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only here for the (alcohol-free) beers

We put alcohol-free beers to the taste test as a substitute for all those who over-indulged this Bank Holiday

Boozy Brits have sunk a record 32million pints in the past year, with sales hitting £34.7million - but how does the soft stuff compare?

DRINKERS are getting a taste for the soft stuff as low and no-alcohol beers fly off the shelves.

Brits have sunk a record 32million pints in the past year, with sales hitting £34.7million.

Drink expert Joe Wadsack tastes 10 alcohol-free beers and rates them on a scale out of 10
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Drink expert Joe Wadsack tastes 10 alcohol-free beers and rates them on a scale out of 10Credit: Louis Wood - The Sun

Meanwhile, high percentage alcoholic brews have dropped by nearly 15.5million.

Non-alcoholic beer — drinks with a volume of 0.05 per cent or below — and low-alcohol brews usually appeal to health-conscious drinkers.

And they are perfect if you have over-indulged over the Bank Holiday and want a detox.

Drinks expert Joe Wadsack, above, says: “People now see alcohol-free beer as a viable option because some of them taste ­convincingly of beer.”

But Joe warns drinking the soft stuff is not necessarily always healthier.

He says: “Some use sugar instead of alcohol so the calorie content may still be the same.”

Joe says that people see alcohol-free beer as an option because they taste like the real deal
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Joe says that people see alcohol-free beer as an option because they taste like the real dealCredit: Louis Wood - The Sun

Here, Joe rates leading non-alcoholic and low- alcohol beers out of ten.

Beck's Blue - 3 out of 10

Joe says the Beck's is a little salty and doesn’t seem to have sugar to fill the void of real alcohol
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Joe says the Beck's is a little salty and doesn’t seem to have sugar to fill the void of real alcoholCredit: Louis Wood - The Sun

STRENGTH: 0.05%.

PRICE: £3.50 per six pack, Tesco.

SUGAR: 0.55g per 275ml bottle.

CALORIES: 38.5 per 275ml.

Joe says: “This one tastes like someone has left their beer dregs and then mixed it with water.

“The flavour is also a little bit salty and doesn’t seem to have the sugar to fill the void of real alcohol.

“Overall, this beer is a complete let-down.”

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Czech Lager - 8 out of 10

At £1.50 per bottle, the Czech Lager is crisp and clean
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At £1.50 per bottle, the Czech Lager is crisp and cleanCredit: Louis Wood - The Sun

STRENGTH: 0.5%.

PRICE: £1.50 per bottle, M&S.

SUGAR: 2g per 500ml bottle.

CALORIES: 20 per 500ml ­bottle.

Joe says: “It smells and tastes like Czech beer. If you can taste the provenance, then that’s good.

“It’s not complex but it’s crisp and clean. The hops are fresh.

“For best value, this has got to be it.”

Winner: St Peter's - 9 out of 10

St. Peter's Without is malty and tastes like an ale, according to our drinks expert
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St. Peter's Without is malty and tastes like an ale, according to our drinks expertCredit: Louis Wood - The Sun

STRENGTH: 0.05%.
PRICE: £2.50 per bottle, ­Oddbins.

SUGAR: 8g per 500ml bottle.

CALORIES: 135 per 500ml ­bottle.

Joe says: “It’s malty, like ­Horlicks, on the nose and tastes like an ale. It’s got a caramelised sugar taste to it like tarte tatin which I like.

“There’s also a nice, fruity character.

“I would drink it as a drink in its own right – but it is pricey.”

Erdinger - 8 out of 10

Erdinger is a very well-balanced beer, which is not too sweet and with a taste of good quality hops
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Erdinger is a very well-balanced beer, which is not too sweet and with a taste of good quality hopsCredit: Louis Wood - The Sun

STRENGTH: 0.5%.

PRICE: £1.30 per bottle, Tesco.

SUGAR: 18g per 500ml bottle.

CALORIES: 125 per 500ml bottle.

Joe says: “I got a whiff of meal and bran – that’s what a wheat beer should smell of.

“Not too sweet and the flavour is good quality hops. It’s really well-balanced.”

Krombacher - 8 out of 10

Krombacher, which costs £1.25 per bottle, smells like sweet porridge
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Krombacher, which costs £1.25 per bottle, smells like sweet porridgeCredit: Louis Wood - The Sun

STRENGTH: 0.5%.

PRICE: £1.25 per bottle, Oddbins.

SUGAR: 9.2g per 330ml bottle.

CALORIES: 86 per 330ml ­bottle.

Joe says: “It does smell like beer, like sweet porridge.

“I can tell the alcohol is missing but it tastes like a pilsner. I’m quite impressed with it.”

Foster's - 4 out of 10

For a better tasting weaker Foster's, our expert advises mixing a regular beer with lemonade
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For a better tasting weaker Foster's, our expert advises mixing a regular beer with lemonadeCredit: Louis Wood - The Sun

STRENGTH: 2.0%.

PRICE: £2.75 per four pack, Asda.

SUGAR: 17.1g per 300ml bottle.

CALORIES: 117 per 300ml bottle.

Joe says: “I got a nice lemony scent but it is very sweet.

“For a better taste, try mixing an ordinary beer with ­lemonade.”

Bavaria - 2 out of 10

Bavaria has more texture than San Miguel, but the taste didn't impress our tester
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Bavaria has more texture than San Miguel, but the taste didn't impress our testerCredit: Louis Wood - The Sun

STRENGTH: 0.0%.

PRICE: £2 per four pack, Tesco.

SUGAR: 10.2g per 330ml bottle.

CALORIES: 79.2 per 330ml bottle.

Joe says: “I get a scent of a brewery – but there’s damp wood on my palate.

“At least it has more ­texture than the San Miguel.”

Franziskaner - 6 out of 10

This has the same texture as alcoholic beer, but the taste is lacking
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This has the same texture as alcoholic beer, but the taste is lackingCredit: Louis Wood - The Sun

STRENGTH: 0.05%.

PRICE: £1.30 per bottle, Tesco.

SUGAR: 9.2g per 500ml bottle.

CALORIES: 105 per 500ml ­bottle.

Joe says: “I’m being hit by a lovely fruity, floral smell. There’s also a hint of spice.

“But it tastes a ­little bit sour.

“It has the same texture as an alcoholic wheat beer but it’s not quite there on the palate.”

Brewdog - 5 out of 10

Brewdog's non-alcoholic beer left our expert disappointed
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Brewdog's non-alcoholic beer left our expert disappointedCredit: Louis Wood - The Sun

STRENGTH: 0.5%.

PRICE: £4.50 per four pack, Tesco.

SUGAR: 0g per 330ml bottle.

CALORIES: 27 per 330ml ­bottle.

Joe says: “I got an interesting aroma of thyme and sage.

“Without the alcohol the hops taste overdone. It’s very bitter.

“I’m a little ­disappointed.”

San Miguel - 1 out of 10

Our expert said he wouldn't be able to get through a bottle of San Miguel's alcohol-free beer
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Our expert said he wouldn't be able to get through a bottle of San Miguel's alcohol-free beerCredit: Louis Wood - The Sun

STRENGTH: 0.0%.

PRICE: £3 per four pack, Tesco.

SUGAR: 5.6g per 330ml bottle.

CALORIES: 79.2 per 330ml ­bottle.

Joe says: “There’s almost no trace of beer on the nose. It smells like soda water combined with a fake hoppiness.

“I get a faint hint of Edam cheese and bruised apples.

“It’s horrible. I could not drink a whole ­bottle.”

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