author-image
DRINK

The best no or low-alcohol beers, according to our expert

Doing Dry January? You’re in luck. The latest zero-alcohol beers are easily the best, tastiest and most authentic yet

The Times

Listen to article

Narrated by Jane MacQuitty

Beer drinkers hoping to embrace Dry January are in luck — the latest round of zero-alcohol beers is easily the best, tastiest and most authentic yet. Unlike dealcoholised wines and so-called non-alcoholic spirits, zero beers replicate much of the flavour and aroma of the real thing. It’s all down to two relatively simple production methods that are far less complicated than those used to create alcohol-free wine. Brewers can take their pick from cold filtration or heat pasteurisation to remove the yeasts and bacteria that produce alcohol. Small brewers have been experimenting with lazy yeasts that don’t fully ferment the brew, and dry-hopping to create no and low-alcohol beers with extra oomph and flavour.

What surprises me is how fast the trend for “no-alcohol” drinking