The Vandestreek Playground
Parental supervision obsolete, playground rules still apply — share, play fair, no alcohol. This is the world's most awarded non-alcoholic IPA, and it earned every single trophy by tasting like a proper 5% craft beer while clocking in at 0.4%. Tropical, juicy, and impossibly full-bodied.
Aroma & Taste
The VandeStreek Playground opens with explosive tropical aromas — peach, mango, and lychee hit you immediately, layered with resinous hop character that smells like you just walked into a brewery.
On the palate, it delivers a medium-to-heavy body that feels impossibly substantial for 0.4% ABV, with juicy fruit flavors backed by a smooth, rounded mouthfeel and subtle malt sweetness.
The finish is dry and bitter, leaving behind a clean, hoppy aftertaste with just enough bitterness to remind you this is an IPA — not a fruit juice with delusions of grandeur.
Story & Design
VandeStreek Playground IPA is one of the most awarded non-alcoholic IPAs in the world — and for good reason.
Brewed by brothers Sander and Ronald van de Streek, the founders of VandeStreek Brewery in Utrecht, this alcohol-free craft beer proves that quality and creativity can thrive without alcohol. What started in 2010 as a homebrew project has grown into one of the leading independent breweries in the Netherlands.
Playground was born during the pandemic, when both brothers were expecting babies and wanted to keep brewing without drinking. The result became their flagship beer, now making up over 50% of VandeStreek’s production.
The secret lies in a custom low-alcohol yeast that barely converts sugar into alcohol, paired with specialty malts and five American hop varieties. The outcome: a non-alcoholic IPA so convincing that in blind tastings, people often guess it’s a 5–6% craft beer.
Today, Playground IPA sets the benchmark for alcohol-free craft beers — bold, flavorful, and fun. Its vibrant can design reflects the brewery’s playful spirit: beer that doesn’t take itself too seriously while taking quality very seriously.
Ingredients & Value
This IPA showcases a sophisticated seven-ingredient approach with water, barley malt, wheat malt, oat malt for body, proprietary yeast that barely produces alcohol, and five varieties of American hops (Amarillo, Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe, and Cascade) that deliver those explosive tropical and citrus flavors.
At just 18kcal and 2.8g sugar per 100ml, it's remarkably light compared to traditional IPAs, while the €2.91 per 330ml price point offers exceptional value for what many consider the world's best non-alcoholic IPA.
VandeStreek didn't remove anything — they added expertise, developing brewing techniques that preserve full flavor and body without relying on dealcoholization processes that strip away what makes beer taste like beer.
1 Ingredients: Number of Ingredients
2 Temperature: Recommended Consumption Temperature
3 Price: Per 330ml in 12-Pack
Verdict & Opinion
Remember that kid on the playground who always had the good snacks? The one everyone wanted to sit with at lunch? That’s Playground. While most non-alcoholic beers are stuck eating soggy sandwiches alone, this one’s out trading sweets and getting picked first for football.
Utrecht doesn’t do half measures. It’s home to the tallest church tower in the Netherlands, one of Europe’s oldest universities, and a population that thinks biking through rainstorms counts as character building. So when two Utrecht brothers decided to build a playground where everyone could play — no booze, no excuses — they didn’t ask for permission. They just built it. And like any good playground, everyone’s welcome. Cool kids, nerds, athletes, misfits — no one checks your credentials at the gate. Utrecht built the one we all needed.
The Dutch are known for doing the impossible: stealing land from the sea, building cities below sea level, and somehow creating a nation where bikes outnumber people. Playground belongs in that list — a beer that shouldn’t work, but absolutely does. At €2.91, it’s priced like the ice cream truck that just rolled in.
Hero status confirmed. The playground’s open, recess is forever, and everyone’s invited.