Non-Alcoholic Beer
Non-alcoholic beer has gone from an afterthought to one of the fastest-growing categories in drinks. Modern NA brewers either brew full beer and gently strip the alcohol out, or use specialized yeasts that never make much in the first place — and the best results are genuinely hard to tell from the full-strength versions.
This guide covers how NA beer is made, what the label actually means, the calorie and carb reality, the styles that translate best, and the brands worth seeking out — plus the verified venues that pour them.
10 brands
How non-alcoholic beer is made
There are three main ways to keep alcohol out of a beer, and many brewers combine them. The first is to remove the alcohol from finished beer — either by vacuum (low-temperature) distillation, which lets the alcohol boil off gently enough to spare the delicate hop aromas, or by reverse osmosis, which filters the beer through a fine membrane and then adds water back. The second is arrested or limited fermentation, where the brewer halts fermentation early so little alcohol ever forms; these can taste a touch sweeter and keep more residual sugar. The third uses special "maltose-negative" yeasts (such as Saccharomycodes ludwigii) that simply can't ferment most of beer's sugars, so they produce very little alcohol on their own.
Modern brewers also add hop aroma after fermentation, so it doesn't get scrubbed out — a big reason today's NA IPAs smell so convincing.
0.0% vs 0.5%: what "non-alcoholic" really means
In the U.S., labeling rules (27 CFR Part 7) let a beer be called "non-alcoholic" as long as it contains less than 0.5% ABV — so "non-alcoholic" means a trace amount, not necessarily zero. "Alcohol-free" is reserved for beer with essentially no alcohol (0.0%). That 0.5% is genuinely tiny — comparable to the alcohol that occurs naturally in ripe fruit, fresh bread, or a glass of orange juice — and far too little to intoxicate the vast majority of people.
The honest caveat: non-alcoholic is not the same as alcohol-free. If you're avoiding alcohol completely — during pregnancy, or in recovery from alcohol use disorder, where even a trace or the ritual itself can be a trigger — look for a product verified at 0.0%, and check with your doctor when it matters. (Independent testing has occasionally found small traces even in some 0.0%-labeled beers, so "verified" is the operative word.)
Is non-alcoholic beer good now?
Yes — and it isn't close. A decade ago most NA beer was made by boiling the alcohol off with heat, which stripped out the hop and malt aromas and left a thin, "worty," cardboard-y drink. The category turned a corner in the late 2010s, when dedicated NA breweries — and then big craft names — adopted gentler, low-temperature dealcoholization and modern yeast science.
Hop-forward styles benefit the most. So much of an IPA or pale ale is aroma — citrus, pine, tropical fruit — and that survives the loss of alcohol, especially when brewers dry-hop or add hop character after fermentation. That's why NA IPAs and pale ales are usually the most convincing place to start.
Calories and carbs: what to know
Non-alcoholic beer is usually lower in calories than full-strength beer, because alcohol is calorie-dense and there's far less of it — many land somewhere around 50 to 110 calories per 12 oz versus roughly 130 to 180 for the regular version, though it varies widely by brand.
The surprise is carbs. NA beer is not automatically low-carb or low-sugar: removing the alcohol — and sometimes adding a little sugar back for body — can leave an NA beer with as much sugar as, or more than, its full-strength counterpart. Arrested-fermentation beers tend to keep more residual sugar than dealcoholized ones. If you're watching sugar or carbs, read the label rather than assuming "non-alcoholic" means "light."
How to choose one
Start with style. If you like bold and hoppy, an NA IPA or pale ale is the safest bet and the most convincing. For something crisp and easy, reach for an NA lager, pilsner, or wheat beer; for cozy and roasty, an NA stout or porter (a harder style to pull off, but the good ones are excellent). Sours and goses translate well because their tartness doesn't depend on alcohol. And if you want hop flavor with zero calories and no malt at all, hop water is a refreshing — if technically non-beer — option.
Many bars and bottle shops now pour NA beer on tap or stock it by the can. Each brand page below has a live "find near you" search, and our city guides list venues with verified NA programs.
Non-Alcoholic Beer brands to know
Athletic Brewing
Less than 0.5% ABV
Connecticut-based pioneer of craft non-alcoholic beer. Their Run Wild IPA and Upside Dawn Golden are the gateway pours that made NA beer mainstream.
Athletic Brewing details & where to find it →Heineken 0.0
0.0% (maximum 0.03% ABV)
The global lager benchmark for non-alcoholic beer: crisp, refreshing, and the most likely tap-handle you’ll spot at a bar that’s just dipping into NA.
Heineken 0.0 details & where to find it →Guinness 0.0
0.0% (official "0%" ABV; trace up to ~0.05%)
A near-perfect rendition of the iconic stout, brewed in Dublin with the same ingredients and then gently dealcoholized. Roasted, creamy, and unmistakably Guinness.
Guinness 0.0 details & where to find it →Best Day Brewing
0.5% ABV or less (under 0.5%)
California-craft NA beer with West Coast hop character. Their Kolsch and Hazy IPA show up on bottle lists at serious beer bars.
Best Day Brewing details & where to find it →Partake Brewing
0.5% ABV or less
Toronto-based ultra-low-calorie NA beer pioneer. Their IPA and Pale Ale are favorites for drinkers watching calories alongside ABV.
Partake Brewing details & where to find it →Bravus Brewing
0.5% ABV or less
One of America’s first all-NA breweries, with a deep range from Oatmeal Stout to West Coast IPA. A reliable choice for beer-forward menus.
Bravus Brewing details & where to find it →Brooklyn Special Effects
0.4% (under 0.5% ABV)
Hoppy NA lager from Brooklyn Brewery. Bridges craft cred with sessionable drinkability and shows up across NYC and beyond.
Brooklyn Special Effects details & where to find it →Lagunitas Hoppy Refresher
0.0%
Technically a sparkling hop-water: zero calories, zero alcohol, all the citrusy hop aroma. A go-to alternative for IPA drinkers.
Lagunitas Hoppy Refresher details & where to find it →Grüvi
Beers less than 0.5% ABV; wines 0.0% alcohol
Denver-based, family-owned and female-co-founded non-alcoholic brand spanning craft NA beer plus sparkling and still wines. Their World Beer Cup-winning Golden Era lager anchors a lineup built to make NA feel fun.
Grüvi details & where to find it →Go Brewing
0.5% ABV or less
Independent, fast-growing Naperville, Illinois craft non-alcoholic beer brand with a loud, irreverent lineup of award-winning brews like Sunshine State Tropical IPA, Salty AF Chelada and Disarm Hazy IPA.
Go Brewing details & where to find it →Non-alcoholic beer styles, explained
What each style tastes like — and which translate most convincingly without the alcohol. As a rule, the more a style leans on hop or fruit aroma, the better it survives going alcohol-free.
Hoppy
NA IPA
Bold and hop-forward — citrus, pine, and tropical fruit with assertive bitterness. The most convincing NA style, because hop aroma carries the experience even without the alcohol.
NA Pale Ale
Lighter and more balanced than an IPA, with citrusy, piney hops over a gentle malt backbone. Easy-drinking and very forgiving in alcohol-free form.
Crisp & light
NA Lager
Clean, crisp, and lightly malty with a gentle bitterness — the everyday refresher. Simple and effective, though a thin body has nowhere to hide.
NA Pilsner
A pale lager with a brighter hop snap and a crisp, dry finish. Reads convincingly when well made; its delicate balance means quality varies.
NA Wheat beer / Hefeweizen
Soft, hazy, and lightly fizzy, with banana-and-clove yeast notes and a citrus lift. The signature esters and creamy body help mask the missing alcohol.
Dark & malty
NA Stout & Porter
Dark and roasty — coffee, chocolate, and toasted malt; stouts fuller and creamier, porters a touch lighter. A harder style to nail (alcohol usually adds body), but the best are rich and satisfying.
Tart & adjacent
NA Sour / Gose
Tart, tangy, and refreshing, often fruited; a gose adds a hint of salt and coriander. Translates well, since the acidity and fruit do the heavy lifting.
Hop water
Not technically beer — a usually zero-calorie, hop-infused sparkling water with all the citrus-and-pine hop aroma and none of the malt, sugar, or alcohol. A crisp option for a hop fix without the calories.
Where to find non-alcoholic beers
Verified venues in our directory that serve non-alcoholic beers.
1833 Craft
Sugar House
Salt Lake City's dedicated non-alcoholic speakeasy, opened in December 2024 inside a restored century-old Sugar House home known as The Eclipse House and run by sibling team Matthew and Kelly LaPlante. The entire menu is zero-proof — "0% Alcohol, 100% Heart" — built by co-owner and lead bartender Matthew, a former Salt Lake Tribune reporter who quit drinking but never left bar culture, with his sister Kelly, a designer, styling the room as a forest-green, 1920s-inspired lounge. The duo have developed 50-plus craft NA cocktails on premium spirits like Lyre's, Dhōs, Trejo's and Kentucky 74, finished with herbs from their own basement hydroponic garden. The name nods to 1833, the year of the Latter-day Saint "Word of Wisdom," and because nothing on the menu contains alcohol, no ID is required — a genuine cocktail experience for people in recovery, designated drivers, never-drinkers, and the sober-curious.
Bar None
West Loop
Bar None is a fully alcohol-free cocktail bar in Chicago's West Loop, operating Friday through Sunday evenings inside Froth, the cocktail-inspired coffee cafe in the lobby of The Duncan at 1515 W Monroe St. Launched in late February 2026 by Heritage Hospitality Group and founder Michael Salvatore, it is billed as Chicago's first THC-integrated sober bar: every drink is zero-proof, and guests can optionally add a fast-acting, flavorless 2.5mg hemp-derived THC microdose ("Find Your Zen") to any cocktail. Beverage director Luke Nevin-Gattle runs the program with the seriousness of a full bar, building hand-crafted mocktails alongside packaged favorites. Named pours include a St. Agrestis Phony Negroni and the house "Good Vibrations," plus an alcohol-free espresso martini, a spicy margarita, and a gold rush. The list also carries Leitz non-alcoholic wines, Guinness 0, and rotating Wynk THC seltzers. Chicago Magazine named it among the city's hottest new openings.
Beyond the Bar Bottle Shop
Core District, Downtown Richardson
DFW's first and only alcohol-free bottle shop and dry bar, Beyond the Bar offers Richardson's largest curated selection of zero-proof spirits, wines, beers, and adaptogenic beverages, alongside a tasting lounge packed with regular events.
Cheeky & Dry
Phinney Ridge
Cheeky & Dry is Seattle's first and only fully alcohol-free bottle shop, a family-owned Phinney Ridge store stocking hundreds of zero-proof spirits, wines, beers, aperitifs, RTDs and mixers, with an in-store tasting counter.
Dear Dry Drinkery
Mobile / events (Austin-based)
Founded in August 2023 by Joe Patterson and Grace Vroom, a husband-and-wife duo who have been alcohol-free since 2016, Dear Dry Drinkery was Austin's first dedicated non-alcoholic bottle shop. Originally launched as a mobile pop-up parked across from Bufalina on East Cesar Chavez, it grew into a brick-and-mortar location at 2226 E Cesar Chavez Street in mid-2023 and celebrated its one-year anniversary in August 2024. As of September 2025, Dear Dry Drinkery closed its physical storefront and now operates as a mobile and events-focused business, running mocktail mixology classes, in-store tastings at partner venues, and online sales. The curation reflects the founders' personal taste from their seven-plus years of sober living, with a strong emphasis on Austin-based non-alcoholic brands.
Dry Sips Bottle Shop
East Dallas (White Rock Lake)
Dry Sips Bottle Shop is East Dallas's first dedicated alcohol-free bottle shop, opened in June 2024 by Dale and Stacie Czech, the couple behind Lakewood Growler. The shop sits in a Garland Road shopping center near the Dallas Arboretum and White Rock Lake; repeated requests for non-alcoholic beer at Lakewood Growler prompted the Czechs to convert their CBD space into an AF concept "for the sober, sober-ish, and sober curious." The store curates non-alcoholic beer, wine, and spirits, with confirmed beer brands including Athletic Brewing, Community Beer's Nada line, and Sierra Nevada's non-alcoholic golden and IPA, plus a large selection of THC-infused seltzers and CBD products. The entire store is zero-proof — no alcohol on premises.
Good News Bar
Hillcrest
Good News Bar is San Diego's first dedicated 100% alcohol-free bar, opened in July 2025 in Hillcrest by married former bartenders Crystal and Kaylee Clark, who left drinking behind in recovery and built a daytime-to-evening venue with an integrated non-alcoholic bottle shop. By day it serves coffee, tea, functional cocktails, and pastries; by night it pours "functional" cocktails built around adaptogens, nootropics, nervines, kava, and hemp-derived CBD (mostly 0.0% ABV) alongside "free-spirited" cocktails (under 0.5% ABV) that reimagine classics with non-alcoholic spirits, plus dealcoholized wines and NA beers. Signature zero-proof drinks include The Merry Go Round, The Woods, Deborah Downer, and Goosebumpz. It's an inclusive, sober and sober-curious space with trivia, live music, and DJ nights.
Hekate (Cafe & Elixir Lounge)
East Village
Hekate is a fully alcohol-free cafe, sober bar, and bottle shop in Manhattan's East Village on Avenue B, serving zero-proof cocktails, 0% ABV beers and wines, herbal elixirs, kava drinks, and coffee. Note: in May 2026 owner Abby Ehmann announced Hekate is winding down amid financial pressure — the lease runs through September 2026 with a final date still to be set, and its sober events are moving to a new East Village venue, B Scene at 50 Avenue B — so call ahead before visiting.
Killjoy
East Nashville
Killjoy is Nashville's first booze-free beverage shop, founded by Stephanie Styll, who stopped drinking at the end of 2020. It launched in 2023 as a hidden 200-square-foot space in Wedgewood-Houston before relocating in November 2024 to a storefront in The Shoppes on Fatherland in East Nashville. The shelves are entirely alcohol-free: NA beer, still and sparkling wine, zero-proof spirits, ready-to-drink cocktails, plus kava, adaptogens, and THC/CBD drinks, with a knowledgeable team to guide customers through the selection. Confirmed brands on its own store include Athletic Brewing, Best Day Brewing, Go Brewing, Untitled Art, Dromme, and Prima Pavé. Killjoy was named among the country's top nonalcoholic bottle shops by Wine Enthusiast, and Styll won a NEXT Award from the Nashville Entrepreneur Center in 2024. It runs frequent Dry January tastings and sober-social events.
Frequently asked
Not always. In the U.S., a beer labeled "non-alcoholic" can legally contain up to 0.5% ABV — a trace amount, comparable to the alcohol naturally in ripe fruit or orange juice. Beer labeled "alcohol-free" or "0.0%" has essentially none. Each brand page notes the ABV where the producer publishes it.