This Classic Beer Brand Makes Switching To Nonalcoholic Palatable And Approachable

There are now more alcohol-free or nonalcoholic beverage options than ever before. Plenty of these contemporary offerings also aim to better approximate the standard beer, wine, and cocktail experience than our ancestors' zero-ABV alternatives. But even with all of the modern abundance, some dupes are just more successful than others. So Chowhound put alcohol-free beers to the test to sort out which nonalcoholic beers you should buy and avoid. And familiar brand Michelob was among our favorites with its Ultra Zero label.

That's not to say that we didn't find plenty of smaller-label alcohol-free brews that might please your palate and your sober curiosity. Some of those just might not be available where you regularly shop for refreshments. Michelob products are consistently among the highest-selling in the United States, so the odds are a bit better that you'll also be able to find its Ultra Zero more easily too. And when you do, it's a definite buy.

Our nonalcoholic beer test sought to surface only the best — beers that were crafted with flavor balance in mind, that stayed true to their ideal form, even without the booze, and that, ultimately, were just refreshing enough to return to again and again. Michelob Ultra Zero kept it 100 on all accounts.

Basic availability goes a long way, and Michelob's big brand backing makes it more likely that you'll be able to source it without any extraneous effort. It's also light and crisp enough for a warm summer day or any time you want to save room for classic drinking snacks like ultimate chicken nachos. Michelob Ultra Zero is also absent of any heavy aftertaste, so it's an easy one to pair with a lot of other foods too.

Should you happen to spot other recognizable nonalcoholic beers at the store, you might want to avoid them. Those include Heineken 0.0. It just didn't taste like much, and it might be a better doppelgänger for water than for any kind of beer. Stella Artois' own 0.0 fared even worse, imparting a musty bitterness and an off-putting odor. But there are other options if Michelob Ultra Zero isn't in stock. We also liked Untitled Art Flvr!, Athletic Brewing Co. Run Wild IPA, and Corona's NA option for similarly crowd-pleasing reasons.