Brooklyn Special Effects
By Brooklyn Brewery · USA
Brooklyn Brewery’s alcohol-free hoppy lager, dry-hopped with Mosaic, Citra and Amarillo: “a low alcohol hoppy lager with an unexpected piney aroma and pleasantly bitter finish”, its UK description says. It’s 0.4% ABV with 29 kcal per 100ml, and we score it 7.6 out of 10.
At 0.4% 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
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What is Special Effects?
Special Effects is Brooklyn Brewery’s alcohol-free beer: a hoppy amber lager brewed with pale, caramel and dark roasted Munich malts and dry-hopped with Mosaic, Citra and Amarillo, “a technique rarely used in alcohol-free brewing”, Brooklyn said when it launched the beer in Sweden in December 2018. It came to the UK in 2019. Brooklyn’s brewmaster, Garrett Oliver, said the aim was “a recipe where the drinker might not know that it was an alcohol-free beer unless someone told them”.
The cans sold in the UK are 0.4% ABV, brewed in Sweden and canned in the UK by Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Co., according to the label; Carlsberg distributes Brooklyn here. At the UK launch in 2019 the Morning Advertiser reported that it was brewed using “a specially developed fermentation method that limits the amount of alcohol created”. The label gives 29 kcal and 2.9g of sugar per 100ml and lists water, malted barley and hops, and Brooklyn says all its beers are vegan friendly.
In the US, Brooklyn renamed its alcohol-free range in April 2026: this beer is now Non-Alcoholic Brooklyn Original, with a different list of hops, and there are US-only IPA, pils and grapefruit IPA versions. In the UK it’s still Brooklyn Special Effects, the only Brooklyn alcohol-free beer we found on sale here. Tesco, Waitrose, Ocado, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s sell it, and so does Wise Bartender. For other American beers, see our guide to American alcohol-free beer.
Awards
- Great Taste Awards 2024: one star, shown in the organiser’s directory
From the Great Taste directory of the Guild of Fine Food, which runs the awards, checked October 2026.
Flavour Profile
A guide based on the style and Brooklyn’s description (a piney aroma, bready sweetness and a pleasantly bitter finish) and the label (2.9g of sugar per 100ml), to help you compare at a glance — not a definitive tasting.
Nutrition
| Typical values | Per 100ml | Per 330ml can |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 121 kJ / 29 kcal | about 399 kJ / 96 kcal |
| Fat | 0g | 0g |
| Carbohydrate | 6.3g | about 20.8g |
| of which sugars | 2.9g | about 9.6g |
| Protein | <0.5g | <1.7g |
| Salt | 0g | 0g |
Per-100ml figures from the UK label, as listed by Tesco, Ocado, Waitrose and Morrisons, checked October 2026. Per-pack figures are our own sums from the 100ml figures. Carlsberg Britvic, which distributes it, gives the same 29 kcal per 100ml.
Key facts
| Official name | Brooklyn Special Effects, an alcohol-free hoppy lager. In the US, Brooklyn renamed it Non-Alcoholic Brooklyn Original in April 2026 |
|---|---|
| Brewery | Brooklyn Brewery, USA |
| Style | Hoppy amber lager |
| ABV | 0.4% ABV, on the UK label |
| Pack | 330ml can |
| Calories | 29 kcal per 100ml; about 96 per 330ml can |
| Carbohydrate | 6.3g per 100ml |
| Sugar | 2.9g per 100ml |
| Ingredients | Water, malted barley and hops (UK label) |
| Hops | Mosaic, Citra and Amarillo, used to dry-hop it, according to the UK product description; Brooklyn’s 2019 UK launch named Citra and Amarillo |
| Allergens | Barley (gluten) |
| Vegan | Yes: Brooklyn says all its beers are vegan friendly, and Ocado, Waitrose and Morrisons list it as vegan |
| Gluten | Contains gluten (barley); Brooklyn says none of its beers is gluten-free |
| How it’s made | Brewed using “a specially developed fermentation method that limits the amount of alcohol created”, the Morning Advertiser reported at the UK launch in 2019 |
| Brewed | The UK cans are brewed in Sweden and canned in the UK by Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Co., the label says |
| Awards | Great Taste Awards 2024: one star, shown in the organiser’s directory |
| UK availability | In stock online and in supermarkets |
Sources: the UK label as listed by Tesco, Ocado, Waitrose and Morrisons, Carlsberg Britvic, Brooklyn’s website, Brewbound, the Morning Advertiser, drinks-intel, Dry Drinker and Wise Bartender, checked October 2026. The label on the can or bottle is always the final word.
How Special Effects sits in the Brooklyn Brewery range
| Beer | Style | ABV | Per 100ml | Unhopped score | UK status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special Effects (this beer) | Hoppy amber lager | 0.4% | 29 kcal | 7.6 | In stock online and in supermarkets |
The Brooklyn Brewery beers in our directory, checked October 2026. Scores are Unhopped ratings out of 10. In the US, Brooklyn renamed its alcohol-free range in April 2026 and also sells an IPA, a pils and a grapefruit IPA; we found none of them on sale in the UK.
About Brooklyn Brewery
Brooklyn Brewery is the New York craft brewery Steve Hindy and Tom Potter started in 1988, best known for Brooklyn Lager. Japan’s Kirin has held about 24.5% since 2016, and Carlsberg distributes its beer in the UK; the Special Effects cans sold here are brewed in Sweden.
See all Brooklyn Brewery beers →Track every beer, discover your taste archetype, join the community.
New to lager? What is lager? · Lager vs ale · Pilsner vs lager · The best alcohol-free lagers
About the hops: Mosaic, Citra and Amarillo. Types of hops · What are hops? · What is dry hopping?
