If you’ve spent any time in a supermarket lately, you’ll have noticed alcohol-free beer has stopped being a niche thing. It’s everywhere now. Tesco’s got its own brand for £1.50 a can. Waitrose has three different options. Even your mate who still drinks regularly has probably got a four-pack of something in the fridge for when he’s driving.
But the two names that keep coming up—the ones that have genuinely shifted how people think about AF beer—are Lucky Saint and Guinness 0.0. They’re different beers with different philosophies. One’s a proper craft operation, the other’s a global giant playing catch-up. So which one’s actually worth your money?
The Taste Test
Let’s start with the obvious bit. Guinness 0.0 tastes like Guinness. That’s the whole point. You get the dark, roasty, slightly bitter profile you’d expect from the black stuff, minus the alcohol. It’s familiar. Comforting, even. If you’re someone who’s given up drinking but still misses that particular sensation of a pint of Guinness, this is your answer. The head’s decent. The colour’s right. It hits the spot.
Lucky Saint is a different animal entirely. It’s a pale lager, not a stout. Crisp, clean, slightly hoppy without being aggressive about it. There’s a bit of citrus in there if you’re paying attention. It tastes like a proper beer—the kind you’d actually want to drink because it’s good, not because you’re mourning the alcohol version. That matters. It’s the difference between a replacement and a choice.
The thing is, neither of these tastes exactly like their full-strength equivalents. That’s just physics. But they’re both honest about what they are. Guinness 0.0 doesn’t pretend to be a perfect replica. Lucky Saint doesn’t try to be something it’s not.
Price: Where Your Money Actually Goes
This is where things get interesting. Lucky Saint’s more expensive. A single 330ml bottle costs around £2.50 if you’re buying it loose, or about £1.80 per can if you grab a four-pack from Ocado or the Lucky Saint website directly. Their 12-pack works out at roughly £1.60 per can if you’re buying online.
Guinness 0.0 is cheaper. You’re looking at about £1.20 to £1.40 per can in most supermarkets, depending on what’s on offer. Tesco usually has it at a decent price. Sainsbury’s does regular multi-buy deals. It’s the kind of thing that gets knocked down to £3 for four cans fairly often.
Why the difference? Lucky Saint’s a smaller operation. They’re not shifting the volume that Guinness is, so their economies of scale aren’t as good. But here’s the thing—they’re also using better ingredients and a more careful brewing process. You’re not just paying for the name. You’re paying for actual craft. Whether that’s worth an extra 40p per can is up to you.
Where to Actually Buy Them
Guinness 0.0 is everywhere. Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose, Ocado, Sainsbury’s online. If you want it, you’ll find it. Most supermarkets stock it in their regular beer section, not tucked away in some specialist corner. It’s mainstream.
Lucky Saint’s a bit trickier. Your best bet is Ocado, which stocks both the single bottles and multi-packs. Some Waitrose branches carry it, but not all—it depends on your local store. The easiest route is honestly just ordering direct from their website. You get free delivery over £30, and a 12-pack comes in at around £19. That works out to about £1.58 per can, which is reasonable.
If you’re the kind of person who just wants to grab something on the way home from work, Guinness 0.0 wins. If you’re happy to plan ahead and order online, Lucky Saint’s accessible enough.
The Verdict
This isn’t really a case of one being objectively better. It depends what you want. If you’re giving up alcohol and you specifically miss Guinness, get the 0.0 version. It does the job, it’s affordable, and it’s available everywhere. There’s no shame in that. It’s a solid product.
But if you want an alcohol-free beer that you’d actually choose to drink—something that stands on its own rather than being a substitute—Lucky Saint’s the better beer. It’s more interesting. It’s got more flavour. It doesn’t feel like you’re making a compromise.
The honest answer is that if you’ve got the budget, try both. See which one you actually reach for. That’s the real test.
Compliance note: This article contains general information about alcohol-free beers and is intended for readers aged 18 and over. Alcohol-free beers contain less than 0.5% ABV. Please drink responsibly.