Non-Alcoholic (ABV < 0.5%) Beers (2023)

Here's a link to last year's NA Beers thread. https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/na-abv-0-5-beers-2022.664128/. It has comments on most of the beers in your list.

I've had many from the list, and I particularly liked the Wellbeing IPA and the Dry Hopped version of the Clausthaler NA. I have not had the regular Clausthaler in many years, but it was my personal pick in the early years of NA beers.

At least one brewery to avoid in your list is the Partake brand. The few Partake beers that I tried were somewhere around 8 months old, which is probably a factor, but I don't think there are any favorable comments about that brand in the 2022 thread.

 

I have had several of the ones on your list.....(see my post above)...
The Weihenstephaner is pretty decent, as are the 2 Brooklyn brewing ones I have had
I like the Clausthaler DH version better than the original - but both are pretty good
Most of the others you mentioned (early part of your list) - I have not tried
FYI!

 

Does anyone know if the NA Black Butte Porter was just a one-off? It’s one of those things where I want to bring it in because I know it would sell, but I also want it for me because I’m sober now and I miss that beer Anyway, I’ve been talking to my distributor rep and keep hearing they haven’t seen any for months and haven’t heard about getting more in. Could just be an AZ thing, but wanted to ask on the off chance that anyone here would know.

 

I'm a fan of Sober Carpenter IPA, more of a West Coast style. Only problem is I can only find it at one place, and that's a meat house/butcher shop that I don't frequent often.

 

That would be 74.5 calories for the can though right? Which is 14.9 oz.

Checked their site, it says 57 calories per 12 oz. (But it’s always 14.9 oz servings unless you only drank 12 oz of it). See below.

Serving Size
12 fl oz
Calories
57
Carbs
12.4g
Fat
0.0g

 

Why not call or email Deschutes directly and ask them?

 

Slight difference from what their site says vs what is on the can - see below - but yes, it is a 14.9 oz can, so the calories and carbs are slightly higher than what is printed / per can - kind of a weird way to list their nutritional info, if you ask me! Don't think anyone is going to pour out 12 oz of a nitro can and drink the rest later..

 

I mentioned this at the end of the 2022 thread, for whomever may be interested, Athletic has a dry January sale, it's a half off membership (which you can cancel after receiving your beers). It includes free shipping. I, by way of example, grabbed 4 core beers and 2 limited releases for 35 bucks ( so (6) six packs and it included a glass). Just mentioning in case folks weren't aware. Cheers!

 

Ah, that's where I was getting the 74 calories from. Yep, it definitely is weird.

 

Probably should’ve just done that, I guess I was just bored

 

Anyone else try this one?

I ordered it online, and it is a pretty nice pils.....wish I had ordered more than 2!

 

The BA page for Al's Drinks Company https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/62311/ says the beers are brewed by another brewery. Any hint on the can who that is?

 

Keep thinking about buying a bunch of these NA beers. I keep asking myself “are these really beers or expensive juice” when you are drinking one of these are you getting the feel of a beer? W/O the alcohol can the body be good or are these watery? I see reviews all over the spectrum so I really don’t know. I will need to just buy some( have seen no singles) and see how it goes, just looking for more thought on these products. Really Looking to use this as a late night replacement or to drink the night before I have to work really early. Think if I put in a long day and crack one of these at 11pm it would be satisfying?

Enjoy

 

The can says, "brewed in the USA Al's Drinks Co LLC Waunakee WI" - I assume that is where the owner lives.....

Barrel Brothers in Windsor CA is the only contract brewer / canner I see in that area, and they list NA beers as something they do....so, I would feel comfortable saying these guys are packaging for Al's / the owner of Al's - Alban de Pury, is from Switzerland!
Bit pricy at $14.99 / 6, but very good beer!

 

You've right that comments vary widely for the various beers, and I have a feeling that it's probably related to the freshness of the beers, and even more so than with regular beers. Like with regular beers, the freshness is especially important with the hoppy NA beers, but I think it's also important with any NA beer.

The best one that I've had is Untitled Art's Italian Pilsner. It's pricey for a 6-pack of 12 oz cans at $16-17 but it's a personal decision on price and desire for a beer.

The Guinness 0 is the one that tastes closest to a regular beer in its style, but Guinness has a unique stout character and you have to like regular Guinness to appreciate the zero version.

I recently discovered the Clausthaler Dry Hopped NA beer, which I think is a relatively new beer, and it seems to be gathering a following.

The Sam Adams Just the Haze is popular, but its hop character isn't as clear as a real hazy beer, and it has some sweetness that also makes it 'different.'

If I attempt to relate NA beers to regular beers, the best ones that I've mentioned above would only rate a 3.0 on the 1-5 BA rating scale if I compared them in the same style category as regular beers that I might rate as a 4.25. So there's my 'enjoyability' comparison, which is different from 'rating to style' because I rate these beers in comparison to other NA offerings.

The last point that I'll address is your comment about drinking NA beers on nights when the lack of side effects are important to your schedule for the next day. I just kind of 'tolerate' the NA beers and I'm not sure I could drink more than a couple of them in one sitting. After two of them I think my brain would tell me that any of these best NA beers are disgusting, and ask why I'm doing this to myself. Diet soft drinks would be more enjoyable.

 

Thanks for the reply.

I feel I would also wonder why after having one of these. I need to find a few singles before I dive in. Thinking some SN hop water might be an easier choice.

Enjoy

 

I think one NA beer in a sitting is the optimum. Probably that's because you don't have to hunt the buzz (there is not going to be any). My NA-rating average is 4.06, so excellent!

 

Thanks for posting about this. I've been thinking for a while of grabbing some NA beers to supplement my regular drinking, for those times when I really want another but shouldn't. This helps bring the price down a lot and means I don't have roll the dice on freshness with whatever is at my local. Looks like there isn't a lot a variety for the subscription, so I'm hoping All Out is good!

 

Thought I would list the calories and carbs of the 11 NA brews I have sampled thus far this year....I have tried others (like Athletic and a few domestic ones a few years back), but these are current;

BrewDog Hazy AF - 20 calories - 2.3 carbs
Guinness 0 - 75 calories - 16.8 carbs
Clausthaler reg - 92 calories - 20 carbs
Clausthaler DH - 83 calories - 18.6 carbs
Heineken 0 - 69 calories - 16 carbs
Weihenstephaner - 50 calories - 8.9 carbs
Sam Adams Just the Haze - 98 cal - 22 carbs
Flying Dog Deep Fake - 39 calories - 16 carbs
Einbecker AF - 40 calories - 8 carbs
Bitburger Drive AF - 72.6 cal - 16.8 carbs
Al's Classic pils - 68 calories - 15 carbs

thought this may be useful for those watching their caloric / carb intake - most of these are much lower in calories than your average craft beer; carbs - kind of all over the board....FYI!