When I’m drinking alcohol, it’s vodka sodas for me. Hard seltzer makes my stomach hurt.
The better the vodka the less you taste it. So just plain soda water is like drinking the most premium vodka soda you can get!
2 Likes
Not mocktails per se but re many of the zero-degree ‘spirits’ used… (from the article I posted above)
A fly in the ointment, however, is the cost, which many regard as unreasonably high given that alcohol-free products do not incur duty. The answer that’s always trotted out is that, without alcohol, it’s hard to create flavour and texture in a drink, but Roddy Nicoll of Spirits of Virtue, which recently collaborated with Asda on its new Extra Special range, is not convinced: “I’ve always thought a lot of the products are overpriced.” He puts that down to the need to make a margin on what are still small volumes and high levels of promotional spend
2 Likes
I used to love hopped kombucha. Haven’t been able to find it since I moved.
I can’t recommend any NA reds, but I’ve found two things I enjoy in it’s place. For taste, I have hibiscus iced tea. For mouth-feel, tart cherry juice. Allow them to come to just slightly chilled for best results.
1 Like
I liked their Hazy and IPA, but I found the lager and pale ale tasted just like their non-alcoholic counterparts, so I didn’t bother. I was sad when Ocado dropped them, but then about a month later my local pub started stocking them!
One (of so, so many) thing I miss about UK beers is the generally lower ABV. Here in Canada we seem to be in an arms race. You can find beers with double-digit ABV at the LCBO.
1 Like
Do not like Hazy. Love Amber (formerly Steam) and loved Dark Lager (no longer brewed).
IPA and Pale are good, Lager is perfectly palatable, to me.
Haven’t tried Stout.
NB Stout and Amber are ‘periodic’ brews, the others seem to be permanent.
No- and low-alcohol stouts tend to have a lot of sugar (lactose) in them. I tried to love Big Drop’s stouts, but couldn’t get there. Eventually they dropped the pretence, and starting advertising them as cake or ice-cream flavoured.
You’d probably have liked Dark Lager. One per cent and not overly sweet at all, but had a slight chocolately/nutty taste, to me. Still in some outlets in UK I believe. Not sure it can be ordered from them directly any more.
From the article:
The Original Small Beer Dark Lager £3.25 (350ml) The Wine Society, £21.95 for six Good Sixty, 1%. Low rather than no, but a terrific ultra-light beer with rich, dark roasted coffee and chocolate flavours.
1 Like
I’m going to try brewing some low ABV brews this year, somewhere around the 1% mark.
This channel has some decent directions on how to do so, along with some high-point recipes too.
2 Likes
Honestly, I’m loving it. We’ve been enjoying NA/0.0% beers for about a year, now. I can’t tell you how happy it’s made me than I can enjoy a decent beer without the alcohol.
1 Like
Totally missed that when I skimmed the article. Makes sense and only time I bumped into one of those zero degree spirits, it was part of a pack of discounted “leftover” food that was discounted.
This does make sense for that class at least in the way that things like Impossible and Beyond meat substitutes are still expensive compared to meat.
I’m more irritated by the things that are basic kitchen ingredients, but that also tracks based on relatively high demand and trying to make up for an existing markup (as opposed to places that have always had fancy lemonades or gingerales).
1 Like
I always tell the bar staff who say ‘Heineken Zero’ when asked what low alcohol beers they have, that there is a reason they call it Heineken Zero.
It has zero taste.
It is truly vile.
Yeah, it tastes the same as normal Heineken!
3 Likes
I’m doing dry January for the first time and I’m enjoying it. I bought a 12 pack of Budweiser Zero and it actually hits the spot when I want a cold beer. It obviously lacks the depth of a good local IPA but I honestly don’t feel like I’m missing anything. When February comes I’ll probably treat myself to a nip of bourbon but I’d have no issue keeping N/A beers stocked in the fridge as my go-to.
1 Like
They make it slightly skunky?
1 Like
I’m drinking a Mungát Alkoholfri Lime IPA right now!
There are quite a few good alcohol free beers here in Norway. The market share is just much more attractive when they can be sold for literally a tenth of the price of a normal beer. I especially like IPAs with a bit of a fruit taste. The hoppiness and the fruitiness help mask the non-alcoholic off taste they all still have. Munkholm fruktig IPA is probably my favourite. And I don’t usually choose an IPA when drinking real beer, tending towards pale ales and real ales (and German beers) instead.
Same reason I prefer non-alcoholic shandies/radler over straight non-alcoholic beer.
1 Like
Heh. I’ve only seen it in cans, so: no.
Umm - I’m pretty certain its worse. Heineken does taste of something (however bad) but Zero tastes of eff all - which makes it even worse in my book.
These kinds of drinks have long been popular in the Middle East, where they really hit the spot in the desert heat.
1 Like
I like Athletic’s offerings — Sierra Nevada just released one, which is (not surprisingly) pretty good, too. I’ve found that if I start with one regular beer and then have a couple of NAs after that, I’m all good.
