• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Steady Drinker

Discover the best low-alcohol and alcohol-free beers and lagers (under 0.5% ABV)

  • Home
  • Start here
  • Best beers
  • Articles
  • About
  • Contact
  • Show Search
Hide Search
You are here: Home / All reviews / Lagers / San Miguel “0.0” review alcohol-free (0%) pilsner

San Miguel “0.0” review alcohol-free (0%) pilsner

By Tom Hallett on October 28, 2018

  • Share
  • Tweet

San Miguel “0.0” is an alcohol-free (0%) pilsner-style lager. Find out how it tastes, plus get nutritional and stockist info in this review.

Ask anyone to name a Spanish beer and most people will likely say San Miguel.

After all, the name sounds Spanish and its seemingly available in every bar when you go on holiday to Spain. It’s also the subject of one of my favourite “jokes”. (I can only speak a few words of Spanish – “Dos San Miguel, s’ils vous plait”. Sorry.)

  • New to Steady Drinker? Start here…
  • My top alcohol-free beers and lagers
  • Why you can’t get drunk on 0.5% alcohol-free beer
  • 10 brilliant benefits of non-alcoholic beer

Its roots though lie in Manilla in the Philippines when it was still a Spanish colony. With a royal grant from Spain, San Miguel brewery – which took its name from the district it was situated in – started selling beer in 1890. It wasn’t until 1954 – more than 50 years after the Spanish left the Philippines – that San Miguel beer made its way to Spain.

These days, its brewed under licence in various locations including by Carlsberg in the UK.

San Miguel launched its alcohol-free beer, “0.0” in Spain in 2001, where it’s the most popular non-alcoholic beer in the country. It’s been available in the UK since 2015.

San Miguel 0.0 label and bottle cap

It’s not clear how the brewery makes this beer but some sources* say the it makes it with a grain bill that produces less fermentable sugars that limits alcohol production. The ingredients also list “flavourings” alongside water, hops and barley malt. So you might want to avoid this beer if you like to know exactly what you’re drinking.

0.0 pours a clear amber colour with an impressively fluffy white head, which leaves a little lacing down the glass after each sip.

There’s an initial hit of sweet wort on the nose but a sour, wholemeal aroma soon takes over. This gets more prominent as the beer warms up. The aroma is interesting, but not what I was expecting from a European-style pilsner.

San Miguel 0.0 alcohol-free beer bottle

I was also surprised that this beer had quite a heavy, creamy body accompanied by a gentle tingle rather than a sharp fizz in the mouth.

San Miguel 0.0 alcohol-free beer bottle and cap

The wortiness continues in the flavour, with only a morsel of bitterness to cut through the sweet taste of wholemeal bread. Again, not what I expected from this beer style. But this could be down to my tasting experiences rather than any fault with the beer. The finish is medium dry.

Verdict

0.0 is a lot more interesting than I expected it would be. And while the wortiness in the aroma and taste is a telltale sign it’s non-alcoholic, it’s an OK drink if you’re short on options.

With its low carbonation and creamy mouthfeel, it might even appeal if you like hearty, malty ales.

Key info – San Miguel “0.0”

  • Name: 0.0
  • Brewery: San Miguel
  • Style: pilsner
  • Alcohol content: 0%
  • Calories: 79 (per 330ml)
  • Carbohydrates: 18g (per 330ml)
  • Sugar: 5.6g (per 330ml)
  • Ingredients: water, barley malt, hops, yeast, flavourings
  • Country: Philippines/Spain
  • Dispense: bottle (330ml)
  • Stockists (UK): Amazon*, Wise Bartender* Booze Free and many supermarkets

Related posts:

Brewdog "Lost AF" review - low-alcohol (0.5%) lager
Infinite Session "Pils" review - low-alcohol (0.5%) pilsner lager
WBB "Solo Pilsner" review - low-alcohol (0.5%) lager

"0.0" by San Miguel

San Miguel 0.0 label and bottle cap
5.4

Aroma

4.5/10

Mouthfeel

6.7/10

Flavour

5.1/10

Pros

  • Creamy mouthfeel

Cons

  • Vague "flavouring" ingredient description
  • Worty aroma and taste
Buy now on Amazon*
  • Share
  • Tweet

Disclosures

*If you buy something after you visit links marked with *, I might receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

†Reviews marked with † feature beers I didn't pay for (usually because the producers gave them to me for free). My aim is to review these beers the same as beers I've paid for but you may want to bear this in mind when reading the review.

Find out more on my disclosures page.

About Tom Hallett

New(ish) dad, slow runner and Border Terrier owner (or is it the other way round?) on a mission to find the world's best low-alcohol and alcohol-free beers.

Primary Sidebar

About Steady Drinker

Hello, I'm Tom and this is Steady Drinker – a website and blog that helps you discover great low-alcohol and non-alcoholic beers and lagers (under 0.5% ABV) so you can cut down your alcohol intake. Read More…

Get something nice by email

Sign up to get reviews, articles, offers and discounts to your inbox.

(I'll only use your details to send you emails and I won't share your data with anyone else.)

Recent Posts

  • Uiltje “Superb-Owl” review – low-alcohol (0.2%) India pale ale
  • The best non-alcoholic beers and alcohol-free lagers in 2023
  • Butcombe “Goram IPA Zero” review – low-alcohol (0.5%) India pale ale†
  • Insel “Swimmer’s” review – low-alcohol (0.5%) saison
  • Divine Brewing “Polaris” review – low-alcohol (0.5%) porter

Copyright © 2023 | Privacy policy | Disclaimer | Disclosures