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Join the New Craze with Our 5 Best Non-alcoholic Beers
There was a time when non-alcoholic beers in Australia were hard to find, and those on the shelves were often bland and tasted more like a soft drink. Well that’s all in the past.
Just like how the craft beer movement swept through Australia over a decade ago, recently non-alcoholic beer is breaking out in popularity, and with our continued focus on offering the best range of beer in Australia, we’re giving them the spotlight they deserve.
While we now stock more of a range of full strength beer than ever before, big breweries and their smaller independent counterparts have well and truly listened to what the people are grappling for. Beers that are big on flavour, with fragrant hops, wheats and rye, and non-fermentable sugars, that are combined with modern brewing techniques to create a great tasting brew…just without the alcohol.
So if you’re doing Dry July, or perhaps it’s your turn to be designated driver, or maybe just wanting to cut back on what you’re drinking day-to-day and want a beer that is also low in carbs (which many non-alcoholic beers are), then this new wave of quality no alcohol beer is the way to go. But the question must be asked, with an explosion of new choices now available, where do you start?
Don’t worry, we’ve scoured our range of non-alcoholic beers, and done the hard yards in choosing our top five best non-alcoholic beers in Australia you should try.
1. Brew Dog Nanny State No-Alcoholic Pale Ale
From the iconic Scottish brewery that brought us some of the world’s strongest beers (‘Tactical Nuclear Penguin’ & ‘The End of History’ to name a few), comes the Nanny State, a zero alcohol beer that packs an equally flavourful punch. Loaded with tonnes of Centennial, Amarillo, Columbus, Cascade, and Simcoe hops, this IPA is dry-hopped to the limit and back, making it one of the tastiest no alcohol beers on the market. The only thing it lacks is the hangover the next day.
2. Mornington Free Non-Alc Pale Ale
Independent and 100% Australian owned, the Mornington Brewery have used their own special recipe, creating an easy-drinking pale ale that is fermented to less than 0.5% ABV (beers under 0.5% are legally termed as “non-alcohol”). Discovering bold flavours of passionfruit and citrus that linger on the palate, it is refreshing and sessionable and at just 90 calories per can, makes a great option for those wanting to eat a little more of what is grilling on the nearby BBQ.
3. Heineken No Alcohol Lager
It’s the green bottle known throughout the world, but with a blue label many might not recognise. This lager is brewed using traditional Heineken methods, possessing the smooth maltiness and fruity aromas of the iconic original beer, but with none of the alcohol. It’s one of the best selling non-alcoholic options on our shelves for a good reason, aside from its classic Heineken taste, it’s an excellent low calorie option with only 69 calories per 330mL bottle.
4. Great Northern Lager Zero Alcohol
With a fruity aroma and deep golden hues to the eye, many will be shocked to find that this beer has no alcohol. Finishing tidy and clear, it has a delicately bittersweet flavour that is balanced and ideal for those hot days under the sun. Great Northern Zero is a rather popular choice when it comes to alcohol free beers, especially for those that are usually non beer drinkers.
5. Bridge Road Alcohol Free Pale Ale
Brewer Ben Kraus, and his team in Beechworth, regional Victoria, have been developing and perfecting ‘Free Time’ for the past two years, and now that it is available, it certainly lives up to the quality you’d expect from this award-winning brewery. Now firmly part of the brewery’s core range, this pale ale has a vibrant, juicy hop aroma, with low bitterness and a clean finish. An easy answer to the question, “are there non-alcoholic craft beers?”.
FAQs
Q. Do non-alcoholic beers still have some alcohol in them?
Some alcohol naturally forms as part of the brewing process, but these are only very small traces.
Q. Is alcohol-free beer high in sugar?
Many non-alcoholic beers are high in sugar, as it is added to improve flavour when the alcohol is removed.
Q. How do you make alcohol-free beer?
Beer is made in the traditional way, but after fermentation, the beer is diluted further with water which reduces the ABV percentage. This method is called ‘dilution’ and is one of the most popular and easiest ways to make alcohol free beer.
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