Adnams Ghost Ship 0.5%
By Adnams · UK
The alcohol-free version of Ghost Ship, Adnams’ best-selling beer, now sold as Ghost Ship Alcohol Free. Adnams describes elderflower, citrus and gooseberry with a hint of rye spice. It has 12 kcal per 100ml and is vegan, and the 440ml can is labelled gluten-free.
At 0.5% ABV, this isn’t alcohol-free under UK guidance, which keeps the term for 0.05% or less. We list it with alcohol-free beers, as UK shops do. How UK labels work
Buy Adnams Ghost Ship 0.5% at Wise Bartender →Also at The Alcohol Free Co →Also at Dry Drinker →Gluten-free 440ml cans at Wise Bartender →Retailer links are affiliate links — we earn a small commission at no cost to you
What is Ghost Ship 0.5%?
Adnams launched Ghost Ship 0.5% in 2018, after buying a reverse-osmosis de-alcoholisation unit from GEA for its Southwold brewery that March. Adnams says the plant lets it brew and ferment the beer “like all our other beers” and then, “at cold temperatures, remove the alcohol”. A year later it won gold at the World Beer Awards, and Adnams has since expanded the plant to keep up with demand.
Since July 2025 Adnams has called it Ghost Ship Alcohol Free, starting with a new 440ml can. Most supermarkets still list the 500ml bottle as Ghost Ship 0.5%. It’s the same beer, and Adnams says the strength “remains south of 0.5% abv (just like it’s always been)”.
The recipe uses East Anglian pale ale and Cara malts, rye crystal malt, and Citra with a blend of UK and US hops. Adnams describes “whispers of aromatic elderflower, bold citrus and gooseberry flavours, and hints of warming rye spice”. It says the rye is grown on a farm just up the road from the brewery, and in 2023 it named the grower as Jonathan Adnams, then its chairman, at Reydon.
Adnams calls it “the UK’s No.1 Low-&-No Ale in pubs and bars”, though it doesn’t say where that figure comes from. From October 2026 Adnams is also launching a handpull keg version, which it calls the world’s first alcohol-free handpull beer. You’ll find it on draught as well as in bottles and cans, and Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Asda, Morrisons, Ocado and the Co-op all list the 500ml bottle.
Tasting notes and what to expect
Appearance and aroma: Pale gold and clear, with a white head. Citrus hops lead, grapefruit and lemon, over a clean pale-malt base, with more hop aroma than most alcohol-free pale ales.
Palate and finish: Light to medium body and a defined bitterness, citrus up front with a touch of biscuit malt and rye spice underneath. It finishes dry rather than sweet: the label shows just 0.1g of sugar per 100ml.
Food pairings: Fish and chips, burgers, fish pie and sharp cheddar. The citrus and bitterness cut through richer food well.
How it compares: Drier and more bitter than soft hazy pale ales such as Northern Monk Faith Alcohol Free, and more of a traditional pub pale ale than BrewDog Punk AF. For the wider field, see the best alcohol-free pale ales.
Awards
- Gold, World Beer Awards 2019
- Bronze, World Alcohol Free Awards 2025 (bottle)
- Silver, World Beer Awards 2025 (No and Low Alcohol Pale)
- Gold for keg and for can, SIBA Indie Beer Awards East 2025
- Gold (keg, Non-Alcoholic & Low ABV) and Silver (can), SIBA Indie Beer Awards 2026
- Silver, IWSC 2026 (Alternative Drinks)
- Gold (keg), SIBA Indie Beer Awards East 2026
From Adnams, GEA, SIBA, the World Alcohol Free Awards and IWSC results pages, and local press.
Flavour Profile
A guide based on the style and elderflower, citrus, gooseberry and rye spice, plus the label’s 0.1g of sugar per 100ml, to help you compare at a glance — not a definitive tasting.
Nutrition
| Typical values | Per 100ml | Per 500ml bottle | Per 440ml can |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 47 kJ / 12 kcal | about 235 kJ / 60 kcal | about 207 kJ / 53 kcal |
| Fat | <0.5g | <2.5g | <2.2g |
| of which saturates | <0.1g | <0.5g | <0.5g |
| Carbohydrate | 2.7g | about 13.5g | about 11.9g |
| of which sugars | 0.1g | about 0.5g | about 0.4g |
| Protein | 0.3g | about 1.5g | about 1.3g |
| Salt | <0.1g | <0.5g | <0.5g |
Per-100ml figures from Adnams’ bottle page, matching the labels at Tesco, Waitrose, Ocado, Asda and Morrisons (Sainsbury’s rounds the smaller figures to <0.5g), checked October 2026. Per-pack figures are our own sums from the 100ml figures.
Key facts
| Official name | Ghost Ship Alcohol Free (launched in 2018 as Ghost Ship 0.5%) |
|---|---|
| Brewery | Adnams, UK |
| Style | Pale Ale |
| ABV | 0.5% (Adnams also describes it as “less than 0.5%”) |
| Pack | 500ml bottle, 440ml can and draught |
| Calories | 12 kcal per 100ml; about 60 per 500ml bottle; about 53 per 440ml can |
| Carbohydrate | 2.7g per 100ml |
| Sugar | 0.1g per 100ml |
| Ingredients | Water, malted barley, malted rye, hops, yeast |
| Hops and malts | Citra, plus a blend of UK and US hops; pale ale, rye crystal and Cara malts |
| Allergens | Barley and rye |
| Vegan | Yes (Adnams labels it suitable for vegans) |
| Gluten | 440ml can: labelled gluten-free (no more than 20ppm). Draught: gluten-free, according to Adnams. 500ml bottle: not labelled gluten-free (contains gluten) |
| How it’s made | De-alcoholised cold by reverse osmosis at the brewery; Adnams says it is brewed with a full fermentation |
| Brewed | Southwold, Suffolk |
| Awards | Gold, World Beer Awards 2019; 6 more listed above |
| UK availability | On sale in the UK |
Sources: Adnams’ own bottle and can pages, UK supermarket labels and Adnams’ journal, checked October 2026. The label on the can or bottle is always the final word.
Bottle, can or draught?
It’s the same beer in every format, but the gluten status isn’t. If you need gluten-free, buy the can or ask for it on draught.
| Format | Calories | Gluten | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500ml bottle | about 60 kcal | Not gluten-free (contains barley, gluten, rye) | Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Asda, Morrisons, Ocado, Co-op, Dry Drinker, Wise Bartender, Adnams |
| 440ml can | about 53 kcal | Labelled gluten-free (20ppm or less) | Sainsbury’s (four-packs), Wise Bartender, Dry Drinker, Adnams |
| Draught (keg) | — | Gluten-free, according to Adnams | Pubs and bars |
From Adnams’ product pages and trade blog, and retailer listings, checked October 2026. Calories are our sums from the 12 kcal per 100ml label figure.
About Adnams
Adnams has brewed at the Sole Bay Brewery in Southwold, on the Suffolk coast, since George and Ernest Adnams bought it in 1872. Ghost Ship Alcohol Free is its only alcohol-free beer: launched in 2018 as Ghost Ship 0.5%, it is de-alcoholised at the brewery by reverse osmosis, after what Adnams describes as a full fermentation.
See all Adnams beers →Read our Adnams review →Track every beer, discover your taste archetype, join the community.
Door 18 of our alcohol-free advent calendar. Adnams Ghost Ship 0.5% is one of the 24 beers in the calendar you can build yourself, chosen from the highest scorers in our reviews. See all 24 doors in our build-your-own alcohol-free advent calendar. It’s also door 19 of the 24-beer calendar you can buy in one order.
About the hops: Citra. Types of hops · What are hops?
