OT: Discovering Non Alcoholic Beer
 

So I have been a big beer drinker (don't drink wine or liquor) for the last 55 years or so as I genuinely love the taste of beer. Never been a soda drinker. Most recently with covid, some medical issues and sports injuries I have had an abundance of time to drink even more beer to the point that I realized needed to cut back or eliminate drinking beer. Several weeks ago in the grocery store there was a display for a new product, Budweiser Zero, that claimed tasted like regular Budweiser which was my go to after mowing lawn type of drinking beer. So I bought a twelve pack. Damn it tasted like Budweiser with a little less body. Anyway this intro into non alcoholic beers got me to research what other na beers might be out there. Low and behold there are several craft breweries that specialize in na beer. So I started trying them. Some of them are really good! So much so that I don't see myself ever drinking another alcohol beer. Why put that toxin in my body if I get just as much taste satisfaction without it. I am still trying more but these two breweries are notable:

https://wellbeingbrewing.com. I like there Hellraiser dark amber best.

https://athleticbrewing.com. I like there Cervaza and All Out stout best.

The only thing with na craft beers is they tend to be pricey.

And now I can mow the lawn at 9am and still have a Bud or two w/o getting a buzz for the rest of the day. Anybody else out there finding themselves in a similar place I highly recommend trying non alcoholic beers. You might be pleasantly surprised.

I started exploring NA beer a little myself. I am craft beer lover and a self proclaimed beer snob. I love a good IPA. The problem with the craft beers of today is that they are loaded with calories and are heavy on the ABV.

I tried Athletic Brewing's Run Wild IPA and it really wasn't too bad. Probably the best NA beer I've tried. I plan on having these occasionally with a weeknight meal to cut down on my calories and overall alcohol consumption.

One of the very recent issues of The New Yorker magazine (the Style and Design Issue, 27 September 21) has a lengthy article from a recovering alcoholic investigating non-alcoholic beverages. John Seabrook, "Zero-Proof Theory". Good reading.

I have greatly reduced my alcohol consumption the last few years. Lose weight, feel better, sleep better, more energy, save money and better sex! Wow that's some awesome marketing that you never hear for reducing/eliminating alcohol.

I have tried NA beers, and I like beer, but ultimately I settled on sparkling water with a splash of juice, usually grapefruit. I have a sodastream to make my own seltzers.

Here is a great podcast interview with founder of Athletic. I have tried a few six packs but ultimately it's the cost that keeps me away. At that price I get really nice sodas as a kind of mocktail. Or use the extra money for bike trips!

https://blisterreview.com/podcasts/a...comment-474130

I'm an Athletic Brewing ambassador. Ping me for discount codes. And if you're near their breweries, I recommend stopping by to try some of the special offerings they don't sell in stores or online. Lemon radler has been a summer treat.

Its harder to find a good lager or 5% IPA than one loaded up full of ABV and haze, sadly. But thats also business - the double/triple IPA's selling at $22-24/4-pack that can be brewed twice as fast than a lager sold at half the price. My next door neighbor runs a brewery, which is a nice perk, says that there's a direct, straight line correlation between ABV % and the untappd ratings, no matter the beer type or brewery.

Great podcast. thanks so much for sharing.

I have been drinking Athletic Brewing for about a year now, the IPA's are the sweet spot for them. One or two after a ride and I don't miss the alcohol at all.

What is ABV?

Alcohol by volume, or "the %".

try Two Roots Straight Dank, an incredible NA IPA in my opinion

FWIW-

Love the taste of beer and have never been a “one or two” person. Switched to Heineken Zeros for bar nights as most here in NYC have ‘em.

Still wake up feeling hungover.

I do worry about NA drinks as a path to relapse for recovering alcoholics.

Great article in the NYer last week chronicling on recovering alcoholics experience with NA beer

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2...r-a-sober-buzz

If you like IPA I think Hop Tea is my favorite NA option. Its dry hopped iced tea that is carbonated. It's different enough from beer that it doesnt taste like bad beer, but the hop character is close enough to a good IPA that it satisfies that craving