7 Best Non-Alcoholic Beer Alternatives in the World

This article is a part of The Daily Pour’s Sober October Week, a full week of content dedicated to the phenomenon that is Sober October — a month during which many lay off booze altogether or perhaps take it easy. This week focuses on all things non-alcoholic, from beer to wine to spirits to functional beverages and beyond. Click here to check out the rest of our Sober October content.

The Daily Pour recently announced the results of the inaugural Zero Proof Choice Awards, in which a panel of expert judges blind-tasted their way through hundreds of non-alcoholic and functional beverages and awarded medals to the best of the best. In this roundup, we’re going to share the seven best non-alcoholic beers entered in the competition — the entries that earned a Silver, Gold or Double Gold Medal.

Beer is generally considered the best non-alc category, in large part because alcoholic beer has a relatively low alcohol content compared with spirits or even wine, making it easier for non-alc iterations to mimic the flavor profile of a traditional beer.

Double Gold Medal Winner

Mash Gang Lesser Evil: The only NA beer to win a Double Gold (meaning all judges voted it gold) is Lesser Evil, from the United Kingdom-based Mash Gang. Brewed with water, barley, hops and yeast, this non-alc stout’s greatness is backed up by its reviews outside of the awards. It’s earned a highly impressive Critics’ Score of 94, with critics lauding its beautiful blend of chocolate and cherry notes.

Gold Medal Winner

Athletic Brewing Co. Lemon Radler: This non-alcoholic beer from the leader in the category, Athletic, is brewed with water, barley, hops, lemon juice concentrate and natural flavors. This lemony light-wheat brew is a perfect zero-proof option to sip outside during the warmer months.

Silver Medal Winners

Athletic Brewing Co. Run Wild IPA: Perfect for lovers of hops, this IPA from Athletic is brewed with water, malted barley, oats, hops, wheat and yeast. It makes use of organic malts from the U.S. and Germany and a blend of Northwest hops including Citra and Mosaic.

Athletic Brewing Co. Atlética Mexican Style Copper: A true-to-form Mexican-style copper beer, Athletic Brewing Co. Atlética is brewed with water, Munich malts, wheat, hops and yeast.

Bero Double Tasty West Coast Style IPA: This West Coast-style IPA comes from Bero, the brand founded by “Spider-Man” star Tom Holland. This IPA is crafted using a blend of Mosaic, El Dorado and Cascade hops, along with premium ReGen malts from Proximity Malt in Colorado, which are raised using regenerative agriculture techniques.

HOP WTR Ruby Red Grapefruit: This non-alcoholic sparkling hop water is made with carbonated water, natural grapefruit flavors and hop extracts. Hop water is sort of its own category; it’s beer-adjacent but not exactly trying to be beer. Regardless, this grapefruit flavor from the California-based HOP WTR is a good one.

Kit NA Brewing Blonde: The non-alc brewery Kit is based on Portland, Maine. This excellent blonde is brewed with water, barley malt, hops, yeast and “natural flavors.”