Lucky Saint Alcohol-Free Beers

Since 2018, Lucky Saint, a London-founded, Bavaria-brewed brand, has made alcohol-free lager for UK drinkers.

Who are Lucky Saint?

Lucky Saint was founded by Luke Boase and launched in the UK in October 2018; the company behind it, Not Another Beer Co Ltd, was incorporated in August 2017. Lucky Saint’s own story says Luke set out in 2016 to improve alcohol-free beer. Over two years he tried six breweries and met a brewery owner in Bavaria, whose brewery the brand doesn’t name; its brewmaster produced “a classic lager, brewed for 6 weeks, that had been left unfiltered”.

The Unfiltered Lager is brewed at a partner brewery in Bavaria using traditional German methods, then dealcoholised by vacuum distillation. Lucky Saint says it is “brewed the same way as a full-strength beer”, fermented and conditioned for six weeks, and the alcohol is then taken out with “a unique vacuum distillation process”. As Luke Boase told Master of Malt, you can “brew a full strength beer and remove the alcohol at the end of the process.”

Raconteur reported in March 2023 that Lucky Saint was stocked in 5,000 pubs, bars and restaurants in the UK, including 60 Michelin-starred venues, and The Grocer reports that Tesco listed it in April 2022 and Waitrose in May 2022. In 2023 Lucky Saint opened its own pub in a Regency terrace on Devonshire Street in Marylebone, London, with its head office on the top two floors. The pub is fully licensed and sells alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, including other brands’ low and no-alcohol beers.

What makes Lucky Saint different?

Two things are worth knowing about how Lucky Saint is made and sold:

Bavarian brewing heritage

Lucky Saint says its beers follow the German Purity laws. Master of Malt describes the process: a step mash from 60 to 75°C, six weeks of fermenting and conditioning, then vacuum distillation to take the alcohol out. The Unfiltered Lager is, as the name says, left unfiltered, which Lucky Saint says is “for maximum flavour”.

Pub presence

Lucky Saint launched on draught in January 2020, and the Financial Times reported in January 2024 that it was on tap in over 1,000 UK pubs. When you order it on draught, it's poured from a tap like any other lager.

The Lucky Saint range: which should you try first?

We have three Lucky Saint beers in our directory. Lucky Saint’s own shop also sells a Lime & Sea Salt Lager, and Tesco lists a 500ml Lucky Saint German Weissbier; we haven’t added either yet.

Lucky Saint Unfiltered Lager (0.5%)

Lucky Saint’s original beer. Lucky Saint describes it as “a truly modern lager, dry and refreshing with a citrus hop finish”. Community score: 8.7/10.

Lucky Saint Hazy IPA (0.5%)

Launched in December 2023. Lucky Saint describes it as “juicy and hazy with notes of tropical and stone fruits”. Community score: 8.6/10.

Lucky Saint Superior Lemon Lager (0.5%)

Lucky Saint’s original Unfiltered Lager “now with a squeeze of lemon juice”, in the brand’s words. Lucky Saint describes it as “refreshing, citrus-led, with real lemon extracts, balanced with malt body and slight bitterness”. Community score: 8.4/10.

Is Lucky Saint alcohol-free beer worth buying?

Our community scores are 8.7/10 for the Unfiltered Lager, 8.6 for the Hazy IPA and 8.4 for the Superior Lemon Lager.

For context on where Lucky Saint sits in the broader UK alcohol-free beer landscape, see our guide to the best alcohol-free beers in the UK or browse the full alcohol-free lager category.

Buying Lucky Saint as a present? Wise Bartender lists a Lucky Saint 10 Beer Mixed Pack that comes with a free glass and lanyard. It’s in our guide to alcohol-free beer gift sets.