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Non-Alcoholic Beer Question

2,041 Views | 18 Replies | Last: 2 yr ago by aggiemike02
Athendor
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AG
Let's get the initial issues out of the way. Wife and I have never drank alcohol of any kind and we don't intent to start anytime soon it's a personal choice since our families were pretty much ruined by alcoholism.

We were curious what beer tasted like so we tried some non alcoholic types and they were....awful. Bitter as hell with a sharp metallic aftertaste. Is this what beer is supposed to be like? Any recommendations? What should we look for? How do you pick in a sea of a million options? Is this kind of beer good to cook with?
"A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned how to walk forward."

Franklin Delano Roosevelt
MrPlow2010
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Any NA Beer Drinkers Out There? | TexAgs

This thread might help.
AgNav93
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Anything by Well Being is good. I like their amber and IPA. I am big beer drinker but was prescribed blood thinners and so I've been trying various NA beers. Well Being is the best by far. If you like Heinekin their NA tastes just like their lite beer.

If you weren't a previous beer drinker you may not like anything. Beer is an aquired taste.
FitzChivalry
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The wife is pregnant right now and has enjoyed the Heineken 0.0.

I had one last week out of curiosity and did not find any flavor drop off.

+1 for beer being an acquired taste. There are many styles our there with different flavor profiles. Sadly the demand for N/A beer is too small to justify a larger variety.

If you are looking for the social aspect of drinking with no alcohol a lot of bars will do mocktails that are pretty decent. I personally like tonic with a dash or two of bitters.

Cooking with beer you should be fine with. The alcohol will cook down with the heat.
ORAggieFan
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Very few people enjoy beer when they first try it. Most of us drank it because it was cheap and available. Over time, I grew to love it. It's honestly my favorite beverage.

That NA thread is good. For a hoppy alternative, the Lagunitas Hoppy Refresher is awesome.
schmendeler
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oh yeah, beer is definitely an acquired taste. it's pretty nasty at first.

the best thing to do from a "taste" perspective is get one as mild as possible, imo. something like coors light is a good option. it's almost like seltzer water beer.

as for non alcoholic versions, i've got no clue for you.

that metallic taste doesn't sound right to me, though.
Athendor
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schmendeler said:

oh yeah, beer is definitely an acquired taste. it's pretty nasty at first.

the best thing to do from a "taste" perspective is get one as mild as possible, imo. something like coors light is a good option. it's almost like seltzer water beer.

as for non alcoholic versions, i've got no clue for you.

that metallic taste doesn't sound right to me, though.
So if beer isn't good then what is? I know you can get NA spirits and such so is there something better than beer?
"A conservative is a man with two perfectly good legs who, however, has never learned how to walk forward."

Franklin Delano Roosevelt
schmendeler
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don't get me wrong, beer is good. it's hugely varied and highly enjoyable to taste and explore. i just don't really know how you would go about acquiring a taste for it without also getting a little tipsy in the process.

you don't have to drink to get drunk but it certainly helps in the beginning if there are at least some positive results with drinking something that you don't enjoy the taste of.

i have no experience with mocktails or zero abv liqours either.

to me, part of the experience of a cocktail is that little (or more) bit of burn and volatile mouthfeel of the alcohol.

not sure how you replicate that without it.
GarlandAg2012
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jkuneyl said:

schmendeler said:

oh yeah, beer is definitely an acquired taste. it's pretty nasty at first.

the best thing to do from a "taste" perspective is get one as mild as possible, imo. something like coors light is a good option. it's almost like seltzer water beer.

as for non alcoholic versions, i've got no clue for you.

that metallic taste doesn't sound right to me, though.
So if beer isn't good then what is? I know you can get NA spirits and such so is there something better than beer?
What is your goal in trying to find good non alcoholic alcohol flavored drinks? I would look at "mocktail" recipes if you are just bored with the same old same old of water/soda/lemonade/tea etc.

If you're honestly just curious, buy a single beer from a grocery store and taste it and pour the rest out. It's very likely that the real deal won't taste great to you so the alcohol free ones won't either.
RustyBoltz
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I'm trying to get back into triathlons and cutting the weight I gained during a pretty depressive 2020. I find drinking Athletic Brewing NA beers quenches the thirst after a long run but doesn't weigh me down like a DIPA. It doesn't replace my stock of craft beer in the fridge, but it has replaced the Ultra's.
GarlandAg2012
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RustyBoltz said:

I'm trying to get back into triathlons and cutting the weight I gained during a pretty depressive 2020. I find drinking Athletic Brewing NA beers quenches the thirst after a long run but doesn't weigh me down like a DIPA. It doesn't replace my stock of craft beer in the fridge, but it has replaced the Ultra's.
This makes total sense to me, but you were already a beer drinker. OP is not an alcohol person and says he never wants to be, so I don't really understand the desire to try NA booze. It's not going to taste the same and to my knowledge it isn't really intended for people to learn to acquire the taste without the alcohol. It's for people who already like it and just can't/don't want the alcohol.

Not trying to gatekeep it by any means, I just don't really get the point. There are much better tasting NA beverages for non drinkers.
FIDO*98*
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The true 0.0 beers are better than the <.5% N/As because the alcohol is filtered out rather than heated out. Budweiser 0.0 tastes pretty close to Bud. My favorite currently is probably Partake.
OasisMan
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AgNav93 said:

...you weren't a previous beer drinker you may not like anything. Beer is an aquired taste...

/thread
PapaJohn14
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Been dabbling in NA beers over the last few month. I enjoy athletic brewing golden and honestly, Budweiser 0 is also a really easy NA beer to drink and not notice a big difference in taste from regular beer.
JYDog90
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JACH14 said:

Been dabbling in NA beers over the last few month. I enjoy athletic brewing golden and honestly, Budweiser 0 is also a really easy NA beer to drink and not notice a big difference in taste from regular beer.


I hated Budweiser when I drank. For some reason I've been curious about their 0. I typically drink the Heineken 0.0. The Brooklyn Beer IPA can be good in some versions. I like the purple can, not so much the green can.
BusterAg
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Hint Water or Le Croix > NA Beer.

And I like beer.

If you want to quench thirst, I like ice water. If you want to sip, I like Hint or Le Croix.

If you want a faux cocktail, I have always stuck with virgin Mohitos, which are just lime / mint soda water, or club soda with lime. No reason to get fancy.
Leanderthal
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Maybe try Lagunitas Hoppy Refresher 0% abv / 0 calorie beverage first? It is available at my HEB in Austin, and it is delicious.

Graduating to the Lagunitas NA IPA would be a win.

I would not fool around with the likes of Busch NA or O'Doull's, but individual tastes differ.

I respect your decision to be a teetotaler, but I don't understand the desire of a teetotaler to acquire a taste for beer.
Stringfellow Hawke
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I use ginger beer to make cocktails and is pretty tasty by itself.
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aggiemike02
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Brew Dog makes good NA beers, and they ship to Texas usually for free.
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