Moersleutel - Motor Oil Imperial Stout

Hailing from the Netherlands, this 0.5% ABV brew arrives in a 440ml can and is suitable for vegans. The ingredients are listed as being malted barley, flaked oats, flaked barley, flaked wheat, roast barley, natural flavourings and hops. (It also declares the beer to contain gluten and possibly with traces of nuts - including peanuts). As one might expect of motor oil, the frothy pale brown head soon dissipates, leaving behind a glass of near black stout. There is a strong aroma - mostly of vanilla but with some woodiness in there as well. And the taste.... The taste is massive. Dark chocolate, vanilla, tonka, liquorice, coffee and treacle practically explode on the palate. The mouthfeel is rich and creamy, whilst the finish is soft and mellow. Moersleutel describe themselves as beer engineers and on this evidence I'd appreciate them designing more AF beers. And soon! 

5 / 5

Lakedown - Sound Alcohol Free Juicy Pale Ale

This is a 0.5% ABV pale ale "brewed with Sussex spring water", as it says on the 440ml can. It is both vegan and GF. The East Sussex brewery also produce an AF pilsner. The beer went flat very quickly upon pouring into a glass. Lemon is the fragrance that I noticed as I came to take a drink. The taste is both citrussy and floral. The light bitterness is very restrained and the mouthfeel is rather on the thin side. The hoppy finish is likewise rather lacking. The beer has won a silver at the 2025 world alcohol-free awards but for me it does not make that much sound. I would expect more volume from a "juicy pale."

2 / 5

Loch Lomond - Alcohol Free Southern Summit APA

Not to be confused with the brewery's 4% ABV version, this Scottish beer arrives in a 440ml can and the ABV is just 0.5%. There is a light floral character to the aroma. The Citra and Summit hops combine to give a citrussy flavour, with also a touch of herb and tropical fruit; all held in place by the malted barley and wheat. Low carbonation means that the beer has a light mouthfeel, whilst the finish is both clean and slightly sweet. Southern Summit is certainly an ascent worth making in order to quench a thirst. 

3 / 5

Jiddler's Tipple - All Day Pale Ale

Jiddler's Tipple is a London-based brewery that produces a range of GF alcoholic beers, this being their only (currently) alcohol free (0.5% ABV) offering. The ingredients are given on the 330ml can as being oats, wheat, glycerin and Munich malt together with Citra, Mosaic and Amarillo hops. The beer is vegan and it pours a very pale colour from the can, whilst the modest white head is soon lost. There is a fresh and sharp character to the aroma. Tastewise, given the hops, it is unsurprisingly very citrussy, though it is a touch rounded out with a resinous base. The mouthfeel is light and is bordering on the slight. There is a clean finish to what is a very pleasant pale ale, albeit with a rather simple flavour profile.

3 / 5

Below Brew Co - Elephant in the Room Pale

It is described on the 440 ml can as an experimental pale ale and one can maybe see why given that this vegan beer is made using coconut, peach and marijuana terpenes. There are also oats, barley and wheat - as well as Sabro and Krush hops - in the mix to ensure that it is actually a beer in your glass. The head soon disappears upon pouring and there is a slightly sweet but rather mossy aroma. The taste is definitely out of the ordinary. The dominant flavour is of coconut. There are also notes of sweet fruits, peach obviously but also some tangerine and berry. The flavours are well combined and the mouthfeel is very soft. The finish is very much of sweet coconut. Definitely experimental that on balance manages to remain more beer than pina colada. 

3 / 5

Verdant Brewing - Psych! IPA

This is the Cornish brewer's first foray into the world of alcohol free beers and it's a 0.5% ABV vegan IPA delivered in a 440 ml can. The beer is produced utilising a "clever yeast", rather than by dealcoholisation. The ingredients include various malts and a good selection of hops (Chinook, Mosaic, Simcoe, El Dorado and Citra). This provides a spicy and attractive aroma when Psych! is poured into the glass. Floral and tropical flavours abound (particularly lemon and blueberry) in a well-orchestrated blend and there is also a nice base of resinous pine. The body is light but firm and there is a sharp hoppy finish. Hopefully it will not be long before Verdant brew a second AF beer.

5 / 5

Birra Moretti - Zero

Birra Moretti is brewed in the Netherlands, the Italian brewery now being owned by Heineken. The 330ml bottle gives the ingredients as malted barley, hop extract and natural flavouring. The ABV is no more than 0.05%. The modest white head sits atop a pale amber body, pretty much a standard looking lager in fact. The aroma is gently of lemon. Tastewise it is a citrussy affair and has a light malt base, whilst the finish has that same touch of lemon. The mouthfeel is light, the carbonation being rather modest. Indeed, it is very easy to drink; maybe going well with a pizza or pasta dish. 

3 / 5

Bowness Bay Brewing - Swan Free Pale Ale

The half litre bottle proudly states that this 0.5% ABV pale ale has won Bronze at the World Beer Awards not once but twice - in 2020 and then again in 2021. The label also states that the ingredients are malted barley, hops (three unnamed varieties) and Lake District water. The Cumbrian brewery mainly produce alcoholic beers but as well as this pale ale they also offer an AF pilsner-style lager. This pale ale is certainly very pale and the slight head on it when poured into a glass soon disappears. There is a delicate aroma, nothing overpowering and this follows on to a gentle tasting ale. The main flavour of the beer - citrus - is quite soft; more tangerine than lemon I would say. The mouthfeel is light and the carbonation level quite modest. There is a refreshing finish to the beer, making it a very pleasant and easy drinking option. 

3 / 5

Wiper and True - Tomorrow Lager

This dealcoholised and unfiltered 0.5% ABV lager arrives in a 440 ml can which declares it to have won the Bronze medal at the World Alcohol Free Awards 2024. It is vegan friendly. The ingredients are listed as malts and traditional German hops. The aroma is a very slight herby one and with maybe just a touch of citrus. The taste and mouthfeel of this pale beer is immediately very pilsner: crisp, fresh, light and smooth. The clean, hoppy finish makes for a very pleasant beer indeed. And, as an aside, the Bristol brewery try to be as eco-friendly as possible - in terms of carbon footprint, solar power and packaging - and so are doing their bit for a better tomorrow.

4 / 5

Stewart Brewing - Scot Free Pale

Stewart Brewing was established in Edinburgh in 2004 and won the Scottish Brewery of the Year award in 2024. The brewery mostly produces alcoholic beers but do also produce an AF lager and this 0.5% ABV pale, served up in a 330 ml can which declares it to be unfiltered, GF, vegan friendly and containing malted barley, wheat, oats and hops. The can is rather reticent about who makes it though - "Stewart Brewing" being hidden in the small print. Maybe one has to recognise the logo? The hops used are all American: Mosaic, Simcoe and Citra. Unsurprisingly then that the aroma is both citrus sharp and floral in character. The taste is a superbly crafted mix of tangerine, mango, berry and with a very definite resinous/piney character to the fore. A good malt base holds the mouthfeel firm, whilst the finish is a 100% thirst quench. Definitely going to be on repeat.

5 / 5

Fruh - Kolsch 0.0

Colner Hofbrau Fruh has been brewing beer for more than 100 years and this is their first alcohol free offering. It is a dealcoholised version of their 4.8% ABV kolsch (a style specific to the Cologne area of Germany). The 33 cl bottle dispenses a very bright looking beer with a decent white head on top. A gentle floral aroma is noticeable, with maybe a touch of orange as well. In terms of taste, it is a subtle affair - with notes of malt, bread and a little honey in the background. It has a clean, light and gentle mouthfeel, whilst the finish is quite dry. Kolsch is fermented like an ale but then conditioned like a lager and this process results in a kind of hybrid style of beer - maybe a little closer to the lager end than the ale end, but either way it is a very crisp and refreshing drink.

4 / 5

Buxton - Axed IPA

This is the AF version of the Derbyshire brewery's Axe Edge IPA, coming in at just 0.5% ABV. It is vegan, but not GF - the ingredients on the 440ml can are given as barley, oats, wheat and hops. It is also available on draught (at least in Buxton!). Axed has a clean, citrus aroma and the body is lightly carbonated. Tastewise there are (naturally) citrus notes (grapefruit and tangerine in the main) as well as a softer stone fruit background. It is a well hoppy IPA and has a good bitter finish. Clean and refreshing, I'd happily wield more of this beer.

4 / 5