UNLTD Alcohol-Free Beer: The Brand, The Story & The Range
Updated · September 2026 · by Rich, founder of Unhopped
If you drink alcohol-free in the UK, you’ll have come across the bold black-and-gold cans. Here’s the story behind UNLTD — how it started, what makes it different, and why it’s become one of the most respected names in the category.
Where UNLTD came from
UNLTD began, as the best things often do, with a personal itch. After a raucous wedding in summer 2019, founder Johnny Johnson knocked the booze on the head for three months out of curiosity — and found he slept better, felt happier, and had hours back in his week. The one thing he missed was a cold beer at the end of the day, so he worked through everything on the shelf and, in his words, “there wasn’t a single one I’d have chosen over a beer.” He registered The Alcohol Free Brewing Company in September 2019, and UNLTD launched in June 2020 — which, with every pub in the country shut for lockdown, was “character-building”. You can read the full founder interview here.
What makes UNLTD different
It’s brewed alcohol-free, not stripped
This is the heart of it. There are two ways to make alcohol-free beer: brew a full-strength beer and remove the alcohol, or brew it so the alcohol was never there. UNLTD does the second — the harder road, with far less margin for error. But as Johnny puts it, stripping alcohol from a finished beer “takes a lot of the aroma and body with it, and then you’re in the business of adding things back to cover the gap.” Brewing it out from the start is why UNLTD tastes fuller than you expect — and why the calories are so low: 40 a can for the Lager, just 23 for the IPA.
It’s a B Corp — built in from day one
UNLTD certified as a B Corporation from the start rather than bolting it on later. As Johnny told us, “the version where you get big first and worry about it later never actually arrives.” In a category where a lot of brands talk about doing things properly, B Corp is one of the few things that makes you show your working — it audits how you pay people, who you buy from, and what you put in the ground.
The pint can was a masterstroke
UNLTD’s beers come in 568ml pint cans, and that’s deliberate. The insight, as Johnny explains it: most people ordering alcohol-free in a pub aren’t worried about the beer, they’re worried about “being the person holding the little bottle while everyone else has a pint.” A full-size can lands on the bar and looks like everyone else’s drink. It’s a social problem solved with a packaging decision — and it’s helped UNLTD fly in pubs and bars.
The UNLTD range
Two core beers, both 0.5% ABV, both vegan, gluten-free and B Corp:
UNLTD Lager — a clean, crisp, thirst-quenching lager at 40 calories a pint can. Our full tasting review of the Lager is here.
UNLTD IPA — a hop-forward IPA at just 23 calories, among the lowest-calorie alcohol-free beers in the UK. Our full IPA tasting review is here.
Is UNLTD worth trying?
If you want alcohol-free beer that tastes like beer — brewed with care, genuinely low in calories, and made by a company that does things properly — UNLTD is one of the UK’s best. Start with whichever suits your taste: the Lager for an easy-drinking pint, the IPA if you like a bit of hop. And if you’re new to alcohol-free entirely, our Swap Finder will match your usual pint to a good 0.0 or 0.5 alternative.