Burnside Wayfinder Lager
By Burnside · UK
Burnside’s alcohol-free lager, the 0.5% partner to its Right to Roam IPA. Dry Drinker describes a crisp, modern lager with “notes of citrus peel, passion fruit and soft pine”, and it won Silver at the World Alcohol-Free Awards 2025 and a Great Taste star in 2026. It’s vegan, Burnside doesn’t publish calories, and Dry Drinker had it sold out when we checked.
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
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What is Wayfinder?
Wayfinder is the second of Burnside’s two alcohol-free beers, a lager to sit beside Right to Roam. Like the IPA, it’s brewed in small batches with a special yeast strain to be naturally alcohol-free at 0.5%, Burnside says. The brewery doesn’t name the hops.
We couldn’t read a description on Burnside’s own site. Dry Drinker calls it “a crisp, modern alcohol free lager from the heart of Aberdeenshire”, made with Scottish mountain water, pale malts and aromatic hops, with “notes of citrus peel, passion fruit and soft pine” and gentle malt sweetness.
It won Silver at the World Alcohol-Free Awards 2025, the organiser’s results show (Right to Roam took Gold), and one star at the Great Taste Awards 2026, the Guild of Fine Food’s directory shows. It’s vegan, Burnside says, but not gluten-free.
Scotmid began stocking it alongside Right to Roam in December 2024, Aberdeen Business News reported. Dry Drinker lists it but had it sold out when we checked, and Wise Bartender doesn’t sell it. For lagers you can buy now, see the best alcohol-free lagers.
Awards
- Great Taste Awards 2026: one star
- World Alcohol-Free Awards 2025: Silver
From the Great Taste directory of the Guild of Fine Food, which runs those awards, and the World Alcohol-Free Awards’ 2025 results, checked October 2026.
Flavour Profile
A guide based on the style and Dry Drinker’s description (citrus peel, passion fruit, soft pine, gentle malt sweetness), to help you compare at a glance — not a definitive tasting.
Key facts
| Official name | Wayfinder (Burnside calls it an alcohol-free lager) |
|---|---|
| Brewery | Burnside, UK |
| Style | Lager |
| ABV | 0.5% ABV, according to Burnside |
| Pack | 330ml bottle (cases of 6, 12 and 24 at Dry Drinker) |
| Calories | Not published |
| Ingredients | Water, barley, wheat, hops and yeast (Cotswold Fayre, a trade wholesaler) |
| Hops | Not named by Burnside |
| Allergens | Barley and wheat (gluten) |
| Vegan | Yes: Burnside says it clears its beers with only time and temperature, not additives that often include animal products, and Cotswold Fayre, a trade wholesaler, lists it as vegan |
| Gluten | Contains gluten (barley and wheat); Burnside says it doesn’t make a gluten-free beer |
| How it’s made | Brewed in small batches “using a special yeast strain to be naturally alcohol free”, Burnside says; it doesn’t name the strain |
| Brewed | By Burnside in Aberdeenshire, which brews and bottles on site; its new, bigger brewery near Laurencekirk, at Fordoun, had its first brew at the end of 2025 |
| Awards | Great Taste Awards 2026: one star; 1 more listed above |
| UK availability | Sold out at Dry Drinker |
Sources: Burnside’s website, the World Alcohol-Free Awards’ 2025 results, Cotswold Fayre, CAMRA, Aberdeen Business News, Dry Drinker and Wise Bartender, checked October 2026. The label on the can or bottle is always the final word.
How Wayfinder sits in the Burnside range
| Beer | Style | ABV | Per 100ml | Unhopped score | UK status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Right to Roam | IPA | 0.5% | Not published | Not yet rated | Sold out at Dry Drinker |
| Wayfinder (this beer) | Lager | 0.5% | Not published | Not yet rated | Sold out at Dry Drinker |
The Burnside beers in our directory, checked October 2026. Scores are Unhopped ratings out of 10. Burnside says these are its two alcohol-free beers.
About Burnside
Burnside is an independent craft brewery in Aberdeenshire, founded in 2010 by Gary and Dave Metcalfe as Laurencekirk’s local brewery and taken over in 2018 by its current owners, led by Steve Lewis and Margo Macnab. It opened a bigger brewery at Fordoun, near Laurencekirk, at the end of 2025. Its two alcohol-free beers are its bestsellers, it says.
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