13 Non-Alcoholic Beers Ranked, According To Consumers

While some beer purists may scoff at the idea, there are many reasons why one may choose to drink a non-alcoholic beer. Reasons related to morals, religion, health, or addiction recovery, among other factors, could lead to the decision, and it's a reasonable choice in a social situation where everyone else is drinking regular beer. An NA beer is also a de facto ultra-light beer, because removing the booze strips the drink of many of its calories. But the fact of the matter is that it's difficult for even the most experienced craft or industrial beer-makers to get them to taste good — or even taste like beer. 

The drink is created by yeast eating sugar and converting it to alcohol, so the very nature of beer — and its flavor — depends on the presence of alcohol. Removing it (or almost all of it; most non-alcoholic beer has an ABV of around 0.5%) is a tricky and foolhardy prospect, and some brands are more successful than others. Here's a ranking of 13 of the most commonly found non-alcoholic beers, based on consumer ratings and reviews.

Launched by Budweiser parent company Anheuser-Busch in 1990, O'Doul's was among the very first name-brand, nationally released non-alcoholic beers. Produced like regular beer, O'Doul's had its alcohol removed before bottling without adding any extra processes that could scorch the product. While O'Doul's was innovative, it was far from perfect, as so many other better received non-alcoholic brews have joined it in the marketplace. With an ABV of 0.5% or below, Anheuser-Busch intended for O'Doul's to have a low-key, slightly sweet flavor and ultimately finish dry. In other words, it's watery and notably bland, which is precisely why many beer drinkers don't care for O'Doul's.

"They claim it is a beer but I have my doubts," wrote BeerAdvocate user user bewareOFpenguin. "I tried it and found it bland, tasteless. I think this is the water they use to wash out the brewing barrels." Other consumers agree. "Taste is of stale Cheerios marinated in old bathwater, except thinner," concurred Rifugium on BeerAdvocate. "Very light bodied, and pretty hard to choke down."

When self-described beer experts start to talking and ranking brews, they don't much care for the macro-brews. These mass-produced beers sell in huge quantities, and they have for years, but that doesn't mean those who appreciate things like hops, finish, lacing, and depth of flavor enjoy Budweiser. It's widely regarded as a mediocre product by the beer cognoscenti, criticized for its perceived wateriness, faint color, and lack of taste and character. Those are the same attributes which give non-alcoholic beer a bad reputation, so these beer lovers were probably never going to like Budweiser Zero, a completely sugar- and alcohol-free 50-calorie brew that debuted in 2020. An American lager like its predecessor, Budweiser Zero is a very light beer that goes down smooth at least.

"Removing the alcohol does not improve the flavor," quipped SDBATTY on Untappd. "It's alright, watery and thin," wrote Jaxon on the same site. "Slight metallic taste at the end and tastes like a mid nonalc." Reviewer Chris Mason didn't love the "'diet soda' like aftertaste," while Vin Ron called Budweiser Zero "probably the worst zero on the planet."

Unique in beer is the Dutch pale lager. Very drinkable, smooth, and full of light hops flavor, it's simultaneously pungent, piercing, and bitter. Brewed in the Netherlands with a special kind of yeast, Heineken makes the best-known example of this beer. In 2019, Heineken altered its recipe for the rare occasion to make a non-alcoholic version of the beer in the iconic green bottle that it's been making since the 19th century. Technically a malt beverage in the lager tradition that's free of alcohol, 69-calorie Heineken 0.0 (which really has an ABV of 0.01%) is the result of a double-brewing process, after which the alcohol — but not that odd taste — is taken away.

"The only redeeming quality of this liquid is the color of the bottle. Heineken 0.0 tastes like rain water from a pot hole," pinpointed user rileyswag on Untappd. Another reviewer on the site described it as "a weird sweet, vaguely lager-like liquid."

The beer whose full name is Peroni Nastro Azzuro, a European pale lager, was originally produced in the 1840s just for the Italian market before Italy was even a country. It's a tangy, slight, low-carb beer with an ABV of just over 5%, which makes for a heavily-exported and in-demand beer that pairs well with food. The historical Peroni Nastro Azzuro is so lightweight, smooth, and watery by design that when Peroni Nastro Azzuro 0.0% started to roll out around the world in 2022, it was apparently tough to tell the two beers apart. The old-fashioned recipe is used for the alcohol-free version, with the booze removed at the end of the process with special machinery.

Beer critics weren't so impressed, however. "Some zeros and NAs are great, others are not. This is the latter. A bit watery, very dry, and bitter with an overly copper, yeast finish," reviewed John Besse on Untappd. "Light and inoffensive. At least it's not sweet," said user Chris Church, while William H pointed out, "Macro beer taste and a typical NA taste. Not the best combo."

For many years, Coors has touted the luscious and pure Rocky Mountain water as the primary factor behind its crisp, cool, refreshing, and top-selling Coors Banquet and Coors Light beers. In 1990, the brewer tried and failed to sell a line of just that ingredient, but carbonated: Coors Rocky Mountain Sparkling Water. As far as some articulate beer drinkers were concerned, it seemed like Coors recycled the idea in 2019 when it started bottling Coors Edge. The company claimed that Edge had the least calories and carbohydrates in the whole world of non-alcoholic beer, at 41 and 8 grams per serving, respectively. It was supposed to taste like the richer Coors Banquet but maintain Coors' Light's nonchalance, all with a 0.5% ABV.

The public wasn't convinced. "Aroma lacks anything positive. Taste is neutral," said BeerAdvocate user milkshakebeersucks. "In the world of NA beers it is on the upper limits in quality compared to other known named brands. For quality it is still a mediocre at best American adjunct lager," said Broski1989.

As of 2025, the overall best-selling beer in the United States is Michelob Ultra, an even lighter version of an already light beer, which itself is a take on the classic premium Michelob lager. There's obviously a big demand there for watered-down, reduced-calorie, limited-alcohol, Michelob, and its corporate handlers at Anheuser-Busch proved they could go even lower. In 2025, Michelob Ultra Zero hit stores, bearing a 0.0% alcohol percentage and an almost impossibly low 29 calories per serving, all of which make it a great drink to fuel an "active lifestyle," according to the brewing conglomerate's website.

But just because Michelob could make an even lighter light beer, it doesn't mean that it should have, according to the internet's beer raters. "A kind of rotten corn scent and flavor, but otherwise it is crisp and snappy, without much actual flavor or tang. Almost as if it leaves the impression of being a beer without actually being one," wrote chum_husk on BeerAdvocate. "Overall this is pretty good and very simple. Very much corn forward in flavor and aroma. Virtually no hops or bitterness," added BeerAdvocate user JZH1000.

Corona makes one of the most famous if not one of the best Mexican lagers. Corona Extra is a musky, vaguely spicy beer that's also barely there, so lightweight, toned-down, and relatively low on the alcohol that it's a great session beer, often enjoyed, as its commercials famously suggest, in a relaxing or outdoor setting. It's one of the most easily drinkable beers, never imposing but not overly terrific either. Corona is a low-key brew, and its booze-less counterpart, Corona Non-Alcoholic, is even more so. It's especially mildly pleasant when served cold.

"If you like Corona, you will recognize the original in this, which is more than can be said for a lot of them, but it's also skunky and oxidized and sort of chemical and weird, although when it's freezing cold it's better, light and bubbly, beer adjacent, which is think is about all it needs to be," said StonedTrippin on BeerAdvocate. "It pours a golden color with a modest, soon diminishing, white head. The nose gets cooked grains with light hops. The mouth gets the same — not too far from normal Corona after all," agreed BeerAndGasMasks.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. has been a part of craft beer's past, and it's primed to be part of its future, too. The venerable craft beer maker doesn't treat its non-alcoholic brews as weird or specialty products, but just a part of its main line of beers. Rather than have its naturally occurring alcohol removed after brewing, Sierra Nevada's Trail Pass Hazy IPA is brewed in a particular way to ensure that the ABV never exceeds 0.5%, classifying it as a non-alcoholic beer. With an IBUs level of 40, it's only a mildly bitter concoction, which means the plethora of hops used in the beer — Mosaic and El Dorado — add to the juicy explosion of beer flavor without imparting anything unseemly.

"One of the best NA IPAs out there. Lighter mouth feel, but with a great crisp hoppy flavor," BSEDS raved on BeerAdvocate. "Aromatic and flavorful," agreed dcotom. "Medium bodied, nice bitterness, clean and crisp on the finish." "Mouthfeel is authentic and substantial. Flavors are bright, albeit light citrus hops," explained epoole3.

There are few beers more steeped in history and tradition than Guinness. A darkly colored but light-tasting stout, it's considered the national drink of Ireland — where some drinkers believe Guinness tastes better. The brewery distributes very specific instructions on how to properly pour the beer. History and expectation must have weighed heavily on Guinness before it released its first non-alcoholic version, Guinness 0, in 2020. The 0.0% ABV beverage is made from the exact same recipe — water, hops, barley, and yeast — and brewed the same way as original Guinness, before the alcohol is carefully removed with a cold filtration procedure, which reportedly preserves the famous flavor of the rest of the beverage.

Guinness seems to have largely succeeded at crafting an alcohol-free version of its flagship beer. "Excellent. Tastes as good as regular Guinness," claimed BeerAdvocate user DeanMichaelWilson. "Creamy tan head that lasts forever. Pours black. No way can you tell this is not full ABV Guinness based on looks," said reviewer BillAfromSoCal. "Full flavor with none of that burnt grain / wort flavor of some competing dark NA beers." "Crazy how well they did with this one. Chocolate, caramel. Malty," said another BeerAdvocate user, mothman.

The Athletic Brewing Company is a craft brewery, but it's also the newest superstar in large-scale brewing. Founded in 2017, Athletic doesn't make a single traditional beer, only non-alcoholic brews. The future of craft brewing in America looks to include a sizable advance into the non-alcoholic sector. About half of all NA beers sold are Athletic ones. And the brand that's devoted to making good-tasting, well-bodied beer that just happens to not have any booze in it dominates the critical acclaim for non-alcoholic beers. 

Athletic's Run Wild IPA, Upside Down golden ale, Stump Jump autumn brown, and Tucker's West Coast IPA are all highly rated, but none more so than Free Wave Hazy IPA. With a complicated flavor profile and a cloudy complexion, Free Wave is made with three very different kinds of hops: Mosaic, Citra, and Amarillo. 

"Exceptionally good beer — and that's not even mentioning that it's NA," praised poxgar on BeerAdvocate. "This is one of the few NA beers that I have that doesn't have a weird aftertaste or obvious difference from regular beer. This tastes like a smooth IPA," wrote Rick_Ringworm on the site. "There are no off flavors. The body is excellent. It's hoppy, bitter, and there's a really nice West Coasty character on one end," detailed BeerAdvocate user GlenFarcias.

Deschutes Brewery's Black Butte Porter is a legend among craft brews. Thick and strong, it's got attractive notes of multiple kinds of roasted malt, dark chocolate, and coffee, making for a sipping beer and an influential small-batch brew. It's such a delicate balance of ingredients and the result of such a careful production process that it's nothing short of remarkable that Deschutes managed to make a non-alcoholic version – Black Butte NA – that doesn't stray too far from the source material. Likely the most-awarded non-alcoholic beer, the winner of a gold medal at the 2024 World Beer Cup is as malty and chocolate-rich as the one with the alcohol still in it.

"Just a fantastic NA that tastes like a great beer," wrote user TheYeasticandoo on BeerAdvocate, adding that it "reminds me of a Belgian dark ale, with faint notes of fig and raisins in a beautiful NA porter with no off tastes at all — just tastes real." Other users are also impressed. "Taste is big chocolate, sweet and dark. Medium body, moderate carbonation, slightly sweet. This may be the new NA beer standard bearer," proclaimed tigg924. 

"This resembles the real deal in every way: appearance, aroma, taste, from the first sip to its finish," agreed elNopalero on BeerAdvocate. "I get the roasty coffee cocoa notes, the full bodied flavor, that slightly sweetish porter flavor on the end. It's not just a great NA beer but one I don't mind drinking even when I'm not taking a break." 

Belgian White is the signature product of the Blue Moon Brewing Company, the brew that launched it into the upper echelon of the best-known small-batch beer houses, although technically that favorite craft beer is made by a brewery giant – it's a division of Coors. The brewery isn't going to mess around when it puts that "Belgian White" designation on the side of a can or a bottle, because it indicates a particular flavor that's so familiar that beer fans can taste it in their minds. Fortunately, it would seem that Blue Moon successfully translated its wheat-based, Belgian-style beer into the non-alcoholic realm. Blue Moon Non-Alcoholic Belgian White adheres very close to its 5.4% ABV counterpart, maintaining the slight sweetness and prominent citrus essence — that's why
Blue Moon's beers are often served with an orange slice.

"Upon opening up a can of Blue Moon NA, you're hit smack in the face with a wonderful wallop of orange-y scents," recalled wurmpleNA24 on BeerAdvocate. "The flavor is great, too. It's creamy and the orange isn't overpowering at all." "Very flavorful and delicious. Nice amount of orange and spice flavor but nothing overpowering," said BeerAdvocate user JTritle.

In addition to some of the most popular easy-drinking session beers on the open market, like American Light and Boston Lager, Samuel Adams makes one of the strongest beers in the world, as well as one of the weakest. Samuel Adams' took the principles of craft brewing and scaled them up to make dense, flavor-packed, and extensively nuanced beers that are accessible to the masses. The brewery is fond of infusing its beers with as much hops and fruit juice as it can get away with in its bombastic beers. It makes sense that they'd keep up with that behavior when introducing an alcohol-free beer. Samuel Adams Just the Haze is a robust, hops-forward, and very fruity IPA. 

Not only is it tough to tell that it's alcohol-free, it doesn't seem to matter. "I've learned that there are two main methods of brewing a non alcohol beer," said user pianoguy on BeerAdvocate. "Using a copious amount of wort or a reverse osmosis process. This one uses the latter method and it really shows [...] It tastes just like any of the many hazy juice bomb IPAs that are available these days." 

"Sam Adams nailed it with this one. Better than most alcoholic beers," wrote BeerAdvocate user, RickyBobbysDad. "I'd pick this one in a blind taste test against many other full alcohol IPAS," reviewer amiraultb declared.

In choosing the non-alcoholic beers to rate and analyze, The Takeout selected from the most commonly found and sold beers. The ones covered in this article are all produced or distributed by large, national beer brewers or independent craft beer companies with a significant national retail presence.

Once that list of beers was solidified, The Takeout researched the opinion of each on the Internet's major beer rating sites and social communities: Untappd and BeerAdvocate. Each beer has received an overall rating on a numerical scale, and the results of each site were combined to create a ranking based on that figure. Written reviews of the beers were scrutinized, and they all covered certain criteria with regard to non-alcoholic beers, meaning those beverages with an ABV level of 0.5% or less. The ratings used to compile this piece are based primarily on pleasant taste, wateriness, mouthfeel, and their ability to imitate traditional, full-alcohol beer.