Health by stealth: the rise of drinkable no- and low-alcohol beer

As the last of the liqueur bottles are consigned to the recycling and the festive hangovers subside, even those of us who scorn the very concept of Dry January (no booze at all? In the gloomiest month of the year? Are they mad?) tend to take our feet off the alcohol pedal and give our livers something of a rest.

Water, of course, is the easiest, cheapest and probably most effective way to detox; it’s also the most boring. We can zap our inner organs with herbal infusions, turmeric/kale/spirulina shots and smoothies, or with the fermented goodness of kombuchas and kefirs, but sometimes the mindful drinking halo of virtue can become too heavy to bear and we want something that feels like a “real” drink. You know, the one at the end of the day when you deserve something cheering, or when you meet your mates in some scuzzy pub or swanky wine bar, and you want a drink for relaxation and pleasure, but still steer clear of the hooch.

Booze-free beer is your friend here, and the choice has never been greater. Fortunately, we have come a long way since the days of Barbican, the UK’s first non-alcoholic beer launched by Bass in 1979, and a sad, bitter apology for a lager. Most nolo beer (meaning it has at most a 0.5% ABV) is brewed to normal strength, and the ethanol is then removed, either by vacuum distillation or reverse osmosis. This dealcoholisation can be brutal, though, because it also strips out alcohol-soluble flavour and aroma compounds, as well as ethanol’s mouth-filling texture.

But now, with the popularity of nolo drinks skyrocketing, investment in R&D has led to leaps in both technology and quality. Even so, these new methods are very expensive, which is why most nolo beers have until recently remained in the hands of the big producers. What’s exciting many brewers now, though, especially small-scale craft operations, is the introduction of cheap, hybridised yeast strains that ferment just a small percentage of the sugars in the mash, so leaving a very low ABV. These, coupled with new biotech products that add aromas, flavours and mouthfeel, make the new generation of nolo beers much more, well, beery.

Some new producers such as Impossibrew go a step further, adding so-called “functional” nootropic ingredients designed to recreate the feelings of relaxation and “beer buzz” that we get after a pint or two. Who cares if their efficacy is merely auto-suggestive? The beers taste good and are at the very least a stimulating topic of pub chat. Having said that, be aware that nolo beers are susceptible to bacterial contamination, so it’s best to stick to cans or bottles, rather than on draught in a grubby bar. Bottoms up, Britain, boozy or not. Happy 2026.

Four beers to get 2026 off on a nolo note

Yop Rock £3.50 (440ml) Bluntrock Brewery, 0.5%. Zippy, lemony-fresh lager with a whiff of salty sea spray. Delicious.

Cask Reserve Amber £34 (10 x 440ml cans) Impossibrew, 0.5%. Rich and malty with a well-balanced bitterness; wintry and very moreish.

Big Drop Brewing Co Pine Trail Pale Ale £1.80 (330ml) Ocado, 0.5%. Fruity, hoppy, slightly floral pale ale from an award-winning nolo brewery.

Guinness Draught 0.0% About £5.50 (4 x 440ml cans), widely available. Not quite as satisfying as the original, but pretty close. A reliable cornershop option.