While the phrases “great beer” and “alcohol-free” were once considered oxymorons, the last few years have seen an explosion in popularity for non-alcoholic brews. Now, a collection of experts have come together to decide which Swiss beer brands have the best (and worst) non-alcoholic varieties.

Alcohol-free beer in Switzerland

According to the Swiss Brewers’ Association (SBV), people in Switzerland are becoming increasingly fond of non-alcoholic beer. The SBV estimates that consumption has more than doubled in the last 13 years, going from 2,3 percent of all beers drank in 2010 to 6,3 percent in 2023. Every 16th beer drank across the cantons is now alcohol-free.

In fact, Switzerland and its brewers were some of the first to experiment with alcohol-free beer. In 1908, the Winterthur brewers Haldengut launched a beer-like alcohol-free drink called Perplex. Because of the demand, breweries across the country have since tried their hand at taking the ethanol out of their products.

SRF seeks to find Switzerland's best non-alcoholic beer

To find out which alcohol-free beer is best to buy in supermarkets in Switzerland, SRF’s Kassensturz programme brought three beer sommeliers, a brewery guide and a food university lecturer together for a taste test. They then gave weighted scores of 11 top brands, which ranged from locally made beers to supermarket and non-Swiss brands. 

Scores were out of six and based on their look (5 percent weighting), smell (10 percent), aroma (35 percent), texture (10 percent) and taste (40 percent) - in the event of a tied score, the cheaper of the two beers was placed ahead. They found that while none of the 11 could be considered “bad”, no beer was “very good” either.

Schützengarten named the best alchohol-free beer in Switzerland

According to their analysis, the non-alcoholic Schützengarten, the beer of St. Gallen, is the best, with the judges giving the bev a “good” score of 5,2 out of 6. "For me, this non-alcoholic beer is a real joy, a real thirst quencher, very balanced in all components," noted beer sommelier Madlaina Galli. Others praised its lightly sweet, lightly bitter and lemony flavour and aroma.

However, the star of the show has to go to Lidl’s own-brand beer Finkbräu, placing second with a score of 5. SRF noted that it is by far the most value for money, costing 39 rappen (cents) per 330 millilitres, compared to 1,72 francs for Schützengarten.

Birra Moretti and Feldschlösschen: Mettalic and watery

Things were not as rosy for the major brands, with Birra Moretti Zero and Feldschlösschen Alcohol-Free being rated worst with a score of 4,6 each. While Moretti was docked points for its “metallic” aftertaste, both it, Feldschlösschen and other worse-rated alcohol-free beers were criticised for being “watery.” 

"The foam stability was very weak, which is a shame for a beer. The aroma is also flat," food technology lecturer Andreas Kilchör said of the Rheinfelden brewery's effort. Heineken - the owner of Birra Moretti - refused to acknowledge SRF’s findings, while Feldschlösschen said that it had taken note of the result.

The best and worst alcohol-free beers in Switzerland

In all, here are the 11 alcohol-free beer brands in Switzerland, rated from best to worst.

1. Schützengarten Alkoholfrei (5,2)
2. Finkbräu Alkoholfrei, Lidl (5)
3. Appenzeller Bier, Sonnwendlig Alkoholfrei (4,9)
4. Appenzeller Bier, Leermond (4,9)
5. Farmer Alkoholfrei, Landi.ch (4,8)
6. Eichhof Alkoholfrei 0.0 (4,8)
7. Non Lager, Migros (4,8)
8. Karlskrone Alkoholfrei, Aldi (4,7)
9. Heineken 0.0 Alkoholfrei (4,7)
10. Feldschlösschen Alkoholfrei Lager (4,6)
11. Birra Moretti Zero (4,6)

For more information about the test and more details on the scores, check out the official website.