IMPOSSIBREW vs Collider: I've Had Hundreds of Both
The two biggest functional AF beers in the UK, properly compared. Can size matters more than you'd think.
Dave A Shaw - 9 min read
People ask me about this one a lot. IMPOSSIBREW vs Collider - which is better? And it's a fair question, because these two are genuinely the main players in UK functional alcohol-free beer. Everything else in the space is either not functional (like BRULO) or not quite in the same league yet (like NuWave).
I've bought and drunk both extensively. Not in some clinical trial way - just as someone who stopped drinking a few years back and wants something decent in the fridge that does more than just taste like beer. Here's what I think.
Quick note on the other side comparisons: I've also done IMPOSSIBREW vs ON Beer if ON Beer's marketing has got you wondering, and there's a full five-brand showdown if you want the complete picture.
The Quick Comparison
| IMPOSSIBREW | Collider | |
|---|---|---|
| Can size | 440ml / 500ml | 330ml |
| ABV | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Styles available | Lager, Pale Ale, Triple Hopped IPA + seasonals | Session IPA, limited others |
| Key functional ingredients | Ashwagandha, L-theanine, magnesium | L-theanine, ashwagandha, magnesium |
| Best product | Triple Hopped IPA | Session IPA |
| Dragons' Den | Yes, got investment | No |
| Overall verdict | Winner | Runner-up |
What Collider Does Well
I want to be fair to Collider because I think they get a bit dismissed in comparisons like this, and they shouldn't be.
Their Session IPA is excellent. Properly excellent. Hop-forward, good bitterness, that pleasant resinous quality you want from an IPA, and a clean finish. The branding is great too - the space theme is distinctive, the cans look good, it feels like something someone thought about rather than just slapped together.
The functional ingredients - ashwagandha, L-theanine, magnesium - are a solid stack. These are well-regarded adaptogens and nootropics with a reasonable evidence base behind them, particularly L-theanine for calm focus and ashwagandha for stress reduction. Collider's formulation is transparent and they don't make outrageous claims.
I also notice something with Collider. Not dramatically, but there's a mild calm that comes with a couple of their IPAs in the evening that goes beyond just having had a beer. Whether that's the ingredients or the ritual, I can't say definitively, but it's there.1
So: good beer, good ingredients, honest claims. Collider is a legitimate product and anyone who says otherwise is wrong.
Where IMPOSSIBREW Wins
Several places, actually.
The Triple Hopped IPA
This is the one that really knocked me sideways. I know "triple hopped" sounds like it's going to be aggressively bitter and hop-forward, but it isn't - it's creamy, fruity, hazy. Think Vocation-level quality in an AF can. It's more expensive than the rest of IMPOSSIBREW's range and it earns it. Against Collider's Session IPA - which is genuinely excellent in its own right - the Triple Hopped IPA wins for me on sheer enjoyment. Collider's is drier and more classically bitter; IMPOSSIBREW's is richer and more interesting. Different styles, but I keep reaching for the IMPOSSIBREW.
Collider doesn't have anything in the IMPOSSIBREW Triple Hopped IPA's lane. That's a meaningful gap.
The Pale Ale
IMPOSSIBREW's Pale Ale has become my default weeknight drink. Really solid - the kind of beer that doesn't ask you to think about it, it's just good. Collider doesn't really have a direct equivalent here either.
The Lager
Collider doesn't have a lager. IMPOSSIBREW does. It does the job - clean, drinkable, fine. I'm not a lager fanatic so I won't get too lyrical about it, but when you want something uncomplicated on a warm evening, it's there.
The Range
IMPOSSIBREW does Lager, Pale Ale, and Triple Hopped IPA as their core range, plus seasonal additions. That's a proper selection. If you're going to ditch booze long-term rather than just occasionally, you need variety. You can't drink the same thing every night unless you're a more disciplined person than me.
Collider's range is more limited. The Session IPA is their flagship and it's what most people drink. There's not much room to move around in.
On a practical level: if you're stocking a fridge with AF beer for a month, IMPOSSIBREW gives you a rotation. Collider doesn't, not really.
Can Size and Value
Collider comes in 330ml cans. IMPOSSIBREW comes in 440ml and 500ml cans.
This sounds small but it genuinely matters in two ways.
First, value: at similar per-unit prices, you're getting significantly more beer per can with IMPOSSIBREW. Work out the per-ml cost and the gap becomes obvious.
Second, experience: a 330ml can feels like a drink. A 500ml can feels like a beer. If you're trying to replicate the experience of having a pint, the 500ml gets you much closer. There's something slightly unsatisfying about finishing a 330ml and wondering whether to open another or call it a night. The 500ml doesn't have that problem.
The GABA Technology
Both brands use ashwagandha and L-theanine. These are the fundamentals and Collider does them fine.
Where IMPOSSIBREW's formulation differs is the GABA component. GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is your brain's main inhibitory neurotransmitter - it's part of why alcohol makes you feel relaxed. The problem with GABA supplements is that GABA molecules don't easily cross the blood-brain barrier when taken orally, so most GABA supplements do basically nothing. IMPOSSIBREW claims their formulation addresses this.
I can't test this biochemically in my kitchen. What I can say is that IMPOSSIBREW is the functional AF beer I reach for on genuinely stressful evenings, which is probably the only real-world test that matters. Collider is the one I drink when I just want a nice IPA. The occasions feel different.2
The Head-to-Head by Category
Best IPA
IMPOSSIBREW Triple Hopped IPA. Creamy, fruity, hazy - not what you expect from the name, and better for it. Collider's Session IPA is excellent but drier and more classically bitter. Depends which lane you prefer, but the Triple Hopped IPA is the one I'd open to impress someone.
Best Pale Ale / Everyday Drink
IMPOSSIBREW Pale Ale. Collider doesn't have a direct equivalent. The Pale Ale is what I reach for when I'm not in Triple Hopped IPA territory - which is most weeknights.
Best Lager
IMPOSSIBREW by default - it's the only one that has one. Does what lager should do. Fine.
Best Value
IMPOSSIBREW. Bigger cans at similar prices.
Best Functional Effect
IMPOSSIBREW, for the ashwagandha, L-theanine, and magnesium stack. Collider is good but IMPOSSIBREW edges it on the evenings when it counts.
Best Branding
This is genuinely close. Collider's space theme is excellent. IMPOSSIBREW's branding is clean and straightforward. I'd call it a tie and it doesn't matter much.
What Other People Say
I've read a fair bit of the coverage of these two. Some reviewers put Collider first - usually because they've tried the IPA specifically and it's their preferred style. That's a fair take if IPA is all you want.
But most of the comparisons I've seen focus on the IPA-to-IPA comparison. When you bring in the Triple Hopped IPA, that's where IMPOSSIBREW really separates itself - it's a different, richer style and it genuinely beats most of what's out there. The Pale Ale question also tends to get forgotten, and that's IMPOSSIBREW's everyday anchor.
The reviews that factor in value (per-ml cost), range (variety across a week), and functional effect (not just "what does it taste like at 3pm on a Saturday but what does it do for you at 7pm on a Wednesday") tend to land where I land - IMPOSSIBREW overall, Collider's Session IPA for that specific drier style.
My Verdict: IMPOSSIBREW vs Collider
Collider makes a great Session IPA. If that's your style and only that, you'll enjoy it.
But IMPOSSIBREW wins the comparison on range, value, and the functional formulation being the more complete one. The Triple Hopped IPA is the star - genuinely one of the best AF beers I've had, and it beats Collider's IPA when I'm choosing what to open on a Friday evening. The Pale Ale is the solid everyday choice. You can stock your fridge with IMPOSSIBREW for a month and not get bored. You can't quite say the same for Collider.
I buy both. But I buy more IMPOSSIBREW. That's the honest answer.
If you want to try it, I've got a refer-a-friend link - you get £10 off your first order, I get £10 credit. Slightly awkward to share this on a comparison post but it's a public programme anyone can join and I think the disclosure is more honest than burying it. I have no affiliation with IMPOSSIBREW beyond being a customer who drinks too much of their beer.*
More Comparisons
- The Full Functional Beer Showdown: All 5 Brands Compared
- IMPOSSIBREW vs ON Beer: Is the Hype Real?
- IMPOSSIBREW vs BRULO: Functional vs Craft
- My Full AF Beer Comparison
- I'm aware this is the kind of sentence that could apply to literally any drink if you're suggestible enough. I've tried to calibrate for that. I think there's something real here. I might be wrong.
- This is the most useful heuristic I've found for evaluating functional products: what do you reach for when the stakes are higher? Not when you're testing it analytically but when you actually want it to work.
- * I have a referral link for IMPOSSIBREW. You get £10 off, I get £10 credit. Standard public refer-a-friend scheme - not a sponsorship, not an affiliation. I wrote this comparison before I had any link.