Best Non-Alcoholic Beers to Enjoy This May 2-4 Weekend

Our top pick for this list, Harmon’s Organic is just a refreshing, great beer. Founded by the team behind Mill Street Organic Brewery in 2021, the brand offers its Pale Ale, Lagered Ale and Non-Alc Hazy IPA. The Pale Ale evokes the great Canadian outdoors, and combines Pacific Northwest citrus and pine hop flavours that set it apart. The Lager is fruity with a subtle hop character and offers up crispness that is super refreshing. Last but not least, the Non-Alc Hazy IPA dials up tropical citrus hop for those languid summer afternoons. You can find Harmon’s online, shipping throughout Canada and in independent retailers across Ontario (Longo’s, Summerhill Market, Lakeview Cheese, Bespoke Butcher and more – just keep checking as the list is growing). Each of these options is less than 0.5% ABV.

Inspired by the idea of finding your balance, Libra offers up a wide range of satisfying, and palette-tickling non-alcoholic options (all beers are 0.4% ABV). Its Pale Ale is award-winning, but you can also choose between the tangy and fruity Cherry Sour, light-but-malty-and-floral Pilsner, tropical Hazy IPA, and its Stout. The other great news? Most of the options are only 30 calories with only the Hazy IPA ringing in at 50. You can order with LCBO online and in-store, as well as through Libra’s site, or through Well.ca, Soberdry.com, afbev.ca, and notwasted.ca. 

Proving that alcohol doesn’t hold monopoly over good times, Partake Brewing also includes award-winning and low-calorie options for beer lovers, seeking a break from alcohol. Choose from nine options: IPA (Cascade, Amarillo and Citrus hops), Pale (infused with with flavours of orange zest, grapefruit and a “whisper of pine”), Blonde (floral, earthy hops with a hint of pomegranate), Peach Gose (sweet and spicy with notes of coriander, sea salt, and natural peach flavor), Red (think: rich notes of toasted bread, roasted almonds and caramel), Dark (a stout with fresh coffee beans mixed with dark berry and plum notes), Lime (light, bubbly and tangy), Hazy IPA (notes of apricot, mango, and berries), and Radler (blending cold-pressed, citrusy zestiness with the golden bubbles of our delicious Blonde). Each option focuses on simple ingredients. Order online, or find your local retailer (in Ontario, find it at LCBO, Longo’s, The Beer Store and more). 

Not just fun to sip, but sporting a sleek, eye-catching design, Big Drop has an array of options including those seeking gluten-free non-alcoholic brews. Find Paradiso Citra IPA (with a bright, sharp twist of bitterness), Pine Trail Pale Ale (with rosy floral aromas), Galactic Milk Stout (reminiscent of honeycomb covered in chocolate), Uptime Craft Lager (floral hop aromas, with a hint of caramel with peppered spiciness), and many more. No seriously. Big Drop has 26 unique flavours to choose from. Find it on Amazon, Well.ca or at the LCBO in Ontario. 

Sober Carpenter offers up an award-winning trio: Belgian White (Medium to a medium-light body filled with citrus notes and hints of coriander), IPA (a west coast-style IPA with notes of tropical fruit and citrus), and Irish Red (with subtle notes of coffee and caramel). Find it online or in grocery stores. 

British Columbia-based Central City Brewers has a range of full-alcohol beer options, but they’ve also come out with their noteworthy Red Racer Street Legal line of dealcoholized options. Red Racer is traditionally brewed before the alcohol is removed. Choose from their IPA (best paired with lighter foods such as pizza or seafood) or its good-for-any moment Pilsner. Available throughout BC and coming soon to Alberta. 

Kronenbourg 1664 has also embraced the demand for boozeless beer with their 1664 Blanc Alcohol-Free, which is actually 0.5% ABV. You can expect the same refreshing citrus-forward fruity, coriander taste you’d get with the original (with notes of apricot and peach), but sans the alcohol. Check online or at your local grocery and beer retailers. 

A larger brewer option on this list, Peroni Libra 0.0 is brewed and bottled in Italy, and delivers on a crisp, smooth and refreshing taste that layers a distinctive fresh hoppy flavour you may already be familiar with from Peroni. In Ontario, find it at the LCBO. Elsewhere, check your local retailers.  

This popular large-scale Dutch brewer has a 0.0% ABV option (which actually means it contains less than 0.03% alcohol) for those who prefer the well-beaten path. Aiming for balance and light, refreshing fruity notes, with a soft malty base this non-alcoholic lager took years to refine. The result was born after the brewer challenged its Master Brewers to develop the best possible non-alcoholic beer using only natural ingredients. Heineken double-brews the 0.0% while alcohol is removed and then blends the result with natural flavours.  

Another big-batch brewer on this list, this is a simple, straightforward option from a popular and ubiquitous brand you’re likely already familiar with. With 50 calories and 0 grams of sugar, this is a beer you can enjoy with almost anything for almost any occasion when you’re craving a cold one on a hot day. Find it at your local retailers and where beers are sold.