Meeting the makers of the best non-alcoholic beer of 2021

Following on from this week’s Ask Dru which discusses whether or not beer is good for you, we thought you might want to know which are the best non-alcoholic beer options available. And, as it happens, we had exclusive chats with the industry’s best beer brewers during the brand new Low 2 No Bev Show, which took place in June at Truman Brewery, London.
Take a listen as we discuss what makes the best non-alcoholic beer with market leaders Small Beer, Drynks, UNLTD, Jump Ship Brewing, Fungtn, Lucky Saint, and Binary Botanical.

Meet the best non-alcoholic beer makers

Small Beer

Small beer is very much a historic category…it was consumed for nutrition and also for hydration. It’s also a great option of you are moderating your alcohol consumption.

James, founder of Small Beer

We chat to James Grundy, co-founder of Small Beer, who explains why their classic beer styles, all below 2.8% ABV, fits into a flexitarian way of living. If you’re moderating, being more aware of calories, sugar, and what you’re putting into your body, then Small Beer offers a range of lagers and ales brewed using a historic recipe but fit for the modern drinker who doesn’t want to overdo it.

Drynks

The idea is not to overcook the great flavours of the drink, which is why the vacuum distillation works so well – you don’t have to heat the product too much to remove the alcohol.

Richard Clark, founder of Drynks

The secret to the great taste of Drynks’ range of crafted 0% beers and ciders, according to founder Richard, is the Cool Vacuum Distillation, or CVD. CVD helps the makers to remove the alcohol without destroying the delicate and authentic taste of the beer. What makes Drynks’ range some of the best non-alcoholic beer around is that they’re wary of ‘fake’ taste. They take the alcohol out, not the wonderful flavours.

UNLTD

Our lager has 23 calories in a bottle and our IPA has 13 calories per bottle.

Johnny Jonhson, founder of UNLTD

Johnny’s story is one we can all empathise with. Drinking, nursing a hangover while working, drinking again. But, unlike many of us, Johnny took his wish to be healthy to a whole new level. He decided to create one of the best non-alcoholic beer brands on the market. This allows everyone to benefit from good quality, low-calorie ingredients while watching their alcohol consumption for a healthier lifestyle.

Jump Ship Brewing

There’s a huge amount of love and care and attention that goes into each small batch that we brew.

Sonja Mitchell, founder of Jump Ship Brewing

This popular non-alcoholic beer is brewed just like normal beer, but with care and attention paid to the fermentation process to minimise alcohol production. The end result? A naturally isotonic, hydrating drink rich in B Vitamins. More good stuff, less of the booze, carbs and sugars. Listen to our chat with founder Sonja who explains why this is one of the best non-acoholic beer options featured at the Now 2 Low Show 2021.

Fungtn

These mushrooms have really interesting flavour charecteristics. They’re earthy, nutty, bitter, and sweet, which is why thye’ve worked really well in beer.

Zoey Henderson, founder of Fungtn

Didn’t think you could make beer from mushrooms? Then think again! One of Britain’s best non-alcoholic beer companies uses functional mushrooms – used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years due to their superfood qualities – to brew their totally unique, healthy, and flavoursome beer. Zoey discusses the benefits of functional mushrooms on the immune system and cognitive health. It’s a really good mindful option for hangover-free drinks.

Lucky Saint

How hard can it be to brew a good alcohol free beer? And how hard can it be to build a brand that will make people feel positive about doing that?

Luke Boase, fonder of Lucky Saint

Luke’s idea of the best non-alcoholic beer sounded fantastic on paper. Little did he know in the early days of trying to put these plans into action that, one day, Lucky Saint would be the first independent alcohol-free lager to be sold on draught in the UK. Teaming the minimal ingredients with the vacuum distillation process creates a healthy, sugar-free, tasty alcohol-free beer. Click the podcast link to listen to how Lucky Saint brew their desirable drink.

Binary Botanical

I want the ritual of having something adult in a glass with a meal, and that doesn’t have to include alcohol. That’s the role of non-alcoholic drinks, to provide that adult complexity.

Danielle Bekker, founder of Binary Botanical

Searching for something more complex and interesting than the existing market offering, Danielle and her team created Binary Botanical. Combining wine yeast and he usually wasted hop leaves to create a completely unique and sustainable offering, it’s the delicacy and intricacy of this flavour profile that makes it one of the best non-alcoholic beers featured at the Now 1 Low Show this year.

Want to know how you can pair the best non-alcoholic beer with your food? We did a past podcast about it. Want to know what alcohol-free beers other Club Soda members like to drink? Our member Mike wrote a blog about it.
In fact, we have an entire blog section dedicated to Drinks so that you can find the tastiest choice for you.