Lowlander Alcohol-Free Beers

Lowlander is an Amsterdam brewer of “botanically brewed” beers, started by Frederik Kampman, who came to beer from gin distilling. It says it now focuses entirely on low- and no-alcohol beer, and since 2023 it has been in a joint venture with the Nolet distilling family.

Who are Lowlander?

Frederik Kampman started Lowlander in Amsterdam and is still its “founder and Chief Botanical Officer”, in the company’s words. Before that he worked “in breweries and in gin and genever distilleries in the Netherlands and abroad”, Lowlander says; Beerwulf says his interest in botanicals began while he was working at a gin distillery.

The founding year depends on whom you read. Lowlander itself says 2016, as do Alcohol Change UK, Westons Cider and an EU circular-economy platform, and Beerwulf says Kampman launched the brand on 1 January 2016. A Rabobank article and Quote, the Dutch business magazine, say 2015.

Lowlander’s own summary of its approach is short: “The secret lies in botanicals.” It uses “only barley, hops, yeast, water—and of course botanicals”, it says. Kampman told Beerwulf that “The Netherlands actually has a very rich brewing history, especially when it comes to brewing with herbs and spices.” Rabobank says Lowlander has no breweries of its own; we couldn’t find where its beer is brewed.

Peel, pumpkins and Christmas trees

It brews with reclaimed orange and lemon peel from bars and restaurants, collected through PeelPioneers, the Morning Advertiser reported, and in 2019 BeverageDaily reported a 5% Winter IPA made with spruce needles and juniper, the needles taken from discarded Christmas trees. Its Pumpkin Weizen was launched as “the waste-saving Pumpkin Weizen for autumn”, under the headline “SAVE THE PUMPKIN. FREE THE BEER.”

Lowlander says it is a member of 1% for the Planet and gives 1% of its sales to nature causes. In 2023 it said it had completed an audit of its scope 1 to 3 emissions and set a roadmap to net zero by 2040. For each can of Cool Earth Lager sold, Beerwulf says, seagrass is planted in the Dutch Wadden Sea.

Side projects include a tompouce ale with HEMA in April 2021, what Lowlander called “the world’s first nature-positive gin” in 2022, and the Lowlander Botanical Bar & Restaurant in Amsterdam-Noord, which it opened in March 2023. An EU circular-economy platform says Lowlander has won World Beer Awards in design, taste and best label categories, without naming years or medals; we couldn’t confirm that on the awards’ own site.

Low and no, up to 3.5%

Lowlander says it now focuses fully on low- and no-alcohol beers, as the first and only Dutch beer brand to do so. It says it already sells more non-alcoholic beer than alcoholic, and that its stronger beers are being phased out. Its idea of low stops at 3.5%: in February 2026 it described itself as brewing “low and no-alcohol beers (up to 3.5% alcohol)”.

On 1 November 2026 its online shop listed six beers, all marked sold out: the 0.00% Wit, a 0.3% Non-Alc Blond, a 3.5% Blond, a 3.8% Tropical Ale, a 4.0% Cool Earth Lager and a 5.0% White. In 2023 it also listed three botanical sodas.

Who owns Lowlander?

In May 2023 Lowlander announced a joint venture with the Nolet Group, the Schiedam distillers, with eleven generations of distilling behind them. Lowlander said it “will continue as an independent company with its existing team”, and gave no shareholdings or financial terms. Quote reported that Lowlander would reportedly hold a minority stake, that sources in the beer industry named Nolet as the parent party, and that Axivate Capital, an investor in Lowlander, was leaving with the deal; Kampman didn’t disclose the split.

Lowlander still calls itself independent: “an independent botanical brewer from Amsterdam”, in February 2026. Kampman told Quote it was the second independent brewer in the Netherlands, after Jopen. But with a larger distilling group as its joint-venture partner, and by Quote’s report the bigger party, we don’t show an independent badge.

In February 2026 Lowlander said AB InBev would handle its exclusive distribution in the Netherlands. In the UK, Westons Cider took over its distribution from 1 February 2020, Brewbound reported; we couldn’t find who handles it now.

Lowlander’s alcohol-free beers

0.00% Wit was launched in the Netherlands in May 2019, with the UK and Germany to follow, the Morning Advertiser reported. Lowlander calls it a “Botanically brewed 0.00% Wit with reclaimed orange & lemon peels”, “Refreshing & crisp with bursts of fruit & citrus flavours”, and lists water, barley malt, malted wheat, hops, orange and lemon. It is 0.0%. Dry Drinker describes it as hazy golden with notes of orange peel, coriander and citrus zest. Lowlander doesn’t say how the alcohol is kept low.

Its calories depend on the source. Albert Heijn’s listing for the 330ml bottle gives 23 kcal per 100ml, free-beer.co.uk gives 27.8, and the trade database PS Foodservice gives 32 for the can; Lowlander’s own page gives none. It contains gluten, from barley and wheat. Dry Drinker tags it vegan and free-beer.co.uk says it isn’t, so we don’t say either way.

The Pumpkin Weizen in our directory is the 0.3% Non-Alc version. Albert Heijn and PS Foodservice list water, barley malt, wheat, hops, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, pumpkin and orange, and PS Foodservice describes “pumpkin and spiced orange”. Lowlander has also sold Pumpkin Weizens at 3.5% and 5%. Albert Heijn gives 23 kcal per 100ml for the non-alc version, the only figure we found, and its listing now says the beer is out of its range.

How Lowlander compares

Alcohol-free witbiers and Dutch alcohol-free beers in our directory. For Lowlander’s Wit, sources give 23, 27.8 or 32 kcal per 100ml (see above). Calories are the figures our calorie calculator holds; checked 1 November 2026. Scores are Unhopped ratings out of 10.

The Lowlander beers in our directory

Checked 1 November 2026. Calories are the figures our calculator holds; the sources disagree for both beers, as set out above. Scores are Unhopped ratings out of 10.

Where to buy Lowlander

On 1 November 2026 none of the UK shops we link to had Lowlander in stock. Dry Drinker lists the 0.00% Wit in cases of 6, 12 and 24 cans, all sold out, and had the Pumpkin Weizen only in a Lowlander mixed case, also sold out; The Alcohol Free Co and Wise Bartender had no Lowlander beers. Lowlander’s own shop showed the Wit sold out too. For other Dutch alcohol-free beers, see our Dutch alcohol-free beer guide.

Facts checked against Lowlander’s own website and shop, Quote, Rabobank, Beerwulf, BeverageDaily, the Morning Advertiser, Brewbound, Westons, Alcohol Change UK, the EU circular economy platform, Albert Heijn, PS Foodservice, free-beer.co.uk, Dry Drinker, The Alcohol Free Co and Wise Bartender, 1 November 2026.