I used to be able to drink my body weight and then some in beer and had no issues quaffing many shots and cocktails alongside. Playing “beer league ice hockey” kind of aligns with this. I was often one of the last men standing on a night out… I could never just have one or two beers. It was always ten, or more.

However, as I’ve grown older and become a dad, I can no longer handle the hangovers – because they hurt (more so when parenting!), and they last forever – to the point whereby, I’ve kind of decided that it’s just not worth it… I was one of those avoid lager for the crazy named hand pull “real ale” kind of drinkers. Which often resulted in drinking a 3% session ale, having four or five 5% various things and then throwing in the odd 6-10% pint of something bizarre (I even joined Brewdogs Equity for Punks, which seems futile now). The point here is I never spent the evening drinking 10 pints of Carling. It was a variety of drinks, which often made the hangovers even worse.

Another thing to add here is that I never usually drink at home, or midweek. It’s usually only in social gatherings — but I tended to make up for the lack of drinking at home etc…

Anyhow, for many years leading up to present day, I’d flirted with the idea of going completely tee total, but was always laughed at when I said it, because folks knew how much of a drinker I was or could be. During Covid I definitely cut back on the drink, but this was mostly due to bad timing. I opted to get fit when everyone else was having daily barbecues and drinking beer in the garden – sods law, lockdown was pretty much wall to wall sunshine – but this was cutting back, it wasn’t tee total! And being honest it probably never will be.

As lockdown eased (~2022 ish) and life returned to normal-ish, so did my drinking and socialising. Being older now, and a dad, socialising wasn’t ever like it was 10 years prior, as in I wasn’t going out weekly, but I was definitely drinking (and eating!) more than during lockdown. For example, I lost 4 stone in weight during lockdown, and if you fast forward to the end of 2024, I’d put most of it back on.

One thing to point out here is that the non/lo-alcohol market in this period was about to go bang.

Which is why, in 2025 made the conscious decision to cut back again. This time I really cut back on the booze, and this has kind of stuck. More recently I’ve become one of those people who prefers to drive to social events, think consciously about the health benefits (of not drinking) and worse, I run. (For what it’s worth; I do not yet own a TentBox or Dryrobe. Although we have camped a few times in the last few years, so it might only be a matter of time!)

I reckon between January 2025 and today, I’ve probably had less than 30 pints of alcohol. Now whilst that might still seem high, for me, it’s not. A social event could easily see 5-10 pints being drunk, so you only need a few of these to quickly exceed 30 pints. According to AI, the NHS recommends drinking no more than 14 units per week, and broken down my scenario is far below that, as it is only about 1.15 units per week (approx. 4.6 units per month).

To add to this, during 2025, I enjoyed three All Inclusive holidays, including one “with the lads”, I also attended many social events, and in December of 2025, I turned 40. So, in the scheme of things, 30 pints across ~15 months doesn’t seem too bad.

But anyway, the long and short of it, is that it’s not about quantity or whatever. This particular waffle is about what I replaced it with. The lo and non-alcoholic market is booming, because of all these people choosing not to drink. And whilst I find it completely annoying (yet understandable due to some of the processes involved) that lo/non-alcoholic drinks cost as much, if not more than a typical lager equivalent, that’s again, not the reason for this waffle.

The reason for this waffle is to waffle on about my findings of some of the lo/non alcoholic drinks that are likely spamming your social feeds with offers and adverts – like they did with me.

Initially when I stopped buying my usual Alhambra Reserva, Brewdog variety packs and whatever random, yet nice looking cans or bottles were available, I opted for whatever lo/non was available in the supermarket at the time. So, you’d have your Peroni 0%, Budweiser 0% and Heineken 0% etc… In my opinion they all tasted really fake, overly sweetened and not so much like the alcoholic equivalents. Lucky Saint became my “go to Supermarket brew”, I find Lucky Saint to be relatively decent in the scheme of things (that being supermarket choice for lo/no!).

But then, as alluded to above, the lo/non alternatives started to reach me on socials.

IMPOSSIBREW®

I first tried IMPOSSIBREW® around a year ago. I got a mixed pack which included the Pale and Lager offerings. What wooed me to IMPOSSIBREW® was the “Enhanced Non-Alcoholic Beer” tag line, which is “designed as an alternative to full ABV beers using patent-pending technology”. The idea being that they have some secret sauce in the ingredients that’s supposed to give you that “two pint buzz”, using buzzword “nootropics”, but without going further than “the buzz”… I cannot say I’ve experienced or noticed “the buzz”, but I’m not too bothered about that. The drinks are enjoyable. Both the lager and the pale taste nice. Now, when I first dipped my toes into IMPOSSIBREW® the Pale was using an older recipe, which left some of my cans with fermentation/sediment in the bottom of the can – I raised this with their support team and I was assured this was not a problem, other than looking a bit “not nice”. Then, as I got to the end of my mixed pack, they had announced a new recipe. I enquired if the new recipe was in direct relation to this sediment and was informed that it was.

Rather than opting to go straight back in and order another crate of IMPOSSIBREW®, the sediment thing had put me off a little, so I explored the options.

When first looking, I’d narrowed the battle down to three contenders. IMPOSSIBREW®, Collider and NuWave. I’d discounted NuWave for some reason – I can’t even recall. Though they were in the running at the time, so they deserve a mention as they kept cropping up in my research, although I never took the plunge. Obviously, I ordered IMPOSSIBREW®, so felt Collider deserved a chance – thinking back, it was the 500ml of IMPOSSIBREW® vs 330ml of Collider that won me over initially.

Collider

Anyway, fast forward. The Collider order drops in. My immediate impression of Collider was that it was “a bit of me”. The box was space themed and sci-fi’y (which actually isn’t me!) but… the retro stickers. They were spot on!

Like IMPOSSIBREW®, Collider promises “Mood-Boosting Beer Without the Alcohol” and that you will “Get your evening buzz without the hangover.” How does Collider intend to do this, with the magic of mushrooms of course (not those kind!).

“The great tasting non-alcoholic beer that’s changing how people unwind. Microdosed with functional mushrooms for a natural buzz, better sleep, and zero hangovers.”

So, what’s the verdict here…? Much like the previous offering, I cannot say I’ve experienced or noticed “the buzz”, but I’m not too bothered about that. The drinks are enjoyable. Both the lager and the Session IPA taste nice. Personally, I think the Session IPA from Collider beats that of IMPOSSIBREW® in taste, and the lager, I’m unsure about. They’re probably both on a par with one another. That probably says more for lager in general though, as it is so generic.

Both IMPOSSIBREW® and Collider got me through 2025… so that brings me on to 2026… January, or Dry January as its commonly known by almost everyone, whether they’re dry or not arrived. And with that, did the adverts for 118 brands peddling lo/non-alcoholic drinks. What did this mean for me? It meant that instead of restocking with my usuals, I allowed myself to get lured in and ended up buying offerings from ON Beer and BRULO®. Variety is the spice of life and all that.

ON Beer

ON Beers pitch is similar to that of both IMPOSSIBREW® and Collider, in that it contains special sauce to bring the buzz. Promising “Alcohol Free, Never Sober.” What got me was the vast array of people declaring it to be “the best”… but then, that is advertising right. Anyway, they say ON Beer is “a crisp alc-free IPA brewed for the responsibly irresponsible, with magnificent flavours and powerful botanicals for a proven, real beer buzz.”

I quite like a bottle over a can, so was keen to give this a go. Currently, there’s only the one offering from ON Beer, so I got this to go against the Session IPA of Collider and the Pale of IMPOSSIBREW®. To be fair, it’s not bad. In fact, it’s another one that’s on par with the other two. The problem, therefore, that I have, is that currently, it’s a one trick pony – IPA or nothing. Not necessarily a bad thing, not if you like IPA as I do. But I do like the mixed packs offered up by the other. My partner prefers the lagers from the other two, so a mixed pack works well for us… I mean, she does also like this ON Beer offering too, but personally I feel claustrophobically trapped, as if I would if I went potholing, in that I only have one option.

And for that reason alone, I wouldn’t – because there’s no need for me to, deviate from either IMPOSSIBREW® or Collider when needing resupplies.

BRULO®

So, BRULO®. These got me hard with the adverts. Their adverts were the most dominant and persistent. And one attractive thing was the variety. Two things with BRULO® that stood out. The first, there’s zero mention of special sauce, a buzz, or mushrooms. Secondly, I mentioned above how the mixed packs work for me. Well, the BRULO® mixed pack contains six varieties ranging from IPA’s, Lager, Stout and a Fruity Gose (Wheat style) – quite appealing if you like wheat style beers and stouts – but I don’t really… That said, I’m not adverse to them, they’re just not my go to choice. The mixed pack is balanced well, in that you get less stout and fruit gose cans in the pack. It seems maybe I’m not alone, and the appreciation from BRULO® is welcomed.

Actually, there was a third thing that stood out. I’m sure, of all the brands I’ve listed here, that I’ve seen BRULO® out in the wild. Whether it’s in a micropub, beer shop or supermarket, I cannot recall. But the branding is familiar, and because of that, I’m adamant I’ve had it out and about. This was a key decision maker in picking this mix pack. I thought, that if I like it/any of them, and it’s available in a supermarket, it will make things easier.

Not only that in buying the BRULO® mix, it allowed me to try six non-alcoholic variants in one order, thus offering a wider taste test.

And in terms of taste test. Well….. I don’t like any of them. I don’t really have much to add or expand upon. I’m not a fan of stout, so the stout wasn’t going to fair well. There’s a time and a place, and with my, it’s usually never, unless needs must.

I don’t particularly enjoy wheat and/or fruity beer, so the Gose wasn’t in with much of a chance either. I found it light, but quite florally and umm, fruity… it immediately made me think of Grapefruit Elvis Juice or Guava Hazy Jane of Brewdog, again, neither really my thing – though if its yours..?

Moving on to the more “normal” (to me) IPA’s and NEIPA’s. They’re fine. And thats the problem. Just fine. They didn’t set my world alight, and as such, they too cannot lure me away from what I guess I need to declare as my “faves” – IMPOSSIBREW® and Collider.

So, sorry BRULO® – not for me I’m afraid.

…and what?

Before I start ranking them, for no reason whatsoever, let me say this. I’m not an expert. Noones paid me to do this or supplied me with drinks – unfortunately. I just ended up with the four brands of drink in the house and a few hours to spare, so thought it would be quite fun to write up. And with that…

Rankings?

Brand	My Rating	My take…
Collider	5	Gains the top spot (just) as both Lager and IPA offerings are spot on.
IMPOSSIBREW®	4	Very close second, losing out only because my personal opinion is that the IPA is just not quite as nice as Collider’s offering.
On-Beer	3	One trick pony, nice enough, no buzz. Only offers an IPA style drink (right now, presumably more will follow?), and because there’s no mix packs, I have no need to re-order ahead of Collider or IMPOSSIBREW®.
BRULO	2	Plenty of variety. Just not up my street. Would try a different brand ahead of re-ordering, I think.

Collider tops out because I prefer the IPA to that of IMPOSSIBREW® (just), and the lagers are pretty even. Both Collider and IMPOSSIBREW® are great, the 330ml vs 500ml is a concern, but you do actually get more cans of Collider, so it’s not the be all and end all.

I’d happily take either, on rotation – which is pretty much what I have been doing. Collider does fit better in the fridge though and the packaging is neat.

The biggest problem of all, and that goes for all these brands I think, is that none are yet (?) available offline – which is a shame. But then on the flip side, by selling direct, there’s less overheads, and more funds to put back into product creation etc…

And with that, we drink. Cheers!