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Adnams
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Adnams Alcohol-Free Beers

Ghost Ship Alcohol Free is Adnams’ only alcohol-free beer. Our score: 8.0/10.

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Adnams has brewed in Southwold, on the Suffolk coast, since 1872. Its one alcohol-free beer is Ghost Ship Alcohol Free, launched in 2018 as Ghost Ship 0.5%: the 0.5% version of Ghost Ship, Adnams’ best-selling beer, de-alcoholised at the brewery and sold in bottles, cans and on draught. It’s vegan, and the 440ml can is labelled gluten-free.

Adnams at a glance
  • Based: Sole Bay Brewery, Southwold, Suffolk
  • Brewing there since: 1872 (Adnams and Co. was formed in 1890)
  • Ownership: Adnams plc, an independent company whose B shares trade on the Aquis Growth Market
  • Alcohol-free beer: Ghost Ship Alcohol Free, 0.5% (also sold as Ghost Ship 0.5%)
  • Formats: 500ml bottle, 440ml can and draught
  • Dietary: vegan; the can and draught are gluten-free, according to Adnams, but the bottle isn’t
  • Where to buy: Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Asda, Morrisons, Ocado, the Co-op, Dry Drinker, Wise Bartender and Adnams

Who are Adnams?

Adnams says beer has been brewed on its Southwold site since at least 1345. The family story starts in 1872, when George and Ernest Adnams bought the Sole Bay Brewery from William Crisp; Adnams and Co. was formed in 1890, and the brewery still stands on the same corner of the town. In 2010 Adnams opened the Copper House Distillery at the brewery, and says it was the first brewery in the UK legally allowed to install one.

Its core beers include Southwold Bitter, Broadside and Ghost Ship, a pale ale first brewed in 2010 that Adnams calls its best-selling beer. Full-strength Ghost Ship was 4.5% for most of its life; Adnams now sells it at 4.1%.

Adnams is an independent company, and its B shares trade on the Aquis Growth Market. It considered offers in 2024 but decided not to sell the business, and has since sold some of its pubs; in May 2026 it reported 27 pubs and hotels.

How Adnams makes Ghost Ship Alcohol Free

Adnams says Ghost Ship Alcohol Free is brewed and fermented “like all our other beers”, with a full fermentation, and the alcohol is then taken out at cold temperatures by reverse osmosis, using a GEA AromaPlus membrane unit that Adnams bought in March 2018. GEA’s case study on the plant gives a slightly different account, quoting Jonathan Adnams on a lighter “restricted fermentation brew” with less malt and a lot of dry hop. Adnams says it chose reverse osmosis over vacuum distillation because the cold process is “much gentler on the character of the hops and malt”, and that it was the first brewery in the UK, and the second in Europe, to invest in this kind of plant. Within three months the beer was ready, and by January 2020 Adnams said it was making 12,000 litres of it a day. Our guide to how alcohol-free beer is made compares the methods.

The recipe uses East Anglian pale ale and Cara malts, rye crystal malt, and Citra with a blend of UK and US hops. Adnams describes “whispers of aromatic elderflower, bold citrus and gooseberry flavours, and hints of warming rye spice”, and says the rye is grown on a farm just up the road from the brewery. The label gives 12 kcal and just 0.1g of sugar per 100ml.

The 440ml can goes through an extra validation process so that Adnams can label it gluten-free: it uses an enzyme to break down gluten, and the beer contains no more than 20 parts per million. Adnams says the draught version is gluten-free too. The 500ml bottle isn’t labelled gluten-free. More options are in our gluten-free alcohol-free beer guide.

Since July 2025 Adnams has called the beer Ghost Ship Alcohol Free, starting with the 440ml can; most supermarkets still list the bottle as Ghost Ship 0.5%. From October 2026 Adnams is also launching a handpull keg version, which it calls the world’s first alcohol-free handpull beer. It’s the same beer, and Adnams says it is still “south of 0.5% abv”.

Bottle, can or draught?

FormatCaloriesGlutenWhere to find it
500ml bottleabout 60 kcalNot gluten-free (contains barley, gluten, rye)Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Asda, Morrisons, Ocado, Co-op, Dry Drinker, Wise Bartender, Adnams
440ml canabout 53 kcalLabelled gluten-free (20ppm or less)Sainsbury’s (four-packs), Wise Bartender, Dry Drinker, Adnams
Draught (keg)—Gluten-free, according to AdnamsPubs and bars

From Adnams’ product pages and trade blog, and retailer listings, checked October 2026. Calories are our sums from the 12 kcal per 100ml label figure.

Awards

The bronze Adnams also won at the 2019 World Beer Awards went to full-strength Ghost Ship, not the alcohol-free version. Adnams calls Ghost Ship Alcohol Free “the UK’s No.1 Low-&-No Ale in pubs and bars”, though it doesn’t say where that figure comes from.

Where to buy Ghost Ship Alcohol Free

It’s widely available. Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Asda, Morrisons, Ocado and the Co-op all list the 500ml bottle, Sainsbury’s also sells four-packs of the gluten-free 440ml can, and our supermarket guides show what else each one stocks. Online, Dry Drinker, Wise Bartender and Adnams’ own shop all sell both bottles and cans. In pubs and bars, look for it on draught. Retailer links are affiliate links.

For our verdict, read the Adnams Ghost Ship review, or compare it with other beers on our alcohol-free pale ale hub and in our list of the best alcohol-free pale ales. If you usually drink London Pride, it’s the top pick in our London Pride swaps.

Facts checked against Adnams’ own website and journal, its stock-market announcements, GEA, competition results and UK supermarket labels, October 2026.

Full Range

All Adnams Alcohol-Free Beers

Adnams Ghost Ship 0.5% alcohol-free pale ale
Pale Ale
Adnams Ghost Ship 0.5%
Adnams · UK
0.5% ABV8.0

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Frequently asked questions

Does Adnams make alcohol-free beer?
Yes, one: Ghost Ship Alcohol Free, a 0.5% pale ale. It launched in 2018 as Ghost Ship 0.5%, and supermarkets still list the bottle under that name. Adnams also sells alcohol-free wines and a 0.5% cider, Wild Wave, but no other alcohol-free beer of its own.
Is Adnams Ghost Ship alcohol-free gluten-free?
In the can and on draught, yes, according to Adnams. The 440ml can is labelled gluten-free: Adnams uses an enzyme to break down gluten, and says the beer contains no more than 20 parts per million. The 500ml bottle is not labelled gluten-free; its allergen line reads “Contains: Barley, Gluten, Rye”. Adnams labels both the bottle and the can suitable for vegans.
How does Adnams make Ghost Ship alcohol-free?
Adnams says the beer is fermented like its other beers, then the alcohol is removed at cold temperatures by reverse osmosis, using a GEA AromaPlus membrane unit Adnams bought in March 2018.
Who owns Adnams?
Adnams is an independent company, Adnams plc, whose B shares trade on the Aquis Growth Market. It considered offers in 2024 but decided not to sell the business.
What strength is full-strength Ghost Ship?
Adnams now sells it at 4.1% ABV. It was 4.5% for most of its life, and Adnams has since lowered the strength; its own shop and core-beer list now give 4.1%.
Where can I buy Adnams Ghost Ship alcohol-free?
Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Asda, Morrisons, Ocado and the Co-op all list the 500ml bottle, and Sainsbury’s also sells four-packs of the gluten-free 440ml can. Online, Dry Drinker, Wise Bartender and Adnams’ own shop sell bottles and cans, and it’s on draught in pubs and bars.