Amstel

The early years were inventive. Before refrigeration, they harvested ice from Amsterdam's canals in winter and stored it in double-walled cellars to keep their lagers cold during conditioning. Within two years, production had reached 10,000 hectolitres annually. By the 1880s, Amstel was shipping to Britain and the Dutch East Indies, and by the 1920s, the brand accounted for a third of all Dutch beer exports.

Heineken acquired Amstel in 1968, folding Holland's second-largest brewery into its portfolio. Production eventually moved from the original Amsterdam site to the main Heineken plant in Zoeterwoude, though the Amstel name retained its distinct identity. Today the brand sells in over 70 countries and remains one of Europe's leading lager brands.

The alcohol-free range includes Amstel 0.0, a straightforward lager at 0.0% ABV. Rather than stripping alcohol from finished beer, it's made through a slow evaporation process that aims to preserve flavour. The result is a light, golden pour with a clean malt character and gentle bitterness. There's also Amstel Radler Lemon 0.0%, blending the AF beer with citrus for something lighter and more refreshing.

Amstel 0.0 sits firmly in the mainstream lager space. It's priced competitively, stocked widely in UK supermarkets, and requires no specialist knowledge or effort to find. Recognisable and unpretentious, in exactly the way the brand has always been.