and through, this NA IPA delivers notes of bitter orange peels, grapefruit, cracked pepper, and pine with a full-bodied mouthfeel that finishes dry, crisp, and clean. Imperial Dawn is currently only available as a part of Grüvi’s new variety pack, but it’s worth picking up a case for this expression alone.
RationAle Brewing Hazy IPA
San Diego
Despite its California roots, RationAle exhibits the same prowess with its hazy as it does in its West Coast IPA. The opaque, amber-orange brew brims with tropical hop aromas that are balanced out by a subtle earthiness. Each fruit-forward sip gives way to a dry, bitter finish with no off- flavors to speak of, making this one of our go-to juice bombs in the NA beer category.
RationAle Brewing West Coast IPA
San Diego
San Diego’s RationAle Brewing wowed us last year with its light, crushable Mexican lager, but this year, we’re giving some equally deserved flowers to the brand’s NA IPAs. Its West Coast IPA pours a bright orange, copper hue topped with an unwavering quarter-inch head. On the nose, the brew opens up with notes of resinous tree sap, caramel, and floral Pacific Northwest hops. The hop profile carries seamlessly over to the palate, and every sip ends with a snappy, bitter bite.
Sierra Nevada Trail Pass Hazy IPA
Chico, Calif. and Mills River, N.C.
While many brands use dealcoholization processes to make their NA products, the team at Sierra Nevada brews its NA beers with traditional methods, using a new hybrid yeast strain that keeps ABVs below 0.5 percent while removing certain compounds that can create off-flavors. In tandem with the nationwide rollout of its Trail Pass NA Variety Pack, Sierra Nevada launched this hazy in December 2024, and it dishes up everything we love about the style without the booze. Mosaic and El Dorado hops make for a juicy yet bitter profile with notes of oranges, grapefruit pith, and dank cannabis. The mouthfeel arrives with a creamy viscosity, and every sip finishes off with a dry, hoppy bite.
The Best Non-Alcoholic Lagers, Pilsners, and Amber Ales
AL’s Classic
New York City
Husband and wife team Alban de Pury and Fanny Karst founded ALs in 2020 with one product: AL’s Classic American NA Beer. The brand hasn’t rolled out any other expressions since, but why bother when the flagship is this good? Emerging from the can with a crystal clear, 24-karat gold hue, AL’s greets the nose with a punch of rocky minerality along with light wafts of banana in the background. On the palate, things shift to more American macro lager-adjacent territory with a clean, light, and malty profile. To anyone looking for a standout NA lawn mower beer, AL’s Classic is the move.
Atmos Brewing Co. Prospect NA Amber
Hailey, Idaho
Idaho’s Sawtooth Brewery made its foray into the NA space in 2020 when it founded Atmos Brewing Co., an NA-focused side project in the mountains of Hailey. Like many of Atmos’s offerings, the brand’s amber ale makes use of locally grown hops and grains — specifically, 2-row barley, Cascade, and Saaz hops. The result is a beautiful amber brew redolent of roasted malts and sticky toffee pudding with bitter undertones. The palate is full-bodied, bready, and closes the show with a crisp, slightly sweet finish. If barbecue is on the menu, make this your NA beer pairing.
Designated Dale’s NA Pils
Longmont, Colo. and Brevard, N.C.
Oskar Blues Brewery, best known for its iconic Dale’s Pale Ale, has a knack for putting out simple yet exceptional and balanced brews. So when the brewery jumped on the NA beer train in fall 2024 with the release of Designated Dale’s NA Pils, we expected big things. Sure enough, Oskar Blues didn’t let us down. The nose opens with subtle citrus, crisp apples, and floral hop aromas, setting the stage for a quintessential malty pilsner profile on the palate with lively carbonation. Simply put, it’s an exquisite pilsner minus the booze.
Heineken 0.0
Zoeterwoude, Netherlands
Despite the recent influx of stellar new brands in the NA space, we have to give credit where it’s due to the old industry giants when they make balanced, booze-free alternatives to the beers that put them on the map. Heineken 0.0 may land a tad sweeter than the original Dutch lager, but it’s more or less a carbon copy. The nose opens up with crisp citrusy notes with undercurrents of banana and malts, while the palate delivers a heavy dose of quintessential Old World hop flavors.
Suntory All Free
Musashino, Tokyo, Japan
Most beers in this roundup contain some amount of alcohol (below 0.5 percent ABV), but like Heineken 0.0, Suntory All Free falls under the category of completely alcohol-free beer. To sweeten the deal, this beverage contains no sugar or calories, and rather than tasting like hop water or some beer-flavored seltzer, Suntory All Free truly hits like a crisp, crushable rice lager with subtle hefeweizen characteristics. It’s highly carbonated, packed with notes of banana bread and wheat, and ends with a dry, snappy finish.
The Best Non-Alcoholic Wheat, Golden, and Kölsch-style Ales
Best Day Brewing Kölsch
Sausalito, Calif.
Since 1997, the term “Kölsch” has been protected by the EU, and only breweries located within a 30-mile radius of Cologne, Germany, can legally label their beers as such. In the U.S., however, breweries still produce the style anyway, but often opt to call these beers “Kölsch-style ales.” Formalities aside, Kölsches land somewhere in between lagers and ales in profile, and this expression from Best Day Brewing offers a clean, accurate representation of the style in NA form. The nose opens up with a lightly fruity character accented by notes of rocky minerality, saltine crackers, and citrus. The palate is clean, crisp, and finishes with a subtle sweetness that reels you back in for another sip.
Ceria Brewing Company Grainwave Belgian Style White
Arvada, Colo.
Brewer Keith Villa may be best known as the mind behind Blue Moon back in 1995, but these days, he makes NA brews at the helm of his latest endeavor, Ceria Brewing Company. With Grainwave, Villa proves that he still has a magic touch when it comes to crafting Belgian-style witbiers, even sans alcohol. Unfiltered and brewed with coriander, blood orange peel, and German Hallertau Tradition hops, Grainwave is bright, refreshing, and bursting with notes of orange flesh and myriad spices with a herbaceous, earthy backbone. Garnish the glass with an orange slice, and you’ve got a picture-perfect NA twin of the brew that put Villa on the map.
Grüvi Golden Era
Denver
True to its name, Grüvi’s Golden Era lager looks like liquid gold in a glass. Upon pouring, we’re greeted with a bouquet of cereal notes, honey, barley, and light wafts of banana. The palate packs some honeyed sweetness, but lands rather understated overall, making for an easygoing, balanced profile. As the gold medal winner in the “non-alcohol beer” category at the 2022 World Beer Cup, this NA brew certainly lives up to the hype.
Wellbeing Brewing Heavenly Body Golden Wheat
St. Louis
Crafted with a blend of Cascade and German noble hops, this American-style wheat ale kicks off with light citrusy aromas and notes of corn husks and sourdough bread — making this one of the more unique, yet approachable brews we tasted for this roundup. The palate lands with a steady level of carbonation, a smooth mouthfeel, and pops of wheat, citrus, and malt that culminate in a dry finish.
The Best Non-Alcoholic Fruited Beers
Eighteen Twenty Brewing Co. All That Razz
Portland, Maine
For the second year in a row, we’re including Eighteen Twenty Brewing Co.’s All That Razz NA sour ale. Pouring an opaque, light golden hue, this brew comes out swinging with aromas of tart, overripe raspberries and sea salt. It’s sweet and sour, but doesn’t lean too far in either direction. For fans of kettle sour ales, this NA beer should be in your rotation in 2025.
Partake Brewing Peach Gose
Calgary, Canada
Another great option for those partial to fruited sours, Partake Brewing’s Peach Gose opens up with inviting notes of peach rings with an undercurrent of mint while coriander, spice and a lip-smacking saltiness join in on the palate. Like any good fruited beer, this NA offering benefits from keeping its inherent sweetness on a tight leash.
The Best Non-Alcoholic Dark Beers
Deschutes Black Butte NA
Bend, Ore.
Named after the extinct Black Butte volcano in Oregon, this NA brew is the booze-free version of Deschutes Brewery’s flagship porter of the same name. After cascading out of the can with a silky, pitch black tone, robust aromas of black licorice, roasted malts, toffee, and earthy black pepper emerge. The palate is just as complex, delighting with notes of raisins, dark roast coffee, and chocolate malts delivered via a luscious, velvety mouthfeel. This wasn’t just one of the best NA dark beers we tasted for this year’s roundup, but one of the most impressive NA beers we sampled across all categories.
Guinness 0
Dublin, Ireland
Although Guinness has been around since the latter half of the 18th century, the brand has experienced something of a renaissance over the past few years. This is due, in part, to Guinness’s knack for consistency in its products — whether they contain alcohol or not. It may sound like a cliché, but Guinness 0 does indeed taste just like the real thing, even arriving with the floating widget in the can. The only noticeable difference between the NA and the original is that Guinness 0 has a slightly thinner mouthfeel, but beyond that, it’s a one-for-one carbon copy.
FAQ
What are the best-selling non-alcoholic beer brands? (By Sales)
According to data from Circana, the top-selling non-alcoholic beer brands in the U.S. are Heineken, Athletic Brewing Company, and Budweiser.
Is it OK to drink non-alcoholic beer regularly?
As with anything else, non-alcoholic beer is OK to drink in moderation. Though non-alcoholic beer may not contain alcohol and provides an alternative to regular beer, it offers very little nutritional value and should therefore be avoided in excess.
Are all non-alcoholic beers totally alcohol-free?
No. In the U.S., beer containing less than 0.5 percent alcohol can be labeled alcohol-free. If you’re looking to steer completely clear of booze, be sure to read the label closely before consuming.
The article The 20 Best Non-Alcoholic Beers for 2025 appeared first on VinePair.