Glossary
Low-alcohol
A labelling tier above alcohol-free, in UK guidance covering beer of no more than 1.2% ABV.
Also called low alcohol beer, reduced alcohol.
Legal. Fixed in law, and only in the places named. It may differ elsewhere and change over time. Defined by National food labelling authorities. As recorded here it applies in United Kingdom.
The 1.2% figure also matters for duty in several jurisdictions, which is why so many low-alcohol products cluster just beneath it rather than at some flavour-optimal strength.
Because it is a legal descriptor rather than a style, two beers labelled the same way can be very different drinks — one brewed to that strength deliberately, another de-alcoholised from something stronger.
Related
- Alcohol-free — The tier below.
More vocabulary
Abbey beer · Alcohol-free · Beer duty · Gluten-free beer · Reinheitsgebot · Trappist beer
See every term on the glossary index.
Last reviewed 2026-08-16.
Evidence
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United Kingdom guidance applies the descriptor "low alcohol" to beer of no more than 1.2% ABV.
Checked against the source Applies in United Kingdom. In force from 2018-12-13. Last checked 2026-08-16.
Source: Low-alcohol descriptors: guidance, Descriptor table, "low alcohol" (13 December 2018)