Grolsch

Grolsch has been brewing in the Netherlands since 1615, which makes it one of Europe's oldest continuously operating breweries. Founded in Groenlo (then known as Grolle, the origin of the name), the brewery spent centuries perfecting a style of pilsner that would eventually travel well beyond the Dutch border. Today it is owned by Asahi Breweries and operates from a modern facility in Enschede, producing beer for over 70 countries.

The brand is probably best known in the UK for two things: its crisp, malty Premium Pilsner and the distinctive swing-top bottle that has made it instantly recognisable on shelves for decades. That signature bottle remains a genuine point of difference in a category that tends towards the generic.

Grolsch entered the alcohol-free category with Grolsch 0.0%, a single product that does what it says. The beer is fully fermented using a specialist yeast, then the alcohol is removed rather than simply being brewed at low strength. The result is a pale lager with a fresh, hoppy character and a reasonably clean finish. It picked up a gold medal at the European Beer Star Awards in 2018, which gave the brand early credibility in a market that was still finding its feet. Grolsch also released an alcohol-free dark beer in 2020, becoming the first Dutch brewer to do so.

For a mainstream lager brand, the AF range is modest: one or two products rather than a full parallel lineup. This is not a brand reinventing itself around the alcohol-free opportunity. It is a heritage brewer applying solid technical craft to a single well-executed option, which it sells through the same supermarket and retail channels as its alcoholic beers.

Widely available across the UK, and priced in the mainstream lager bracket, Grolsch 0.0% sits comfortably alongside the other European pilsner-style AF beers on supermarket shelves.

The Collection

0.0% Radler Citrus