Guinness 0.0 vs Big Drop Galactic Milk Stout: Which AF Stout Wins?
Published May 2026 · 6-minute read · by Rich, founder of Unhopped
AF stout used to be the hardest category in alcohol-free brewing — the rich body and roasted character of a good stout don't survive most alcohol-removal processes intact. These two beers are the proof that the category has cracked it. They've taken different routes to get there, and the result is two very different drinking experiences.
Dry stout vs milk stout — different beers entirely
Before comparing the two specific beers, the categories matter. Guinness 0.0 is an alcohol-free dry stout — that's the original Irish-style template, characterised by roasted barley, low residual sugar, a dry finish, and a nitrogen pour. Big Drop Galactic Milk Stout is an alcohol-free milk stout — a sweeter style, brewed with lactose for body and sweetness, leaning towards the dessert end of stout.
If you reach for a Guinness in a pub and reach for a sweet stout at the supermarket for after dinner, you'd buy both of these — they serve different occasions.
How they're made
Guinness 0.0 is brewed at St. James's Gate in Dublin — same brewery, same recipe starting point as full-strength Guinness Draught. The brew goes through full fermentation and maturation, then alcohol is removed via cold filtration: a low-temperature process that preserves roasted-malt character better than thermal alcohol-removal would. Guinness then add fructose and natural flavourings to balance what the alcohol removal takes out. Launched globally in 2021 (after a 2020 recall delayed the original release).
Big Drop Galactic Milk Stout is brewed using Big Drop's proprietary Reduced Amylase Brewing process — a technique that prevents alcohol from forming above 0.5% ABV during fermentation, rather than removing it from a finished beer. Ingredients include barley, oats, rye, lactose (for body and sweetness), Bramling Cross hops, cocoa nibs, and yeast. Big Drop are an alcohol-free-only specialist, founded in 2016 by Rob Fink and James Kindred.
| Guinness 0.0 | Big Drop Galactic Milk Stout | |
|---|---|---|
| ABV | 0.0% (max 0.05%) | 0.5% |
| Style | Dry stout | Milk stout (sweet) |
| Calories per 330ml | ~56 kcal (17 per 100ml) | 91 kcal (27.5 per 100ml) |
| Brewing process | Full brew + cold filtration to remove alcohol | Reduced Amylase Brewing — alcohol never forms |
| Brewery | St. James's Gate, Dublin | UK (contract-brewed) |
| Mouthfeel | Light-medium, dry | Full, sweet, viscous |
| Vegan | Yes (since 2018) | No (contains lactose) |
| Gluten-free | No (barley) | Yes (<20ppm) |
| Adjuncts | Fructose, natural flavourings | Lactose, cocoa nibs |
| UK supermarkets | Every major chain | Selected major retailers + specialists |
| UK draught | Increasingly widespread | Cans only |
| Awards | Multiple, including World Beer Awards | 100+ international awards |
How they actually taste
Guinness 0.0 — the Guinness experience, lighter
Guinness 0.0 looks like Guinness — deep ruby-black with a creamy tan head, the iconic nitro cascade settling beautifully when poured from the widget can. Aroma is roasted barley, dry coffee, faint underlying sweetness.
On the palate, it's light-to-medium body — slightly thinner than full-strength Guinness — with the same dry roasted-grain character through the palate. Modest bitterness, creamy mouthfeel from the nitrogen, finishing dry with a lingering coffee-roasted note. Drink from cold draught or properly chilled cans; warmer, the body gap to full-strength becomes more apparent. The most common reviewer verdict: "close, but not quite Guinness." That's about right.
Big Drop Galactic — dessert beer territory
Galactic Milk Stout pours properly black with a thick tan head. Aroma is roasted malt, milk chocolate, lightly burnt coffee, and a sweet creamy backdrop from the lactose. Recognisably stout in profile — no AF-beer awkwardness in the nose.
On the palate, Galactic is full-bodied — milk-stout-shaped rather than dry-stout-shaped. Coffee and dark chocolate flavours through the middle, creamy lactose sweetness running underneath, moderate bitterness, finishing sweet rather than dry. The lactose does most of the body work — without it, this would taste much thinner. This is honeycomb-covered-in-chocolate territory, which is exactly how Big Drop describe it.
The dietary differences matter here
Guinness 0.0 is vegan; Big Drop Galactic is not. Guinness moved away from isinglass (a fish-derived fining agent) in 2018, making the entire Guinness range — including 0.0 — suitable for vegans. Big Drop Galactic contains lactose (milk sugar), which is integral to the milk stout style. Big Drop's other beers (Pine Trail Pale Ale, Reef Point Lager) are vegan; Galactic is the exception.
Big Drop Galactic is gluten-free; Guinness 0.0 is not. Big Drop use a process that reduces gluten below the 20ppm threshold (the regulatory bar for "gluten-free" labelling). Guinness 0.0 is brewed with barley malt and contains gluten.
If you have specific dietary requirements, this is the clearest decision point: Guinness 0.0 for vegans who can tolerate gluten; Big Drop Galactic for coeliacs who can tolerate lactose; neither beer for anyone who avoids both.
Where each one wins
How they fit in the wider AF stout category
These two are the dominant choices in UK alcohol-free stout, but the category does have a top tier above them. Northern Monk's Heaven AF Chocolate Maple Stout pushes harder on adjuncts and body — imperial-style territory, much sweeter and richer than either of these. For the full picture, see our alcohol-free stout hub.
Beers to explore
Both featured beers below — easiest to compare side by side.
