Lakefront Riverwest Stein N/A 6Pk

Lakefront Riverwest Stein N/A 6Pk is a non-alcoholic amber lager from Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, packaged as a six-pack at 0.4% ABV. This expression won the 2024 Grand Champion for Non-Alcoholic Beer at the U.S. Beer Tasting Championship, validating Lakefront's unusual approach of de-alcoholizing its beloved flagship rather than building a new recipe from scratch.

Quick Facts: ABV: 0.4%  |  Origin: Milwaukee, Wisconsin  |  Style: Non-Alcoholic Amber Lager  |  Brewery: Lakefront Brewery (est. 1987)

Production & Heritage

Lakefront Brewery was founded in Milwaukee in 1987 and has grown into one of Wisconsin's most respected regional craft operations. Riverwest Stein—named after the brewery's Milwaukee neighborhood—has long been their flagship amber, brewed with a grain bill of Two-row Pale, Caramel 8, Caramel 45, and Roasted Barley, and hopped with Wisconsin-grown Magnum, Mt. Hood, and Cascade varieties. Rather than designing a separate non-alcoholic recipe from the ground up, as most craft breweries do, Lakefront brews the full-strength Riverwest Stein at its standard 5.6% ABV and then runs it through a reverse osmosis system that strips the alcohol while preserving the original flavor compounds—a bold move that speaks to the brewery's confidence in the underlying recipe.

Tasting Notes

Aroma: Subtle caramel malt leads, followed by light toasted grain and a clean, slightly bready character. A gentle herbal hop note lingers underneath without dominating.

Taste: The entry is smooth with mild caramel sweetness and a restrained roasted barley depth. Mid-palate, a moderate grainy malt flavor emerges alongside the Cascade-driven hop character, bringing moderate orange fruit and light lemon zest. The balance between malt sweetness and hop bitterness stays remarkably intact for a beer at 0.4% ABV.

Finish: Crisp and clean, closer to a lager finish than most NA ambers manage. A refreshing, dry aftertaste lingers briefly with faint caramel and hop resin.

How to Drink Riverwest Stein N/A

Serve cold, ideally between 38–45°F, in a standard pint glass or Willi Becher to let the malt aromatics open up. This beer shines on its own as a standalone session drink, but it also works well in low-ABV cocktail applications. Try it in a Shandy, mixed with fresh lemonade, where the caramel malt adds body that most NA beers lack. A Michelada benefits from the roasted barley backbone, which holds up against lime, hot sauce, and Worcestershire. It also substitutes convincingly in a Beer-a-Rita, where the Cascade hop citrus complements the margarita mix.

Best For

• Dry January participants who refuse to sacrifice flavor for sobriety
• Designated drivers and mid-week drinkers seeking a legitimate craft beer experience
• Gifting to a craft beer enthusiast exploring the NA category
• Backyard cookouts and tailgates where sessionability and low ABV matter

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Riverwest Stein N/A taste like? It drinks like a well-balanced amber lager with caramel malt sweetness, a touch of roasted barley, and citrus-forward hop notes from Cascade, Mt. Hood, and Magnum hops. The finish is crisp and clean, avoiding the thin or overly sweet character common in many non-alcoholic beers.

How does Riverwest Stein N/A compare to Athletic Brewing Amber? Both are non-alcoholic amber-style beers, but Riverwest Stein N/A is de-alcoholized from a proven full-strength recipe rather than brewed as an NA beer from the start, which tends to preserve more of the original malt complexity and hop integration. Athletic's approach yields a consistent product, while Lakefront's reverse osmosis method retains the specific grain bill character of their flagship.

Is Riverwest Stein N/A good for sipping on its own? Yes—its balanced malt-to-hop ratio and clean lager-like finish make it one of the more satisfying NA beers to drink straight, which is likely why it earned the 2024 Grand Champion title at the U.S. Beer Tasting Championship.

Where is Riverwest Stein N/A made? It is brewed at Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the same facility where the original full-strength Riverwest Stein has been produced since the brewery's founding in 1987. The reverse osmosis de-alcoholization also takes place on-site.

What foods pair well with Riverwest Stein N/A? Grilled bratwurst and mustard complement the caramel malt and roasted barley notes. Sharp cheddar or aged Gouda echo the toasty grain character. Smoked pulled pork works with the hop bitterness as a counterbalance. Fish tacos with citrus slaw mirror the orange and lemon zest from the Cascade hops. Soft pretzels with beer cheese are a natural pairing that reinforces the bready, malty profile.

What sizes does Riverwest Stein N/A come in? The standard retail format is a six-pack of 12 oz bottles or cans.

Is Riverwest Stein N/A worth the price? It positions in the mid-range for craft non-alcoholic beers, and the 2024 U.S. Beer Tasting Championship Grand Champion win and its ranking at #35 on The Beer Connoisseur's Top 100 Rated Beers suggest it delivers well above average quality for the NA category at its price tier.

Why Riverwest Stein N/A?

The defining story here is method: Lakefront didn't invent a new beer to enter the NA market—they took their flagship amber, brewed it at full strength with the same four-malt grain bill and three-hop schedule, and used reverse osmosis to remove the alcohol while keeping the flavor architecture intact. That gamble paid off with the 2024 Grand Champion for Non-Alcoholic Beer at the U.S. Beer Tasting Championship, the highest honor in its class. Most NA beers are engineered from the ground up to taste like beer; Riverwest Stein N/A actually was beer first. For anyone skeptical that non-alcoholic craft beer can deliver genuine depth and balance, this six-pack is the strongest counterargument on the shelf.