Graphic courtesy of Derek Campos, Senior Graphic Designer, Next Glass
🥨 This month marks the official start of the 191st Oktoberfest celebration—the annual festival that attracts millions of visitors to Munich, Germany, to imbibe a very specific style of beer.
🍻 Whether you're enjoying festivities in Munich or celebrating locally, we are super excited to recognize the event by releasing a new iteration of our annual "Celebrate Oktoberfest" Badge.
✅ To earn the Celebrate Oktoberfest (2026) badge, simply check in any (1) beer with the style of Märzen or Festbier between September 4th and October 4th.
🛒 Searching for Oktoberfest beers to unlock this badge? Look no further than the Untappd Shop, where we have the Untappd Oktoberfest Beer Box now available! These are going fast, so secure yours before it's too late.
💭 What's your favorite Oktoberfest style—Märzen or Festbier? Follow us on IG (@untappd) and let us know in the comments!
There's a moment that eventually comes for every beer or cocktail lover: You want the ritual, the flavor, the social lift, but the next-day fog isn't worth it anymore. Maybe it's a Tuesday and a full pint feels like too much. Maybe you don't want to wake up with a hangover. Maybe you just want to try something new.
That's the gap that alcohol alternatives are made to fill, and the category has gotten a lot more interesting than the choices of a few years ago.
We went looking for the drinks that hold up when compared to your usual order, not just the ones with the loudest marketing. Here are five alcohol alternatives worth trying, plus a few pointers for finding the right one for you.
Many Drinkers Are Making the Switch
Cutting back on alcohol doesn't mean giving up the tradition. Mocktails, nonalcoholic spirits, kombucha, and hemp-derived THC drinks are picking up steam: NA spirits and ready-to-drink mocktails grew 70% between 2024 and 2025, according to NielsenIQ, even as nonalcoholic beer retains the largest share of the category.
THC drinks are bubbling up just as quickly. NielsenIQ measured $239 million in mainstream retail sales for the category over the 52 weeks ending June 27, 2026. That's a 135% jump year over year, and that figure doesn't even count dispensary or direct-to-consumer sales. They also found that roughly half of adults in the United States say they're interested in trying a cannabis-infused beverage. That tracks with what we're seeing on shelves: These cans have moved out of specialty shops and into the same store coolers as beer, wine, and hard seltzer.
The appeal is straightforward. There's no hangover to plan around the next morning, most options run lower in calories than a beer or cocktail, and they're easy to pace for customizing your experience. For people cutting back on alcohol without cutting out the social experience, that combination is hard to beat.
How to Pick the Ideal Alcohol Alternative
A few things to consider before you grab a can:
Know what's in the can. A 5 mg THC drink compares to a light beer or glass of wine, while 20 mg is for consumers who know their tolerance. A zero-proof spirit or NA mocktail should mean exactly that, and even kombucha carries trace alcohol from fermentation. Check the label if you're avoiding alcohol entirely.
Match the format to the occasion. A seltzer or kombucha works for a backyard hang or a ballgame. A sippable spirit alternative fits a slower night in. A shot is designed for portability and speed, not for lingering.
Know how it's meant to be enjoyed. Most nanoemulsified THC beverages kick in within 15 minutes or so, though this varies by product and by person. Give the drink time to work before deciding you need another. NA spirits and kombucha don't have an onset to wait for, so you can pace them any way you like.
Look for lab testing or an ABV you can trust. Reputable THC brands post third-party lab results for potency and purity. Reputable kombucha and NA spirit brands should be just as up-front about alcohol content, since fermentation and de-alcoholization can leave trace amounts. If a brand doesn't make that information easy to find, that's worth noting.
Five Alcohol Alternatives We Reach For
Best Tasting: 5 mg Crescent 9 THC Seltzer Variety Pack
Photography courtesy of Crescent Canna
The 5 mg Crescent 9 THC Seltzer Variety Pack is where we go for flavor. Crescent Canna built this line to compete with hard seltzer on taste, not just effect, and uses real fruit juices, purees, and terpenes instead of leaning on artificial sweeteners.
The variety pack mixes flavors like Tropical, Ginger Lemonade, Raspberry Lime, and Sour Watermelon, each carrying 5 mg THC and 4 mg CBD per 12-ounce can. Effects are approachable, and the can tastes like something you'd order again.
At 40 to 100 calories, depending on the flavor, it also lands lighter than most canned cocktails. Onset is around 15 minutes, thanks to nanoemulsified THC, roughly the same window as a hard seltzer hitting the bloodstream.
Most Versatile: 5 mg Ellora THC-Infused Spirit Alternative
Photography courtesy of Crescent Canna
If you're more of a cocktail person than a can-cracker, Ellora 5 mg THC-Infused Spirit Alternative is for you. It's a still, spirit-style pour rather than a carbonated drink, blending citrus, blue agave, and floral botanical notes. You can sip it neat, on the rocks, or mixed into a mocktail.
The 5 mg version is Ellora's most approachable tier, roughly equivalent to a light cocktail. It blends especially well in sour-style drinks, a Southside riff with mint and lemon, or a ranch-water brew with sparkling water and lime. Because it works undiluted or mixed, it's the one bottle on this list that can last an entire evening instead of just one drink.
Best Vibes: 10 mg Crescent 9 THC Seltzer Variety Pack
Photography courtesy of Crescent Canna
For a night with friends where you want the effects to be more pronounced, the 10 mg Crescent 9 THC Seltzer Variety Pack is the sweet spot. This is one of Crescent Canna's best-selling potencies, and 10 mg has become close to the industry standard dose for people who have some THC beverage experience.
The pack rotates through Raspberry Lime, Sour Watermelon, Grape Lemonade, and Ginger Lemonade, so a single case doesn't get repetitive. If you're newer to 10 mg, start with half a can and see how you feel before finishing it. It's a solid stand-in for a cocktail or a couple of hard seltzers at a party, a movie night, or a game-day gathering, without the multidrink commitment.
Best Caffeinated Option: Citron Café Noir by Mockly
Most alcohol alternatives skip caffeine, and that makes Citron Café Noir by Mockly stand out. Mockly is a New Orleans-born, mixologist-crafted, nonalcoholic libation brand, and Citron Café Noir is its cold brew-based pour. It blends cocoa and fennel with a bright burst of lemon into something crafted for fancy stemmed glasses.
It was among the Best New Non-Alcoholic Ready to Drink Cocktails at BevNET's 2025 Spirits Awards, and the natural caffeine base from the cold brew gives it a lift most seltzers and mocktails on this list don't have. Each 8.4-ounce can is sized more like a cocktail than a soda, and it's zero proof, so there's no dose or tolerance to think through. Save it for an occasion when you want a little pick-me-up alongside the ritual.
Best Everyday Swap: Health-Ade Kombucha
Not every night out calls for a THC drink or a mocktail, and that's where Health-Ade Kombucha earns a spot. It's a fermented tea prepared with organic black and green tea, real fruit juice, and live active cultures. With flavors like Pink Lady Apple, Ginger Lemon, and Bubbly Rose, it reads as a proper drink rather than a health-food consolation prize.
Like all commercial kombucha, it carries trace alcohol from fermentation that's kept under the legal 0.5% threshold for a nonalcoholic beverage, which is worth knowing if you're avoiding alcohol completely. It's an easy one to keep stocked for the nights you want something with a little tang and fizz but no concerns around dosing or tolerance.
Finding Your Own Favorite
None of these drinks are trying to be a perfect copy of alcohol, and that's the point. Each one is solving a different dilemma: flavor, versatility, social energy, caffeine, portability.
Try a few, pay attention to the way your body responds to each potency, and build your own rotation the same way you'd compile a beer or cocktail playlist. The alcohol-alternative aisle is getting more crowded, but these are the ones we keep coming back to.
Bier heeft geen verjaardag. Dus hebben we er zelf eentje bedacht.
Oké, dat hebben wij niet gedaan. Maar International Beer Day bestaat wel degelijk en wij vinden dat een uitstekende reden om je biervoorraad vandaag wat extra liefde te geven.
Daarom betaal je vandaag geen verzendkosten op je bestelling. Want laten we eerlijk zijn: geld uitgeven aan bier voelt een stuk beter dan geld uitgeven aan verzending.
Maar daar houden we niet op.
Gratis Untappd opener bij 6 losse bieren
Voor de echte bierjagers hebben we nog iets extra's.
Bestel 6 losse bieren en ontvang een gratis Untappd opener/sleutelhanger bij je bestelling. Handig voor onderweg, aan je sleutelbos, of om eindelijk dat ene aansteker-open-trucje met pensioen te sturen.
Maximaal 1 Untappd opener/sleutelhanger per klant, zolang de voorraad strekt.
Waarom International Beer Day eigenlijk best een mooie feestdag is
Wat ooit begon als een klein initiatief van een paar bierliefhebbers groeide uit tot een wereldwijd moment waarop mensen samen proosten op bier, brouwers en alles wat de biercultuur zo leuk maakt.
Nieuwe stijlen ontdekken. Oude favorieten opnieuw drinken. Dat ene blikje openmaken dat al weken in de koelkast ligt omdat je wachtte op "het juiste moment".
Dat moment is vandaag.
Tijd om je koelkast gelukkig te maken
✅ Gratis verzending op je bestelling ✅ Gratis Untappd opener bij 6 losse bieren ✅ Een perfect excuus om nieuwe bieren te ontdekken ✅ Slechts één keer per jaar International Beer Day
Dus trek een blik open, hef het glas op brouwers overal ter wereld en zorg dat je koelkast niet leeg het weekend in gaat.
👉 Vier International Beer Day en profiteer vandaag van gratis verzending. 🍻
Graphic courtesy of Derek Campos, Senior Graphic Designer, Next Glass
🌎 Hoppy International Beer Day!
🍺 Beer is the common thread that connects us worldwide, bringing people together in a unique way.
🤝 And beer has played a significant role in shaping countless of our most cherished memories. If there is one thing we've learned along the way: Beer is best when shared with others.
🍻Join us in recognizing remarkable breweries worldwide by unlocking the fresh 2026 International Beer Day Badge! Let's celebrate this special occasion together!
🔒 How to earn: Simply check in any one (1) beer style between August 7th and August 17th, and you'll earn this year's iconic badge.
Summer is made for backyard hangs, sizzling grills, and ice-cold beer. Whether you're hosting a weekend cookout or relaxing with a cold one after a long day in the sun, there's nothing like the dog days of summer.
Celebrate the season with the Backyard Gear Giveaway! We've teamed up with Bestway USA, DSS Games, GCI Outdoor, recteq and RovR Products, our friends who know how to do backyard season right, to give one lucky winner everything they need for good times, great conversations, and unforgettable pours.
We're talking a hot tub, a grill, a cooler ready to be stocked, comfy seating, drinking games, and a year of Untappd Insiders, a stacked prize pack worth nearly $2,500. All you have to do is enter. We'll handle the rest.
So get ready to make some memories this season. From August 1 through September 30, enter the Backyard Gear Giveaway for your shot to win, and don't forget to check in your favorite backyard beers along the way. No purchase necessary!
Graphic courtesy of Derek Campos, Senior Graphic Designer, Next Glass
Hoppy IPA Day!
📈 Did you know that, since our inception in 2010, our hoppy lil' community has checked in over 400 million IPAs? That's a seriously staggering amount of hops!
💚 Today, we celebrate the hoppiest of days with the hoppiest of badges—the 2026 IPA Day Badge.
🔓 Simply check in any (1) India Pale Ale from August 5th until August 9th, and you'll unlock this legendary badge!
This August, Coronado Brewing Company is celebrating 30 years of brewing great beer and bringing a little more fun to craft beer.
It all started in 1996 when brothers Ron and Rick Chapman opened a small brewpub on Coronado Island. What began as a neighborhood brewery has grown into a nationally recognized independent craft brewery, with Coronado beers now enjoyed far beyond the shores of San Diego.
Over the past three decades, Coronado Brewing has created countless beers inspired by the coastal lifestyle, from longtime favorites to newer releases that continue pushing the brewery forward. Through all the changes in craft beer, the mission has remained simple: brew great beer, stay independent and make every day feel a little more like the weekend.
To celebrate our 30th anniversary, we're inviting the Untappd community to raise a glass with us. From August 1 through August 31, check in any Coronado Brewing beer to unlock the 30 Years of Coronado badge.
Whether you reach for a Weekend Vibes IPA, Hazy Weekend IPA, Big Weekend Double IPA, Salty Crew Blonde Ale or another Coronado favorite, every check-in counts. Enjoy one at either of our San Diego locations, find us at your favorite local spot or pick up a pack to celebrate at home.
Thank you to everyone who has enjoyed a Coronado beer, visited one of our locations or supported independent craft beer over the past 30 years. We couldn't have reached this milestone without you.
Here's to 30 years of great beer, good times and plenty more weekends ahead. Cheers!
Badge Criteria: Check in any one (1) beer from Coronado Brewing Company between August 1, 2026 and August 31, 2026.
Graphic courtesy of Derek Campos, Senior Graphic Designer, Next Glass
Happy Mead Day (well, almost)!
🍯 A fermented beverage made from honey, mead today can include all kinds of fruits, flowers, and spices. Every August 1st, we celebrate Mead Day!
💍 Did you know the term "honeymoon" is thought to have originated from the medieval European tradition of newlyweds drinking honey wine for a month after their wedding to ensure a fruitful marriage?
🐝 Check in any (1) mead between July 31st and August 9th, and you'll be buzzin' with this sweet 2026 badge.
❤️🔥 WHAT SAY YOU: Who is your favorite mead-maker?
It's hard to believe, but we are already at the halfway mark of 2026.
One thing is certain: the amount of talented producers on Untappd has never been more evident, and we can't wait to see what the remainder of the year has in store for us.
Be sure to visit and follow @untappd to check-in on what beers and producers the Untappd community is loving as we reach the midpoint of 2026.
In celebration of hitting the 50% point of 2026, new subscribers can enjoy 50% OFF INSIDERS on any annual subscription when they sign up between July 20th and July 26th. Simply use the code: HALFOFF at checkout.
Badge Criteria: Check in any (1) drink from July 20th through July 26th and you'll unlock the 2026 Recappd: Check-In badge.
Belgian beer isn't just a style, it's a tradition. From world-renowned Trappist ales and expressive Abbey beers to refreshing Witbiers and crisp Saisons, Belgium's brewing heritage has influenced beer lovers around the globe for centuries.
Join us at Flying Saucer as we celebrate Belgian Beer Week, July 19–26, with limited releases, rare tapings, curated flights, and special events throughout the week at participating locations.
The celebration kicks off on Sunday, July 19, with our Duvel Foosball Cooler Sweepstakes Drawing, where one lucky guest at each location will take home an exclusive Foosball Cooler prize while enjoying a great day of Belgian beer.
No two Saucers celebrate exactly the same, so be sure to check out what's happening at your local Flying Saucer. From featured pours and tastings to special events, there's something worth raising a glass to all week long.
Badge Criteria: Check in one (1) Belgian Beer (Styles: Belgian Blonde, Belgian Dubbel, Belgian Tripel, Belgian Quadrupel, Belgian Enkel/Patersbier, Belgian Strong Dark Ale, Belgian Strong Golden Ale , IPA - Belgian, Pale Ale - Belgian) at any Flying Saucer locations between July 19, 2026 and July 26, 2026.
Now is your moment to join the off-centered journey with Dogfish Head.
From July 15 through August 16, check in a 60 Minute IPA or Grateful Dead Juicy Pale Ale on Untappd to unlock the badge and score a chance to win a trip to coastal Delaware… the home of Dogfish Head.
What You Could Win
One lucky winner will head straight to where the off-centered magic happens with a trip to Dogfish Head in coastal Delaware.
Think brewery experiences, beach town vibes, and a closer look at the place behind the beers you love.
Three day, two night stay for two people at the Dogfish Inn
Roundtrip airfare for winner & guest
Behind-the-scenes tour of Dogfish Head's Milton brewery
Reservations at Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats and Dogfish Head's Chesapeake & Maine, with a $300 gift card
General merriment
How to Enter
Getting in is simple:
Check in one 60 Minute IPA or Grateful Dead Juicy Pale Ale on Untappd between July 15 and August 16
Unlock the limited-time Dogfish Head badge
You are automatically entered for a chance to win
Trouble deciding where to start? Here's some more info to get you going.
Continually hopped to deliver a pungently, citrusy, grassy hop flavor without being crushingly bitter, you'll quickly see why this brew has become a fan-favorite, and why you'll find yourself coming back to it again and again.
Check out their collaborative goodness Grateful Dead Juicy Pale Ale brewed in collaboration with, yep you guessed it … the Grateful Dead. Crafted with Kernza® grains, granola and bursting with tropical notes of pineapple, mango, and passionfruit, this beer delivers a lightly sweet and tart flavor with a dry, crisp finish.
Want to discover even more Dogfish goodness? Check out Grateful Dead Citrus Daydream Lager, a crisp, citrus-forward brew that is ready for your next check-in.
The biggest matches are here, and there's no better place to catch every moment than Flying Saucer.
As soccer's global championship reaches its thrilling conclusion, we're raising a glass to dramatic finishes, unforgettable goals, and the fans who make every match-day experience special. To celebrate the final week of the tournament, Untappd drinkers can unlock the limited-edition The Final Pour badge at all Flying Saucer locations.
From the opening kickoff to the final whistle, every great match deserves a great beer. Stop by your local Saucer during the promotional period, check in any beer on Untappd, and you'll unlock this exclusive badge before it's gone.
Whether you're gathering with friends for the championship match, cheering on your favorite team, or simply enjoying a pint and the atmosphere, Flying Saucer is the perfect place to soak in the excitement. And while you're there, take a look at what's pouring, tapping, and happening at your local Saucer—from special releases and featured breweries to events, trivia nights, and more.
How to Earn the Badge Visit any Flying Saucer location, Check in any beer on Untappd. Unlock The Final Pour badge.
We'll see you at Flying Saucer for great beer, great company, and one final toast to the beautiful game.!
Badge Critera: Check in one (1) beverage at any Flying Saucer location between July 12, 2026 and July 19, 2026.
We're so excited to share this badge with our Untappd community! We welcome the world to celebrate the beautiful game in our country and are pleased to offer this badge, exclusive to Old Chicago.
Simply check into any of these three beers at any participating Old Chicago location to unlock:
* Bell's Oberon * Kirin Ichiban * Stella Artois
Make sure to subscribe to your neighborhood OC for future badge announcements, exclusive tappings, and other fun events!
Badge Criteria: Check in one (1) of the following beers: Bell's Oberon, Kirin Ichiban or Stella Artois at any participating Old Chicago location between July 6, 2026 and August 16, 2026.
Chasing the Argonaut: The Sunlight Groove July Badge
There's a badge worth earning this July, and you'll only find it in the Bay. Check in a Sunlight Groove anywhere in the Bay Area on Untappd this month and the Argonaut is yours: a woman with her shades pushed up, a copper lager in hand, looking like she knows exactly where the night is going. One month, one region. You'll meet her again on the can, where she appears in full beneath the Golden Gate. Like the bridge, she's a symbol of the Bay, inspired by San Francisco's psychedelic era (guess the poster reference) but brought up to date.
That instinct, to take something and remake it into something new, is the whole point of the name. The original argonauts arrived chasing gold and stayed to reinvent the place from the ground up, and the Bay has never stopped. Gold Rush to Summer of Love to right now: this is a city that reinvents itself on purpose. Argonaut is a badge for the people who move with it.
The beer does the same thing. Sunlight Groove is a Cali Copper Lager, our reinvention of the California Common, arguably the only beer style California can call its own. We put it in the hands of a master of the style and brewed it with genuinely rare ingredients, including a lager yeast that predates the First World War, then modernized the profile: that warm, coppery, bready backbone, but cleaner, crisper, built for a contemporary palate. A classic, reinvented. And dangerously easy to want a second one.
Toast
