The Best Non-Alcoholic Beers in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and PEI

By Good Robot Brewing Co.

Sober curious? Doing a dry month? Driving tonight? Or maybe you just want to be social without the buzz. Good news: Maritime breweries are making non-alcoholic beer you’ll actually look forward to opening.

We love this stuff. We brew our own, and we get a little giddy whenever another Maritime brewery puts out a good one. So we rounded up our favourites from nine breweries across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and PEI.

Yes, ours is first. We’re biased. But stick around, because our neighbours are making some seriously good beer without the alcohol.

Good Robot · Nova Scotia

Ultra Daylight Non-Alcoholic Beer

Ultra Daylight is our crisp, refreshing non-alcoholic beer: 0.5% ABV and only 80 calories a can. We added vitamin D too, 25% of your daily value in every can. Call it a little sunshine for those long, dark Canadian winters.

Don’t just take our word for it. Josh, one of our owners, has an uncle who drinks non-alcoholic beer. His verdict on Daylight: the best he’s tasted in 35 years. One Untappd reviewer put it like this:

Super light, super clean, slight hint of citrus taste, but blended very smoothly.

Our staff drink it on morning shifts and at lunch. (Gotta get that vitamin D!) A liquid lunch that doesn’t get you fired.

Crack one at Robie Street in Halifax, at our Elmsdale brewery, or at the Commons beer garden in season. Pick up a 6-pack at the NSLC: it stocks only a short list of non-alcoholic beers, and Daylight made the cut. Or order from us online in singles, 6-packs, 12-packs or 24-packs, and mix it with anything else in our shop.

Choose your Daylight pack →

We ship by Canada Post across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and PEI, and to most of Canada (not Quebec or British Columbia for now). See our shipping and delivery policy.

13 Maritime non-alcoholic beers at a glance

Non-alcoholic beer from Nova Scotia breweries

Propeller: Non-Alcoholic Lager and Hazy IPA

Propeller makes one for each mood: the lager when you want something clean and simple, and the Hazy IPA when you’re craving tropical hops.

Tatamagouche Brewing: Nomad Pilsner and IPA

Nomad is Tatamagouche Brewing’s non-alcoholic line, brewed in Tatamagouche on the North Shore. Coming from lagers? Start with the Pilsner. Miss your hops? Go for the IPA.

North Brewing: Designated Surfer

North’s Non-Alc IPA is one for hop lovers who’d rather skip the bitter finish. North describes the mouthfeel as round and creamy.

Big Spruce: Kitchen Partly and Cereal Thriller

Big Spruce, in Baddeck, Cape Breton, brews the most different pair on this list. If your usual pint is dark and roasty, try Cereal Thriller. If you like your pale ales piney, go for Kitchen Partly.

Non-alcoholic beer from New Brunswick breweries

Trailway: All Good NAIPA

Fredericton’s Trailway brews All Good for IPA fans who want the hops without the alcohol.

Pump House: Blueberry Ale NA and Crafty Radler NA

Moncton’s Pump House brings the fruit. Blueberry Ale NA is the non-alcoholic sibling of its regular Blueberry Ale, so look for “Zero Alcohol” on the can. Crafty Radler NA is the bright, zesty one.

13 Barrels: Just Beer

Bathurst’s 13 Barrels makes Just Beer, a good pick if you like a bit of citrus with some malt behind it.

Non-alcoholic beer from Prince Edward Island

Lone Oak: Noble Non-Alcoholic Pale Ale

Lone Oak brews Noble with Simcoe, Mosaic and Columbus hops. Try it if you like your pale ales fruity.

Where to buy non-alcoholic beer in the Maritimes

Nova Scotia: the NSLC carries Daylight, Propeller’s Non-Alcoholic Hazy IPA and Pump House’s Crafty Radler NA. Bishop’s Cellar in Halifax lists Propeller’s Non-Alcoholic Lager and both Nomad beers, and Tatamagouche Brewing sells Nomad in its own shop. For North and Big Spruce, check with the brewery.

New Brunswick: ANBL carries Trailway’s All Good and both Pump House NA beers, and Trailway lists All Good on its online menu. For Just Beer, check with 13 Barrels.

Prince Edward Island: PEI Liquor carries Lone Oak’s Noble.

Some grocery stores carry non-alcoholic beer too, though selection varies by store.

Want more from us? Browse our non-alcoholic beer and sparkling water, or brush up on lagers, IPAs and pale ales with our beer-style guide.

Non-alcoholic beer FAQs

Does non-alcoholic beer have alcohol in it?

A little. Most beers on this list are 0.5% ABV (alcohol by volume), a tenth of the alcohol in a typical 5% beer. ANBL lists Pump House’s two NA beers at 0.0%. If that difference matters to you, check the can.

Is non-alcoholic beer the same as light beer?

Nope. Light beer still has alcohol, just less of it. Our Ultra Light Lager and Ultra Light IPA are both 4% ABV, while Ultra Daylight is 0.5%. Check the ABV, not just the word “light”.

How is non-alcoholic beer made?

There’s more than one way. Some brewers use special yeasts that leave most of the sugars unfermented, so very little alcohol develops. Others brew a full-strength beer, then take the alcohol out, for example with membrane filtration.

Daylight is made with a sophisticated, experimental method our brewmaster, Kellye Robertson, developed with her Niagara College professor. We’re keeping the details in the brewhouse.

Make a little room for Daylight

Crisp, 80 calories and a little vitamin D, all without the buzz. Get a few cans in the fridge before the next grey week, and we’ll ship them to you by Canada Post.

Shop Ultra Daylight →

This is Good Robot’s own guide: ours comes first, and the rest is our pick rather than a complete list. Flavour notes follow each brewery’s own description. Availability changes, so check with the brewery or store before you buy.