Up until a few years ago, it was hard to imagine being able to order a nonalcoholic beer on tap at a brewpub. Fortunately, a growing number of craft breweries have met the increasing demand for high-quality near-beers — 0.5% alcohol by volume or less. That shift is tied to a variety of factors: a pendulum swing away from pandemic overindulgence, concerns about health and wellness, and surveys indicating that young adults simply don’t partake in as much alcohol as previous generations.
Now that flavor profiles are remarkably similar to the real deal — from vibrant pilsners to full-bodied stouts — there’s a low-cal yet highly satisfying nonalcoholic beer on the market for pretty much every palate. Here’s where to track them down.
Dry Out in the High Desert of Central Oregon
Bend has become the state’s hub of nonalcoholic beers. Maybe that’s because the city has long been a magnet for outdoor enthusiasts with a health-conscious lifestyle or because breweries there have spearheaded ways to create innovative new products. Whatever factors are at play, though, Central Oregon is doing boozeless beer right.
Look no further than Deschutes Brewery’s Black Butte Non-Alcoholic, which, since its debut in 2022, has won eight international awards. In a market brimming with light-bodied nonalcoholic beer, the company boldly entered the scene with a porter — and not just any porter. Black Butte is one of the brand’s oldest, most popular beers, and the nonalcoholic version maintains that flagship’s beating heart: a bittersweet intermingling of chocolate and coffee.
You can find six-packs, along with Fresh Squeezed Non-Alcoholic IPA and the new Non-Alcoholic Kernza Golden Brew — the country’s first Certified Organic craft beer — at Deschutes’ Bend Public House, which is as much a part of the Central Oregon landscape as nearby Mirror Pond. A 2012 expansion resulted in a handsome two-story, brick-and-reclaimed-wood restaurant with balcony seating. It’s still delightful to sit at the original copper-top bar, where your elk burger comes with views of the brewery.
The party is always on the patio at 10 Barrel Brewing Co.’s original West Side pub. Crushing a can of N/A IPA Anytime Hoppy Brew inside the chic, barnlike restaurant — whose wood and raw-steel accents exude rustic Central Oregon grit and charm — is always an option. Many visitors head to the sprawling terrace instead, where umbrellas are popped open all summer long and fire pits flicker to life each winter.
IPA fans will find that Crux Fermentation Project has delivered the beer’s characteristic zing with its citrusy NØ MØ River Refresher IPA and the hazy NØ MØ Sunset Summit, which has strong mango-coconut-smoothie vibes. Take your pour to Crux’s expansive, grassy beer garden and watch the sun slip behind the Three Sisters.
Sample Liquid Experiments in Portland
Planning to stay in Portland? All three Bend breweries have spinoffs in the city known as Beervana, where you can get any of the mentioned nonalcoholic beers.
Gigantic Brewing Company established a cult following with a standout flagship IPA, but it’s since become known for unending innovation. No surprise, then, that the brewery is among the first in Portland to produce a nonalcoholic beer. Tiny Empire has the effervescence of a traditional pilsner, and you can find refillable bottles at all three Gigantic locations. Since its hint of malt sweetness and squeeze of citrus pair well with food, opt for the Southeast Hawthorne pub, the company’s first with a full kitchen. Order a hulking crispy Danish pork sandwich and head to either the English-style lounge dubbed the Portrait Room or the semi-secret patio out back.
No Pub? No Problem.
Two additional Portland nonalcoholic beer producers don’t have bars to call their own, but drinkers can track down their beer at multiple taprooms, bottle shops and restaurants. You could even turn that hunt into an epic pub crawl that won’t slow you down the next day.
Heck Brewing was born at former zero-proof pop-up Suckerpunch after founder Andy McMillan became interested in not just serving nonalcoholic cocktails but also finding a way to make boozeless beer. So far, an IPA and a golden are available at John’s Marketplace — a trio of bottle and can depots in the Portland metro area, two of which have griddles for the signature smashburger. Restaurateur Rick Gencarelli has also been an early supporter, which means you can order Heck at any eatery in his fast-casual empire: Lardo, Grassa and Bluto’s.
The origins of Roaming Nobles Brewing Co. can be traced back to Germany, which, despite its reputation as a year-round Oktoberfest, has been a leading producer of nonalcoholic beer and wine for decades. Founders Marla and Liam Hoban were living there when they tasted their first Bavarian nonalcoholic brews and declared them “delicious, even in 2009,” inspiring the couple to re-create those flavors in the first exclusively nonalcoholic brewery in Oregon. Popular bottle shop Belmont Station stocks cans, or you can order a pour with your perfectly charred pie at Ken’s Artisan Pizza.
