Non-alcoholic beer

dinyull

So, as of the beginning of March I gave up alcohol. Not because I have a problem, I just don't seem to get on with it. At 32 a few beers can leave me with a 2 day hangover whilst a decent session leaves me in bed the next day.

Do enjoy a beer though so have been trying the non-alcoholic variants : Jupiler, Bavaria, San Miguel, Budvar and Franziskaner off the top of my head. Last 2 being particularly good - couldn't have guessed Budvar was a/f, whilst Franziskaner was a bit sweeter than normal but still very good.

Anyone else got recommendations to try?

Matthewfalle

I'm partial to a Beck's blue or a VB n/a if driving.

Then naturally get home and smash the grappa and smack while ordering free range hookers by the dozen to make up for lost time.

What annoys me is that over here n/a beer is as/more expensive than normal beer (even though they are trying t reduce drink driving and all the other lies associated with ale) - when I was stranded in the pit of despair and fetid miasma that is Australia n/a beer was half the price.

timothyw

To echo the above, Becks blue is alright.

It's fairly bland, but so is Becks....

Either way, I bought a case in a few months back and would happily drink one or two as the mood took me.

Might buy some more actually...

dinyull

Ahhh, VB....that takes me back.

Matthewfalle

We us to drink normal VB while smoking massive spliffs in the car park of the crib we shared with a couple of dodgy hookers and trying to blot out from our minds that we were stuck in Australia.


Aaah - car park drinking. Halcyonic days they were.

kingstongraham

I really like the Cobra non alcy. Prefer it to the Bavaria and Becks which are the other ones they do in Sainsbury's.

Where do you get the Budvar?

dinyull

KingstonGraham wrote:

I really like the Cobra non alcy. Prefer it to the Bavaria and Becks which are the other ones they do in Sainsbury's.

Where do you get the Budvar?

I've tried the Cobra too, now you mention it.

Budvar was in a bar in town, but shall be on the lookout.

Ben6899

Dinyull wrote:

So, as of the beginning of March I gave up alcohol. Not because I have a problem, I just don't seem to get on with it. At 32 a few beers can leave me with a 2 day hangover whilst a decent session leaves me in bed the next day.

Do enjoy a beer though so have been trying the non-alcoholic variants : Jupiler, Bavaria, San Miguel, Budvar and Franziskaner off the top of my head. Last 2 being particularly good - couldn't have guessed Budvar was a/f, whilst Franziskaner was a bit sweeter than normal but still very good.

Anyone else got recommendations to try?

I'm also off the booze for a bit. Not sure if I'll go back - a couple got on the bus the other day and despite looking otherwise normal, they both stank of alcohol. They no doubt had been for a nice, Sunday lunch drink... but I was repulsed.

Anyway. Are all these you list genuinely non-alcoholic? And by that, I would suggest no more than 0.05% (like you might find a piece of fermenting fruit).

St Peter's Without is 0.05% max. As is Becks Blue and the Bavaria offering.

I ordered a non-alcoholic Heineken in Stockholm... it tasted like p1ss and was 0.5% (which I do not consider to be non-alcoholic).

crispybug2

Quick question on the subject of non alcoholic beer, I was talking to someone on the subject of training and he said he and his mates drink a non alcoholic beer prior to a ride for an energy boost, anybody else heard of this?

itboffin

Why bother at all if you've made the choice to not drink booze, have a diet coke or tonic water

Matthewfalle

itboffin wrote:

Why bother at all if you've made the choice to not drink booze, have a diet coke or tonic water

Because sometimes it's nice to have a cold beer - some people like the taste and don't just drink it to get smashed and make ugly women look attractive.

Beer - a winner for ugly women for decades, because at the end of the day you can't have sex with personality.

fenix

Erdinger do a lovely non alcoholic beer. They often sponsor events and it goes down really well after a race.

giampi

Excellent one, if you can get your hands on it. Do remember to put all of it in a glass as the contained yeast does have an important contribution to the taste of the beer.

https://schneider-weisse.de/en/node/14

vimfuego

Fenix wrote:

Erdinger do a lovely non alcoholic beer. They often sponsor events and it goes down really well after a race.

+1

It's the recovery drink of champions

daniel_b

vimfuego wrote:

Fenix wrote:

Erdinger do a lovely non alcoholic beer. They often sponsor events and it goes down really well after a race.

+1

It's the recovery drink of champions

+2 was just going to add that as my choice - all be it is is 0.5%, but it has vitamins and all sorts, so is pretty much a recovery beer - what's not to like?!

£1.20 a bottle in the right places, and my beer of choice if I am riding the next day, and sometimes even if I am not.

Usually have a dozen bottles in stock at home - just waiting for the inevitable price hike that cannot be too far away :?

dinyull

Ben6899 wrote:

Dinyull wrote:

So, as of the beginning of March I gave up alcohol. Not because I have a problem, I just don't seem to get on with it. At 32 a few beers can leave me with a 2 day hangover whilst a decent session leaves me in bed the next day.

Do enjoy a beer though so have been trying the non-alcoholic variants : Jupiler, Bavaria, San Miguel, Budvar and Franziskaner off the top of my head. Last 2 being particularly good - couldn't have guessed Budvar was a/f, whilst Franziskaner was a bit sweeter than normal but still very good.

Anyone else got recommendations to try?

I'm also off the booze for a bit. Not sure if I'll go back - a couple got on the bus the other day and despite looking otherwise normal, they both stank of alcohol. They no doubt had been for a nice, Sunday lunch drink... but I was repulsed.

Anyway. Are all these you list genuinely non-alcoholic? And by that, I would suggest no more than 0.05% (like you might find a piece of fermenting fruit).

St Peter's Without is 0.05% max. As is Becks Blue and the Bavaria offering.

I ordered a non-alcoholic Heineken in Stockholm... it tasted like p1ss and was 0.5% (which I do not consider to be non-alcoholic).

Think some (most) of those I listed are 0.5%.

fenix

Daniel B wrote:

£1.20 a bottle in the right places, and my beer of choice if I am riding the next day, and sometimes even if I am not.

Usually have a dozen bottles in stock at home - just waiting for the inevitable price hike that cannot be too far away :?

Oh you'll have to reveal your sources now £1.20 is a bargain !

kingstongraham

itboffin wrote:

Why bother at all if you've made the choice to not drink booze, have a diet coke or tonic water

I prefer to drink something I like the taste of.

daniel_b

Fenix wrote:

Daniel B wrote:

£1.20 a bottle in the right places, and my beer of choice if I am riding the next day, and sometimes even if I am not.

Usually have a dozen bottles in stock at home - just waiting for the inevitable price hike that cannot be too far away :?

Oh you'll have to reveal your sources now £1.20 is a bargain !

Sainsbury's matey

andyb78

Brewdog do an excellent one - the aptly named Nanny State, although it's another that's 0.5% rather than 'alcohol free' in the strictest sense. It's an IPA rather than a lager though. Co-op and Waitrose stock it.

Another +1 for the Erdinger.

wallace_and_gromit

andyb78 wrote:

Brewdog do an excellent one - the aptly named Nanny State, although it's another that's 0.5% rather than 'alcohol free' in the strictest sense.

+1 for Nanny State. Got a couple line up for tonight, as it happens!

Pross

Fenix wrote:

Erdinger do a lovely non alcoholic beer. They often sponsor events and it goes down really well after a race.

Yeah, they give it as a post-race drink at Manchester Marathon. Too fizzy in that situation for me though.

itboffin

Matthewfalle wrote:

itboffin wrote:

Why bother at all if you've made the choice to not drink booze, have a diet coke or tonic water

Because sometimes it's nice to have a cold beer - some people like the taste and don't just drink it to get smashed and make ugly women look attractive.

Beer - a winner for ugly women for decades, because at the end of the day you can't have sex with personality.

ah but you've hit the nail on the head, beer tastes good because of the alcohol the getting smashed as you say part is or should be a side effect. I love a well crafted ale and am fortunate enough to live in between three independent small breweries, my step dad when I was growing up became a master of wine as part of his job, so drinking from the start for me was never about getting drunk.

As i said drink for the taste, alcohol free beer is horrible but if you must try go ahead, i'd recommend brew dogs nanny state, its as close to real craft beer as i've found.

daniel_b

Will give the Brewdog a try - Sainsbury's seem to have them for £1.25 a bottle.

itboffin

no good for you matey comes in a blue / cyan can ;-)

daniel_b

I can overlook such faux pas when it comes to drinks

And at least there is no red in it.

I'm hoping I don't need the mask, but the helmets not bad, almost British racing green. if you squint a bit, and p1ss about with the colour settings on your screen.

roger_merriman

itboffin wrote:

Matthewfalle wrote:

itboffin wrote:

Why bother at all if you've made the choice to not drink booze, have a diet coke or tonic water

Because sometimes it's nice to have a cold beer - some people like the taste and don't just drink it to get smashed and make ugly women look attractive.

Beer - a winner for ugly women for decades, because at the end of the day you can't have sex with personality.

ah but you've hit the nail on the head, beer tastes good because of the alcohol the getting smashed as you say part is or should be a side effect. I love a well crafted ale and am fortunate enough to live in between three independent small breweries, my step dad when I was growing up became a master of wine as part of his job, so drinking from the start for me was never about getting drunk.

As i said drink for the taste, alcohol free beer is horrible but if you must try go ahead, i'd recommend brew dogs nanny state, its as close to real craft beer as i've found.

I've always found you can taste the lack of alcohol, never found a free beer that I've lost liked, I'm booze free since that wee knock few years back. Tend to go for soft drinks or coffee? Oddly I that is something I don't need the caffeine in, I don't get a hit from it, can't tell the difference between decaf and real, my sister bought me a pack few years back, including decaf which I didn't notice until checking the package a month or so later.

Ben6899

itboffin wrote:

ah but you've hit the nail on the head, beer tastes good because of the alcohol the getting smashed as you say part is or should be a side effect. I love a well crafted ale and am fortunate enough to live in between three independent small breweries, my step dad when I was growing up became a master of wine as part of his job, so drinking from the start for me was never about getting drunk.

As i said drink for the taste, alcohol free beer is horrible but if you must try go ahead, i'd recommend brew dogs nanny state, its as close to real craft beer as i've found.

The lack of alcohol is definitely noticeable. The drink tastes thinner.

But, I'd rather have a Bavaria 0.0% than a Diet Coke. And the abstinence is good for the cycling physique...

deadeyedjacks

Check out this website

https://www.alcoholfree.co.uk/

We've tried a few of the mixed cases, plenty of interesting continental beverages.

verylonglegs

Found this thread interesting, low alcohol beer is not something I'd ever consider but will try a bottle of the Erdinger out of curiousity, would be daft to dismiss something without trying it. The thing is I really do enjoy the taste of alcohol, a modest whiskey collection attests to that, so I expect it won't be for me.

rick_chasey

Ben6899 wrote:

The lack of alcohol is definitely noticeable. The drink tastes thinner.

.

Well yeah, why d'ya think boozy wine is called full bodied?