The Ultimate Showdown: Who Makes the Best Non-Alcoholic Beer — Suntory, Asahi, Kirin, or Sapporo?
Special Research Project [Part 1
What is the ultimate drink selected by the experts who know the taste inside and out?
Non-alcoholic beer that lets you enjoy a real beer experience while keeping an eye on health, tailored to lifestyles such as “I have a meeting tomorrow” or “I’m taking medication.” Once considered a substitute beverage, there are now more products with a taste and drinking experience that rival beer, and many people now actively choose them.
Drinks expert Takahiro Ezawa, “In summer, I drink non-alcoholic beer like barley tea,” Strong Ojisan, a can chu-hi researcher, and beer journalist MJ gathered to discuss the strongest non-alcoholic beer.
All-Free Captured Women’s Hearts, While Asahi Dry Zero Became a Big Hit
Strong Ojisan: Non-alcoholic beverages are drinks with an alcohol content of less than 1%. Some contain trace amounts of alcohol, but they are not classified as alcoholic drinks and fall under the same category as carbonated soft drinks. Most products from Japan’s major manufacturers contain 0.00% alcohol. The release of Kirin Free in 2009 marked the beginning of non-alcoholic beer in Japan.
Ezawa: Overseas, non-alcoholic beers are usually made using a bdealcoholization method — regular beer is brewed, and then only the alcohol is removed. That way, the beer flavor is retained while making it non-alcoholic. However, fully removing the alcohol can potentially harm the flavor, so trace amounts are often left behind.
In contrast, Japan’s method blends ingredients with flavors similar to beer components like malt and hops in a cocktail-style approach to replicate the taste of beer. This method makes it possible to reduce alcohol content to a complete zero.
Strong Ojisan: Suntory’s All-Free, released in 2010, marketed itself with “three zeros” — zero alcohol, zero calories, and zero sugar — tapping into the health-conscious trend.
MJ: It especially resonated with women. You could enjoy it without guilt. Later, functionality and health benefits were added, and the product evolved.
Strong Ojisan: Then in 2012, Asahi launched Asahi Dry Zero, which looked almost identical to Super Dry. That became a major hit. Kirin created the market for non-alcoholic beer, Suntory cultivated it by focusing on reduced sugar and calories, and Asahi expanded it by leveraging the brand power of Super Dry.
MJ: The product from Asahi that really surprised me was Asahi Dry Zero Free, released in 2015. On top of the usual three zeros, it added zero purines and zero artificial sweeteners — a total of five zeros. The first time I drank it, the taste was so unique and distinctive that I couldn’t compare it to anything else.
Ezawa: The one I want to highlight is Asahi Zero, released last year. It uses the dealcoholization method commonly used overseas and still achieves 0.00% alcohol. It offers the malty taste and rich body you’d expect from a beer brewed through fermentation.
Attention-Grabbing “Kirin’s Third Path”
— How about Kirin’s products, as they are pioneers in this space?
Strong Ojisan: Kirin Zero ICHI (Zero Ichi), released in 2017, seems to have struggled a bit.
Ezawa: Kirin’s products are targeted at different age groups and genders. Zero Ichi was aimed at traditional beer-loving men. It has a malty flavor and is essentially a non-alcoholic version of Kirin Ichiban Shibori. It uses the same brewing method as Ichiban Shibori, and the packaging design is also similar.
The product positioned for the next generation and women is the Kirin Greens Free, which was renewed in 2024. It’s the non-alcoholic version of Hare Kaze (Clear Breeze). Then, Kirin’s third path is represented by Kirin Karada FREE and Perfect Free. These are functional beverages with health benefits, such as reducing body fat or suppressing fat absorption. Kirin must have discovered these fat-reducing components while continuing their research into beer, possibly from the bitterness of aged hops.
— While Asahi and Kirin have a wide range of products, Sapporo Beer is competing with just one product, Sapporo Premium Alcohol-Free.
Ezawa: Sapporo, with its Yebisu Beer, is emphasizing a premium feel. Beer lovers often cite a lack of body and depth as reasons to avoid non-alcoholic beers. However, Premium Free has that depth, with the malty flavor and sweetness of barley, despite being non-alcoholic.
Interesting Angle from Suntory
— How about Suntory?
Strong Ojisan: Currently, the only brand they have is All-Free, but they offer a wide range of flavors that make it enjoyable. My personal favorite is All-Free Lime Shot, which comes out every summer. My recommended way to enjoy it is by adding ice. The lime aroma adds a refreshing kick to it.
MJ: It’s not just about having a variety of flavors; their approach is also interesting. My pick is Karada wo Omou All-Free. It contains rose hips, which are derived from rose fruits, and it’s expected to help reduce visceral fat. Ashita wo Omou All-Free contains GABA, which is believed to enhance memory. There was a time when I alternated between drinking these two, focusing on health — one for the body and one for the mind.
Ezawa: One of Suntory’s strengths is offering options suited to different needs. But for me, I prefer the original All-Free. The functional products tend to be lighter in taste, with an emphasis on drinkability. In contrast, All-Free is the classic choice. It feels like they’re genuinely focused on recreating the taste of beer, with a sense of sweetness and richness that feels distinctly malty.
Strong Ojisan: Suntory is also releasing a new brand called The Bezelz on September 24th. I can’t help but be curious about it.
Ezawa: It’s a dealcoholized product, similar to Asahi Zero, right?
Strong Ojisan: So Suntory has also entered the dealcoholization game. Now, we have All-Free vs. Asahi Dry Zero in the cocktail-style market, and The Bezelz vs. Asahi Zero in the dealcoholized category. It’s shaping up to be an intense head-to-head competition between these two companies, and I can’t wait to see how it unfolds.
From the September 26, 2025, issue of “FRIDAY”
