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    outside the labs

    Best Nonalcoholic Beers

    We tasted many so that we could tell you which ones are worth it—and which one is a watery disappointment

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    Various non-alcoholic beers Photo: Consumer Reports

    For those who enjoy beer but want to cut down on drinking, a nonalcoholic version can be a nice substitute. It also might be better for your body. The latest studies have shown that alcohol can have a negative impact on your health.  

    A review published in the journal JAMA Open Network in 2023 looked at the health and drinking habits of more than 4.8 million people and concluded that drinking small amounts of alcohol doesn’t lengthen your life. In fact, for female drinkers who drank a little less than two drinks per day and male drinkers who had around three drinks per day, there was an increased risk of mortality.

    While there’s still a limited amount of studies about the effects of nonalcoholic beer consumption, the available data shows that it may be better than beer for improving cardiovascular health, according to a 2022 review published in the journal Nutrients.

    MORE ON ALCOHOL AND HEALTH

    If you’re trying out nonalcoholic beers for the first time, it might be difficult to discern which drinks are good and which ones will make you think, “thank you, but never again.” To find out what are some of the best nonalcoholic beers out there, I conducted blind tastings with several CR staffers. We judged beverages on their flavors and textures and how closely they tasted like alcohol. We also compared certain nonalcoholic drinks with alcoholic drinks from the same brand to see which they preferred.

    Our selection included nonalcoholic beers from bigger brands as well as craft beers. Some are labeled nonalcoholic while others are alcohol-free. By the definition of the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, “nonalcoholic” beverages contain less than 0.5 percent alcohol by volume, whereas “alcohol-free” beverages have 0 percent alcohol by volume.

    I asked my co-workers not to hold back on their assessment of the beverages. Boy, they did not. Though everyone’s preferences for beer might be subjective, some drinks emerged as crowd favorites, while others earned descriptors such as “awful” and “tastes like spoiled seltzer.” So brace yourselves—here are our recommendations.

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    We investigate, research, and test so you can choose with confidence.


    Pang-Chieh Ho

    Pang-Chieh Ho is a senior content creator at Consumer Reports who writes about the intersections of home products and health. She has been working in the media industry for almost 10 years. Books are her first love, but movies come a close second. You can send tips to her at pangchieh.ho@consumer.org.