Is Lucky Saint better than IMPOSSIBREW?

They do different things. Lucky Saint is a clean, traditional unfiltered lager - great taste, nothing else. IMPOSSIBREW contains L-theanine and ashwagandha so it actually helps you relax, not just taste like beer. If you just want taste, Lucky Saint. If you want to feel something, IMPOSSIBREW.

How much does Lucky Saint cost vs IMPOSSIBREW?

Lucky Saint is around £1.80-£2.00 per bottle in supermarkets. IMPOSSIBREW is about £2.17 per can ordered direct. Lucky Saint is cheaper per unit, but IMPOSSIBREW includes functional ingredients (ashwagandha, L-theanine) that Lucky Saint doesn't have.

Where can I buy Lucky Saint and IMPOSSIBREW?

Lucky Saint is widely available in Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, and most pubs. IMPOSSIBREW is mainly available online through their website, with growing presence in selected retailers. Lucky Saint wins on availability, IMPOSSIBREW wins on what's actually in it.

What are the ingredients in IMPOSSIBREW?

IMPOSSIBREW contains L-theanine and ashwagandha alongside standard beer ingredients. These are adaptogens that promote relaxation without alcohol. Lucky Saint is brewed traditionally with Bavarian hops and contains no functional additives.

Which AF beer is best for a Friday night?

IMPOSSIBREW is the better Friday night beer because the L-theanine and ashwagandha actually help you unwind. Lucky Saint tastes great but it's basically just beer-flavoured water in terms of how it makes you feel. For a quiet Tuesday, either works. For Friday, IMPOSSIBREW.

MAR 24, 2026

Lucky Saint vs IMPOSSIBREW - Which Premium AF Beer Is Actually Worth £2 a Bottle?

I've been through about £40 of each trying to answer this. My wife has questions about the recycling bin.

Dave A Shaw - 7 min read

Two brands keep coming up every time someone asks me about AF beer. Lucky Saint and IMPOSSIBREW. They're both premium. They're both around two quid a go. And they're both trying to convince you that not drinking can be good, actually.

But they're completely different beers doing completely different things. I've had enough of both to have opinions. Strong ones.

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What you're actually choosing between

Lucky Saint is a lager. That's it. A very good lager - unfiltered, Bavarian hops, brewed properly. But it's just beer without the alcohol. Nothing else going on under the hood.

IMPOSSIBREW is a different animal. They put L-theanine and ashwagandha in theirs. These are ingredients that actually do something to your brain chemistry - the L-theanine is the stuff in green tea that chills you out, and ashwagandha is an adaptogen that's been used for stress for thousands of years. So you're not just drinking beer-flavoured water. You're drinking something that's meant to replace the feeling, not just the taste.

That's the fundamental split. Taste vs function. And which one matters more depends entirely on what you're trying to get out of an AF beer.

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The taste comparison

Lucky Saint is genuinely one of the best-tasting AF beers I've had. Clean, slightly hazy, proper malt body. It's the one I'd hand to someone who says AF beer tastes rubbish. It doesn't taste like it's missing something, which is rare.

IMPOSSIBREW has three beers right now - a Triple Hopped IPA, a Hazy Pale Ale, and a Lager. The IPA is the standout. Properly hoppy, bitter finish, you'd struggle to pick it in a blind test. Their Lager is decent but nothing special. The Pale Ale sits in the middle - good everyday beer.

If I'm being honest, Lucky Saint's lager is slightly better than IMPOSSIBREW's lager. But IMPOSSIBREW's IPA is better than anything Lucky Saint makes. Lucky Saint only does the one beer. IMPOSSIBREW gives you options.

Taste-only verdict: depends what style you like. Lager drinker? Lucky Saint. IPA person? IMPOSSIBREW by a mile.

* * *

The Friday night test

Here's where it gets interesting.

I tried both on a Friday evening. Proper test conditions - long week, kids finally in bed, sofa, telly. The moment where you'd normally crack open something alcoholic and feel the week slide off your shoulders.

Lucky Saint tasted great. Really did. But twenty minutes later I felt exactly the same as before I opened it. Which is fine. It's beer without alcohol. That's what it's supposed to do. But there's this weird gap between "I'm holding a nice beer" and "I feel like I'm having a drink" that Lucky Saint can't quite bridge.

IMPOSSIBREW was different. About half an hour in, there's this genuine settling feeling. Not drunk - nothing like that. More like... the edge comes off. My shoulders dropped. I stopped checking my phone. Whether that's the ashwagandha or the L-theanine or placebo, I genuinely don't care because the result was the same. Friday night felt like Friday night.

This is the gap between these two beers. Lucky Saint gives you the taste of a beer moment. IMPOSSIBREW gives you something closer to the actual moment.

* * *

Availability

Lucky Saint absolutely destroys IMPOSSIBREW here. It's in Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, M&S, most decent pubs. You can grab one on the way home without thinking about it. It's basically everywhere now.

IMPOSSIBREW is mainly online. You order from their site and it shows up in a couple of days. They're growing into retail but right now, if you want one tonight, Lucky Saint wins by default.

For planning ahead - ordering a case of IMPOSSIBREW for the week - not an issue. For spontaneous Tuesday night "I fancy a beer" - Lucky Saint.

* * *

Price

Lucky Saint: roughly £1.80-£2.00 a bottle in the supermarket. Sometimes cheaper on offer.

IMPOSSIBREW: about £2.17 a can ordering direct.

Lucky Saint is cheaper. But you're paying for hops, water, and branding. IMPOSSIBREW's price includes the functional ingredients. Whether that's worth the extra 20-30p depends on whether you care about the relaxation bit or just want something that tastes nice.

Put it this way - a pint of regular beer in a London pub is six quid. Both of these are a bargain by comparison.

* * *

When to drink which

Lucky Saint is the better beer for:

Pub rounds (it's on tap in loads of places)
BBQs where you just want something cold and beery
Midweek dinners - it pairs well with food
Converting sceptics who think AF beer is rubbish

IMPOSSIBREW is the better beer for:

Friday night on the sofa when you actually want to unwind
After work when the day's been long and you need the edge taken off
Social situations where everyone else is drinking and you want to feel part of it
Sunday afternoon in the garden - cold IPA, no hangover Monday morning

* * *

The verdict

If AF beer is just about taste for you - Lucky Saint is excellent. Go buy some. It's in every supermarket.

If you stopped drinking because you wanted to feel better but you miss that Friday night feeling - IMPOSSIBREW is the one. The functional ingredients aren't marketing waffle. I noticed a difference. My wife noticed a difference. That's good enough for me.

I keep both in the fridge, which probably tells you everything. Lucky Saint for weeknight dinners. IMPOSSIBREW for the moments where I used to reach for a proper drink.

They're not really competing with each other. They're solving different problems.

* * *

I've been drinking IMPOSSIBREW's Triple Hopped IPA most weeks now - it's the one I reorder. This link saves you a tenner off your first order if you want to try it yourself.