Lucky Saint vs Heineken 0.0: Which Alcohol-Free Lager Wins?

Published May 2026 · 6-minute read · by Rich, founder of Unhopped

Short answer

Lucky Saint is the better-tasting beer for most drinkers — fuller-bodied, more characterful, and unfiltered for extra mouthfeel. Heineken 0.0 is lighter, cheaper, more widely available (especially on draught), and properly 0.0% alcohol rather than Lucky Saint's 0.5%. Pick Lucky Saint for sit-down meals and home drinking; pick Heineken 0.0 if you need genuine zero alcohol or you're in a pub that only stocks the basics.

These are the two alcohol-free lagers you're most likely to be offered in a UK pub right now. Both have broad supermarket distribution. Both are recognisable on a beer menu. But they're very different beers, with different ABVs, different brewing approaches, and different ideas about what an alcohol-free lager should taste like.

The basic distinction

Lucky Saint is a UK alcohol-free brand founded in 2018 by Luke Boase. Their flagship Unfiltered Lager is brewed in Bavaria using a single-fermentation process that prevents alcohol forming above 0.5% ABV in the first place — rather than removing it from a finished full-strength beer.

Heineken 0.0 is the alcohol-free expression of the world's most-recognised lager brand, launched globally in 2017. It's brewed at full strength using Heineken's proprietary A-yeast, then the alcohol is removed via vacuum distillation — a low-temperature process designed to preserve the original flavour. Heineken 0.0 is a true 0.0% (technically below 0.05% ABV).

	Lucky Saint Unfiltered Lager	Heineken 0.0
ABV	0.5%	0.0% (max 0.03%)
Calories per 330ml	53 kcal	~69 kcal (21 kcal/100ml)
Brewing process	Single fermentation, alcohol never forms	Full brew, then vacuum distillation
Brewery location	Bavaria, Germany	Multiple Heineken sites globally
Filtration	Unfiltered (hazy)	Filtered (clear)
Vegan	Yes	Yes
Gluten-free	No (Pilsner malt)	No (barley malt)
UK supermarkets	Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Ocado, Morrisons	All major supermarkets, off-licences
UK draught	Lucky Saint pub Marylebone, growing pub list	Most pubs that serve AF on draught
Price (4-pack 330ml)	~£6 typical (Tesco £4.75 with Clubcard)	~£4-5 typical

How they actually taste

Lucky Saint — fuller, breadier, characterful

Lucky Saint pours hazy pale gold with a steady white head. The unfiltered character is visible — a soft cloudiness rather than the bright clarity of a typical pilsner. Aroma is bread-crust malt, a touch of honey, a faint herbal-floral noble hop note in the background. It's clean — no wort-like or honey-syrup aromas that give away weaker AF lagers.

On the palate, Lucky Saint is full-bodied for a 0.5% beer. Bready malt up front, moderate bitterness through the middle, finishing dry with a subtle hop-derived spice. The mouthfeel is genuinely satisfying rather than thin or watery, which is the failure mode for most alcohol-free lagers. This is Bavarian Kellerbier territory — closer to a German village pub pint than to mass-market lager.

Heineken 0.0 — lighter, crisper, mainstream

Heineken 0.0 pours pale straw, brilliantly clear, with a quick-dropping white head. Aroma is light malt with a grain-husk character — recognisably Heineken in profile, just less intense than the full-strength version.

On the palate, Heineken 0.0 is light-bodied with gentle malt sweetness up front, mild hop bitterness in the middle, and a clean short finish. Body is the giveaway — Heineken 0.0 is thinner than the full-strength version because much of the body in regular Heineken comes from alcohol itself. Drink it well-chilled; warmer than fridge-cold, the gap to full-strength becomes more obvious.

0.0% vs 0.5% — does it matter?

This is the most common practical question. Heineken 0.0 contains essentially no alcohol; Lucky Saint contains 0.5% ABV. For most drinkers, the difference is academic — both are within the UK "alcohol-free" labelling threshold, both are safe to drive after, and both contain less alcohol than naturally occurs in things like ripe bananas or fresh orange juice.

But there are situations where 0.0% genuinely matters: pregnancy, recovery from alcohol dependence, certain medications, and religious observance. If any of those apply, Heineken 0.0 is the right choice. For more context on what these labels mean, see our 0.0% vs 0.5% explainer.

Calories — Heineken 0.0 wins on paper

Heineken 0.0 is roughly 21 kcal per 100ml, working out at around 69 kcal per 330ml bottle. Lucky Saint is 53 kcal per 330ml — about 23% lower than Heineken 0.0 on absolute calories per bottle, despite Lucky Saint having a fuller body.

Wait — Lucky Saint is fuller-bodied AND lower-calorie? That doesn't sound right. The maths works because Heineken 0.0 has more residual fermentable carbohydrate left over after alcohol removal, while Lucky Saint's fuller mouthfeel comes from unfiltered yeast and protein rather than residual sugars. For specific comparisons across more beers, run the numbers in our calorie calculator.

Where each one wins

Pick Lucky Saint when

You're sitting down with food (Lucky Saint's fuller body holds up to richer dishes); you're drinking at home and want a beer that feels like a proper Bavarian lager; you care about supporting a UK independent brand; or you simply prefer characterful beer to clean-and-light beer.

Pick Heineken 0.0 when

You need genuine 0.0% ABV (pregnancy, recovery, medication, observance); you're in a chain pub or restaurant and it's the only AF lager available; you want the lightest, crispest option for warm weather; or you want a familiar mainstream taste at a lower price point.

How they compare against the wider AF lager category

Lucky Saint sits at the top of the UK AF lager rankings — comfortably ahead of supermarket own-brand AF lagers, and in regular conversation with the highest-rated craft AF beers. Lucky Saint won the Which? 2025 blind taste test.

Heineken 0.0 is the world's most-distributed AF beer, but in pure flavour terms it sits in the middle of the category — better than budget supermarket options, behind dedicated craft AF brands. Its genuine advantage is availability, not flavour expression. For a fuller picture, see our alcohol-free lager hub.

Beers to explore

If this comparison helps, here are the two beers featured plus a couple more to consider in the same category:

Lager

Lucky Saint Unfiltered Lager

Heineken · Netherlands

0.0% ABV7.0

Buy on Dry Drinker →

Frequently asked questions

Is Lucky Saint 0.0% alcohol?

No — Lucky Saint Unfiltered Lager is 0.5% ABV. It's classified as alcohol-free under UK and EU labelling rules (which use a 0.5% threshold), but if you need strictly zero alcohol, Heineken 0.0 is the correct choice. Lucky Saint do not currently produce a 0.0% beer.

Which has more calories, Lucky Saint or Heineken 0.0?

Lucky Saint is 53 kcal per 330ml. Heineken 0.0 is around 69 kcal per 330ml. Lucky Saint is lower-calorie despite having a fuller body — the difference comes from how each beer is brewed.

Is Heineken 0.0 vegan?

Yes — Heineken state that Heineken 0.0 is suitable for vegans. The brewing process avoids animal-derived fining agents.

Is Lucky Saint gluten-free?

No — Lucky Saint Unfiltered Lager is brewed with Pilsner malt and contains gluten. It is not suitable for people with coeliac disease or gluten intolerance. Neither is Heineken 0.0, which uses barley malt.

Where can I get either of these on draught?

Heineken 0.0 is the more widely available draught option — it appears on tap in chain pubs and restaurants across the UK. Lucky Saint draught is more limited, currently focused on the Lucky Saint pub in Marylebone (their flagship) and a growing number of independent venues. Lucky Saint's own website lists current draught stockists.

Are they brewed in the UK?

Lucky Saint is a UK brand but the beer is brewed in Bavaria, Germany — Lucky Saint's website describes it as "made in Germany" by Not Another Beer Co Ltd. Heineken 0.0 is brewed at Heineken sites globally, with Heineken Netherlands the original source.