Buckler: Our Favorite Non-Alcoholic Beer (So Far)

See, I'm pregnant. And I love beer. More than wine, slightly less than gin gimlets, and on par with margaritas. I miss all of those things right now (hot weather is even more cruel when you can't cool off with a cocktail), but fruity concoctions like basil lemonade tide me over pretty well. Most of the time.

But on certain afternoons (or, hey, mornings! It's non-alcoholic, people, I can drink it for breakfast...), I really want a cold beer in a frosty bottle. Having not explored non-alcoholic beers before, I thought O'Douls was the standard. But Buckler is much better.

It's made by Heineken, and while it definitely has a thinner, less-bodied taste than normal beer, it's got a nice color and the flavor of a decent lager. In short, it'll do. I highly recommend it for those seeking a non-alcoholic option. Of course, like any NA beer, it has a teeny tiny bit of alcohol, so don't go crazy.

Now, I originally intended this post to be a taste test of many NA beers, but they can be hard to find—especially in singles (I don't really need eight six-packs in my fridge). So I'm recommending this one, but I'd love to hear about others that are good. I've got several months to go...

(Image: Sam's Wine & Spirits, where you can buy a six-pack for $6.50)

I am also a pregnant lady looking for something to sip while my friends enjoy a beer. I found that O'Doul's Amber is pretty good. I'm not a big fan of lagers, which makes the Amber a nice alternative.

I've tried n/a wines, but they seem to taste like raisin-juice.

I've been enjoying lime with tonic water. It tends to raise eyebrows, cause people think I am actually drinking booze.

posted by theacademy on July 23rd 2009 at 4:00pm
view theacademy's profile

I'm another pregnant one feeling sad drinking boring things while everybody else is having tasty beers and stuff :)

I also terribly miss coffee, which smells and tastes awful to me now :(

The lime and tonic water idea sounds good!

posted by kate78 on July 23rd 2009 at 4:04pm
view kate78's profile

Woo hoo! Congrats to you gals!

Paulaner is another good n/a beer.

posted by clampers on July 23rd 2009 at 4:10pm
view clampers's profile

Honestly I've heard good things about Busch NA. Maybe we're partial over here in A-B land, but it's worth a try. Esp. if it comes in a sweet gold-top can! ;)

posted by STLcolleen on July 23rd 2009 at 4:11pm
view STLcolleen's profile

The best n/a beer i had while pregnant was at Hopleaf in Chicago, but i don't remember the name of it - i think it was German - it was really good.

Of the beer i could get in any liquor or grocery store Caliber was the best.

posted by procrastikate on July 23rd 2009 at 4:42pm
view procrastikate's profile

Another pregnant beer lover here! I will have to look for this once I run out of Clausthaler.

posted by slipperymarshmallow on July 23rd 2009 at 4:59pm
view slipperymarshmallow's profile

Paulaner Thomas Brau is one of my favorites. I also enjoy a super cold Molson Excel NA in the summer.

posted by Patti Kay on July 23rd 2009 at 5:12pm
view Patti Kay's profile

Clausthauler. Hands down my favorite (the two available in the US are both lagers, but one is an amber and the other is a typical pilsner style). And frankly, I didn't have much trouble finding this in most places in Milwaukee.

I also liked St. Pauli Girl NA.

I'm a bit of a beer geek, so it was really nice to be able to have a decent NA beer every so often while I was pregnant.

posted by keltrue on July 24th 2009 at 9:53am
view keltrue's profile

another preggie here--Beck's NA is pretty good. I will try these other suggestions!!

posted by notyou on July 29th 2009 at 12:05pm
view notyou's profile

Thank you, your account has been registered.

We have sent an email to the address you registered with for verification purposes. Please use the link in the verification email to activate your account.

apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time