Last updated: March 2026
Guinness 0.0 is Diageo's alcohol-free version of the world's most famous stout. Launched in 2020, it's now one of the highest-selling non-alcoholic beers on the planet - and one of the very few AF stouts worth talking about. We bought a case, drank it properly, and put together everything you actually need to know.
Quick Facts
| Guinness 0.0 | |
|---|---|
| Brand | Guinness (Diageo) |
| Style | Stout |
| ABV | 0.0% |
| Calories | 70 per 500ml can (14 per 100ml) |
| Sugar | 0.6g per 100ml |
| Carbs | 3.4g per 100ml |
| Gluten Free | ✗ (contains barley) |
| Vegan | ✓ (since 2018) |
| Price | £1.30-£1.80 per can |
| Availability | Every major supermarket, most pubs |
| Functional Ingredients | None |
What Is Guinness 0.0?
Guinness 0.0 is the non-alcoholic version of Guinness Draught, brewed at St. James's Gate Brewery in Dublin. It launched in October 2020 after four years of development - Diageo reportedly spent over €60 million scaling production after the initial response exceeded expectations.
By 2024, Guinness 0.0 had seen 50% year-on-year sales growth and was one of the top-selling non-alcoholic beers globally. It sits alongside Heineken 0.0 and Peroni 0.0 as one of the "big brand" zero-alcohol options - the kind you'll find in every Tesco, Sainsbury's, and Ocado order.
The pitch: Guinness without the alcohol, same taste. The reality is a bit more nuanced.
How It's Made
Guinness 0.0 uses the same four core ingredients as regular Guinness:
- Water - sourced from St. James's Gate
- Barley - roasted for the dark colour and bitter-sweet character
- Hops - for bitterness and aroma
- Yeast - Guinness's proprietary strain, unchanged for decades
The brewing process starts identically to regular Guinness: full brew, full fermentation, full maturation. Alcohol is then removed via cold filtration - a low-temperature process that avoids heat damage to flavour compounds. This adds approximately two extra days to the production cycle.
Cold filtration is generally preferred over vacuum distillation for darker beers because it better preserves the roasted malt character. The trade-off is that it can strip some of the body and mouthfeel alongside the alcohol - which is the main complaint people have about Guinness 0.0.
There are no functional additives, adaptogens, or nootropics in Guinness 0.0. It's a straightforward alcohol-removed stout.
Guinness 0.0 Calories & Nutrition
One of the most common questions about Guinness 0.0 is whether it's actually lower in calories than regular Guinness. The answer: yes, significantly.
| Per 100ml | Guinness 0.0 | Regular Guinness Draught |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 14 kcal | 35 kcal |
| Sugar | 0.6g | 0g |
| Carbs | 3.4g | 3.6g |
| Protein | 0.3g | 0.3g |
| Fat | 0g | 0g |
| ABV | 0.0% | 4.2% |
At 70 calories per 500ml can, Guinness 0.0 is lighter than most people expect from a stout. That's roughly the same as a small apple. For comparison, a regular pint of Guinness contains about 210 calories.
If you're watching calories specifically, there are lower-calorie alcohol-free beers available - some as low as 27 calories per 440ml - but among AF stouts, Guinness 0.0 is competitive.
A note on sugar: Guinness 0.0 has 0.6g sugar per 100ml (3g per can), which is higher than regular Guinness (which has essentially zero sugar). This is because fructose is added during production to replace some of the flavour lost during alcohol removal. It's not a huge amount, but if you're managing blood sugar or counting sugar intake, it's worth knowing.
How Does It Taste?
Guinness 0.0 looks the part. Pour it from the widget can and you get the dark ruby-black body, the creamy tan head, the same ritual. Visually, it's the most convincing non-alcoholic beer on the market.
What we noticed:
- Roasted malt character is present but lighter than regular Guinness
- Chocolate and coffee notes come through, though they're muted
- Smoother and slightly sweeter than the alcoholic version
- The mouthfeel is thinner - this is where most AF stouts struggle and where Guinness 0.0 is weakest
- The widget produces a reasonable head but it dissipates faster than the real thing
- Served cold, it works. At room temperature, the thinness becomes more obvious
- There's a slight watery finish on the back end that regular Guinness doesn't have
The common refrain from reviewers: "It's close, but it's not quite Guinness." That's probably the fairest summary. It's closer to regular Guinness than Heineken 0.0 is to regular Heineken, but the gap is still noticeable - mainly in the body and finish.
Does it give you a buzz?
No. Guinness 0.0 is a pure alcohol-replacement product. It contains no functional ingredients, adaptogens, or nootropics. If you're looking for something that replicates the relaxation of alcohol without the alcohol itself, Guinness 0.0 won't get you there.
This is where functional alcohol-free beers take a different approach - using ingredients like L-Theanine and Ashwagandha to target the relaxation pathways that alcohol hits, without the alcohol. More on that in the alternatives section below.
Is Guinness 0.0 Gluten Free?
No. Guinness 0.0 is brewed with barley, which contains gluten. If you have coeliac disease or a gluten sensitivity, this one isn't for you.
There are gluten-free alcohol-free beers available - including some lagers that are naturally gluten-free rather than processed to remove it.
Is Guinness 0.0 Vegan?
Yes. Since 2018, Guinness has been vegan-friendly - they stopped using isinglass (fish bladder) in their filtration process. This applies to Guinness 0.0 as well.
Can You Drink Guinness 0.0 While Pregnant?
This is a personal decision best discussed with your doctor. Guinness 0.0 is genuinely 0.0% ABV - it contains no detectable alcohol. Some health professionals are comfortable with true 0.0% drinks during pregnancy, while others recommend avoiding anything beer-related entirely. We've covered alcohol-free beer and pregnancy in more detail separately.
Can You Drink Guinness 0.0 and Drive?
Yes. At 0.0% ABV, Guinness 0.0 contains no alcohol and will not affect your blood alcohol level. You could drink as many as you like and still be at 0.00 on a breathalyser. We've written a full guide to alcohol-free beer and driving if you want the details.
Is Guinness 0.0 Bad for Gout?
Potentially. While Guinness 0.0 removes the alcohol (which is a major gout trigger), it still contains purines from the barley and yeast used in brewing. Research shows non-alcoholic beer raises uric acid by about 4.4%, compared to 6.5% for regular beer. It's better, but not risk-free. If you have gout, read our full breakdown of non-alcoholic beer and gout.
What Customers Say
Without a dedicated Trustpilot presence (it's a supermarket product, not DTC), feedback comes from pub conversations, Reddit, and review sites:
Positive
"The closest any AF beer has come to replicating the original. Pour it from the can and it genuinely looks like a pint of Guinness."
- consumer review
"My go-to for pub rounds when I'm driving. No one questions it."
"After 4 years of refinement, it's genuinely good. Better than any other AF stout by a mile."
- beer review site
Mixed
"Close but not quite. The mouthfeel gives it away - it's thinner than the real thing."
- consumer forum
"First half of the pint is great. Second half you start noticing what's missing."
- beer review site
"Fine for what it is, but I still miss the warmth and weight of an actual Guinness."
The pattern: people appreciate the effort and the visual authenticity. The gap between Guinness 0.0 and regular Guinness is smaller than most AF-to-original comparisons - but it's still there, mainly in the body and finish.
Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Looks and pours like real Guinness - the widget can works
- Cold filtration preserves roasted malt character better than heat methods
- One of the only credible AF stout options on the market
- Widely available - every supermarket, most pubs, even corner shops
- Affordable - comparable to regular Guinness pricing
- True 0.0% ABV (no "is it really alcohol-free?" uncertainty)
- Vegan-friendly
- Backed by serious R&D investment (€60M+)
❌ Cons
- Thinner mouthfeel than regular Guinness - the number one complaint
- Slightly sweeter and less complex than the alcoholic version
- No functional ingredients - purely an alcohol replacement, no relaxation effect
- Still contains gluten (barley)
- Added fructose to replace flavour lost during deacoholisation
- Head retention weaker than regular Guinness
- The stout category is niche - if you want a lager, this isn't it
Where to Buy Guinness 0.0
Guinness 0.0 is one of the most widely available non-alcoholic beers in the UK:
- Tesco - in-store and online
- Sainsbury's - in-store and online
- Ocado - online delivery
- Asda - in-store and online
- Morrisons - in-store and online
- Waitrose - in-store and online
- Most pubs - increasingly on draught as well as cans
- Off-licences and convenience stores - widespread
Price typically ranges from £1.30 to £1.80 per 500ml can depending on the retailer and any promotions.
Who Is Guinness 0.0 Best For?
- Guinness drinkers who want to cut back without changing their order
- Designated drivers - it looks like the real thing, no questions asked
- Pub-goers who want to fit in without drinking alcohol
- Stout lovers who haven't found a convincing AF alternative elsewhere
- People watching calories - at 14 kcal per 100ml, it's lighter than you'd expect
Who Should Look Elsewhere?
- Anyone wanting a functional effect - Guinness 0.0 doesn't contain adaptogens, nootropics, or any ingredients designed to mimic alcohol's relaxation. If you want something that actually helps you unwind, functional alcohol-free beers use ingredients like L-Theanine and Ashwagandha to target the same GABA receptors that alcohol hits.
- Gluten-free drinkers - it contains barley
- People who prefer lagers - this is a stout, with all the heaviness that implies
- Anyone looking for the lowest possible calories or sugar - there are leaner options
Alternatives to Guinness 0.0
If Guinness 0.0 isn't quite what you're after, here are some directions:
| Beer | Style | Calories (per 100ml) | Gluten Free | Functional | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IMPOSSIBREW Enhanced Lager | Lager | 17 kcal | ✓ (<20ppm) | ✓ (375mg Social Blend) | £2.55/can |
| Heineken 0.0 | Lager | 21 kcal | ✗ | ✗ | ~£1.20/can |
| Peroni 0.0 | Lager | 12 kcal | ✗ | ✗ | ~£1.50/can |
| BrewDog Punk AF | IPA | 16 kcal | ✗ | ✗ | ~£1.30/can |
For a direct comparison: IMPOSSIBREW vs Guinness 0.0
FAQ
How many calories in Guinness 0.0?
70 calories per 500ml can (14 kcal per 100ml). That's about 60% fewer calories than a regular Guinness Draught.
Is Guinness 0.0 really alcohol-free?
Yes. It's 0.0% ABV - genuinely zero alcohol, not the 0.5% that some "alcohol-free" beers contain.
Does Guinness 0.0 taste like real Guinness?
It's close - the closest any AF stout has come. The roasted malt and coffee notes are there, but the mouthfeel is thinner and the finish is slightly watery compared to the original.
Can you get drunk on Guinness 0.0?
No. It contains 0.0% alcohol. You cannot get drunk on it regardless of how much you drink.
Does Guinness 0.0 have sugar?
Yes - 0.6g per 100ml (3g per 500ml can). This is added fructose to replace flavour lost during deacoholisation. Regular Guinness contains essentially no sugar.
Where is Guinness 0.0 made?
St. James's Gate Brewery in Dublin, Ireland - the same brewery that makes regular Guinness.
Is Guinness 0.0 good for you?
It's lower in calories than regular Guinness and contains no alcohol. It contains B-vitamins and some minerals from the brewing process. However, it also contains added sugar and gluten. Whether it's "good for you" depends on your specific health goals.
Looking for an alcohol-free beer that actually helps you relax? IMPOSSIBREW Enhanced Lager is brewed with 375mg of Social Blend™ - L-Theanine, Ashwagandha, Vitamin B1, and Magnesium - designed to replicate the relaxation of alcohol without the alcohol itself. Try the Welcome Bundle →
