Most people either love or hate beer, with few people in between. Beer has a distinct flavor thanks to the main ingredients used in brewing, and the popularity of incredibly hoppy and bitter IPAs can be off-putting for many would-be drinkers.
The good news is that there are tons of beers that non-beer drinkers will love, and most of them barely taste anything like what you’d expect beer to taste like! From fresh and fruity to unique and tart, here are some of the best beers for people who don’t like beer.
The 8 Best Beers for Beer Haters
1. Mango Cart – Golden Road Brewing
I consider Mango Cart to be less of a beer and more of a boozy mango juice. Made with real mango juice, Mango Cart is a fruited wheat ale that’s just 4.0% ABV. It has no hints of beer bitterness, and it’s widely available. If you like mango flavor, then you’ll probably love Mango Cart, regardless of whether you like beer or not.
2. Watermelon Dorado – Ballast Point Brewing
Ballast Point is known for making juicy IPAs, and Watermelon Dorado is as juicy as they get. At 10% ABV and 90 IBUs (meaning it is a bitter beer), it’s a classic DIPA, but with a twist. The watermelon flavor is surprisingly strong, considering how watery the flavor of watermelon can be. It’s a seasonal release, so you won’t always find it, but I think it’s one of the most approachable IPAs for non-beer drinkers.
3. Stiegl Radler
Radlers are a combination of beer, soda water, and fruit juice, and the Stiegl Radler is one of the most well-known radlers on the market. Stiegl releases the radler in different flavors, with my favorite being the Lemon Radler, but the Grapefruit Radler is probably the most well-known. They serve radlers at Oktoberfest in Munich, so you can count these as legit beers, even if they taste more like light, refreshing alcoholic sodas.
4. Pacifico
Pacifico is my favorite Mexican beer. Perfect for enjoying in the sun, at the beach, or at home while relaxing, Pacifico is a 4.4% ABV lager brewed in Mazatlan. Unlike some Mexican lagers that require a lime to be drinkable, Pacifico is perfect on its own. The flavor profile leans more into the sweet corn and malt flavor rather than hops, and it’s great for micheladas.
5. Buenaveza – Stone Brewing
Stone Brewing was on to something special when they came up with Buenaveza. Buenaveza is a salt & lime lager that’s 4.7% ABV and widely available. What makes this beer so unique is that it’s brewed with salt and lime flavor, so the final result tastes more like a beer cocktail than a lager. It strikes the perfect balance of flavors, and it helps that the artwork is cool.
6. Cali Creamin’ – Mother Earth Brew Co
There aren’t many cream ales around nowadays, but Cali Creamin’ is my favorite that I’ve had in years. A vanilla cream ale with 5% ABV, Cali Creamin’ is made with Madagascar vanilla beans, so it doesn’t have that fake, chemical flavor that cheap wine coolers sometimes have. Cali Creamin’ drinks more like a vanilla cream soda than a beer, so soda fans will probably enjoy it quite a bit.
7. Allagash White – Allagash Brewing Company
One of the most classic Belgian-style wheat beers in the United States, Allagash White balances the wheat flavor with a delicious mix of coriander and orange. This is a 5.2% ABV beer that, while hazy in appearance, has the lightness that you’d expect from a lower ABV ale. I think it’s a big step up from something like Blue Moon, and it’s definitely worth a try if you don’t like beer.
8. Modelo Especial
Modelo Especial is another fantastic Mexican beer, if that’s something you’re interested in. The Especial is 4.4% ABV, and it goes great with just about anything. I find that Modelo Especial has more Pilsner-like flavor than Pacifico, though the two are similar. The only downside is that the foil on the bottle sometimes flakes everywhere, but that has nothing to do with the quality of the beer.
Comparison Table
| Beer | Style | Flavor Profile | ABV | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mango Cart | Fruited Wheat | Real mango juice, no beer bitterness | 4.0% | Fruit lovers with zero tolerance for bitterness |
| Ballast Point Watermelon Dorado | Fruited Ale | Strong watermelon juiciness, 90 IBU bitter backbone | 10% | Non-beer drinkers ready to try an IPA |
| Stiegl Radler | Radler | Light, refreshing, tastes like an alcoholic soda | 2-2.5% | People who hate beer but love soda |
| Pacifico | Mexican Lager | Sweet corn and malt, minimal hop presence | 4.4% | Easy drinking or micheladas |
| Stone Buenaveza | Salt & Lime Lager | Built-in salt and lime, tastes like a beer cocktail | 4.7% | Anyone who likes a burst of flavor |
| Cali Creamin’ | Cream Ale | Madagascar vanilla, tastes like cream soda | 5% | Soda fans who hate bitterness |
| Allagash White | Belgian Witbier | Wheat, coriander, orange | 5.2% | Citrus lovers who maybe like Blue Moon |
| Modelo Especial | Pale Lager | Pilsner-like, crisp | 4.4% | Anyone interested in a good light lager |
Styles to Look For If You Don’t Like Beer
I’ve shared my favorite picks that I think beer haters will enjoy, but I understand that not all of these beers are available where you live.
If you can’t find any of these beers, here are styles to look out for:
- Radlers or Shandies: Both of these combine beer with soda and fruit.
- Fruited Sours: If you like tart flavors, fruited sours taste about as far from an IPA as you can imagine.
- Cream Ales: These aren’t super common, but they taste really similar to cream soda.
- Fruited Wheat Beer: The fruit and wheat combo works incredibly well, and these rarely have any level of bitterness.
- Lambic or Farmhouse Beer: These are unique styles that are light, slightly tart, and full of interesting flavor.
FAQ
Yes, there are plenty of beers that don’t taste like beer. Radlers, cream ales, fruited sours, and fruited wheat ales are all approachable beers that don’t taste like beer at all.
Radlers and fruited wheat beers tend to have little to no measurable bitterness.
Yes, fruity beers are real beers, even if they don’t taste like it. Fruity beers are brewed the same way beer is, just with fruit added.
If you’ve never liked beer, give Stiegl Radler or Mango Cart a try. Both are fruit-forward beers that are low in ABV and bitterness.
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