The Want List: Non-Alcoholic Craft Beer
They’re all hop, no buzz — and getting a lot of it. Consider upgrading your Dry January with these standout “near beers,” all from respected local breweries across the regions we call home.
Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell sang “there ain’t nothing like the real thing,” but when it comes to beer, the alternatives aren’t nearly as far off as they used to be. All across the world, high-octane brewers are stepping up their low- and no- alcohol beer game, crafting full-flavored ales, lagers, and other classic styles with no more than 0.5% alcohol by volume (ABV) — the legal threshold for a drink to be classified “non-alcoholic.”
Whether you’re just looking to keep your 2026 resolutions, “zebra stripe” at social gatherings, or stay dry throughout the year, here are six locally sourced NA beers worth a pour.
Nautee NAIPA | Kidd Squid Brewing Co. | Sag Harbor, NY
Nestled in the old Sag Harbor train station amidst the verdant blooms of the neighboring garden center, Kidd Squid Brewing Co. has a habit of getting things right the first time, and their inaugural NA beer is no exception. Nautee is a convincing take on the classic New England-style IPA, packaged in 16 oz. cans that look and feel like the real deal. Hazy and bodied, it packs all the bursting citrus flavor of a 6% juice bomb, yet comes in at that obligatory 0.5% ABV. Grab a four-pack to go, or enjoy a can pour on site to stay just a little bit longer in their gorgeous Hamptons taproom (and with the frequent live music, you’ll probably want to).
All In Hazy IPA | Other Half Brewing | New York City, Upstate (Various), Philadelphia, and Washington
If not for its 12 oz. can vs. Other Half’s usual 16, you might be fooled. This recently released half-percenter tastes most assuredly whole, and by no surprise: it’s brewed with Citra, Simcoe, and Centennial hops, the same combination in OH’s flagship Green City IPA. On first sip, you’ll get the layered mouthfeel you expect from a real East Coast hazy, with tropical fruit notes from the Citra, piney-dank from the Simcoe, and the floral bouquet of the Centennial. Cans are available at all Other Half locations in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Washington, D.C., and beyond, with wide retail distribution in the Northeast.
Fieldwork Light NA American Pils | Fieldwork Brewing Co. | Berkeley, California
If your cutback is calorically-motivated but you’re craving a crushable, beer-flavored beer, it doesn’t get much better than Fieldwork Light. Crisp and dry with a pleasant soft malt profile and slightly bitter finish, this crisp non-alcoholic American Pilsner delivers everything you want when cracking open a cold one with less than 50 calories, a rare number even for NAs. One sip is all you’ll need to realize why Bay Area-based Fieldwork — they’ve got eight locations beyond their Berkeley base, from San Francisco to Monterey to Wine Country — is one of the few breweries to win awards for both its regular and non-alcoholic products.
Key Lime Pie NA | Westbrook Brewing Co. | Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Based in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, just over the bridge from Charleston, Westbrook helped introduce 2010s American craft beer drinkers to Gose (pronounced go-zuh), a style of traditional German sour that’s a little tart, a little salty, and every bit refreshing on a hot summer day in the Lowcountry. This non-alcoholic variant — Westbrook’s first — riffs on their popular Key Lime Pie Gose, with notes of tart lime, malt breadiness, and a sweet but not overpowering vanilla finish, spiced with undertones of coriander and cinnamon. Sold by the six-pack, you’ll never find such flavor with so little sauce.
NA Ninja vs. Unicorn | Pipeworks Brewing | Chicago, Illinois
A double without the trouble. Ninja vs. Unicorn, the critically acclaimed DIPA from Chicago’s Pipeworks, is now available in NA form. Located in the Windy City’s Hermosa neighborhood, mere blocks from the birthplace of Walt Disney, Pipeworks is known near and far for its fantastically-named juice bombs and cartoon can art. This hoppy non-alcoholic haze has all the highlights of its full-fledged counterpart: piney bitterness, a firm malt backbone, and fruity hop bursts, making for a sip that’s excitingly complex yet brilliantly smooth. And thanks to Pipeworks’ broad distribution, cans of these near-beer unicorns get around.
Non-Alcoholic Dark | Fremont Brewing Company | Seattle, Washington
Famous for its decadent pastry stouts, Seattle’s Fremont Brewing, which boasts one of the most celebrated barrel aging programs in the Pacific Northwest, understood their non-alcoholic assignment. In a modern miracle of brewing chemistry, they’ve managed to take a beer style notorious for its high alcohol content and deliver an award-winning, non-alcoholic doppelgänger. Hopped with Washington Chinook and German Hallertau, Non-Alcoholic Dark is chocolatey, nutty, and subtly sweet, with a medium body that won’t go down like molasses. Sip on a special occasion, or grab one whenever you feel like it — there’s no guilt. (Did we mention it’s just 94 calories?)
Steeplejack NA Czech-Style Pilsner | Steeplejack Beer | Portland, Oregon
While they’ve brewed a handful of NAs to date, both under their own label and in collaboration with Roaming Nobles, Oregon’s first fully non-alcoholic brewery, this N/A Pilsner holds the distinction of being the first of the style brewed in the Portland metro. It’s as non-alcoholic as they get, with just 0.02% ABV. Light-bodied but high on flavor, it’s a pleasant sip for any time of day — especially if you’re having more than one.
