What’s the Best Non-Alcoholic Alternative to an Ice Cold Beer at the End of the Day?
The flavor of beer is rich and complex and I can’t think of anything to replace the experience of beer.
If it helps, I actually like fruity beer, something sweet but with still some bitterness and that complex flavor I can’t describe that most good beers have.
Why not a softdrink or a root beer? It’s just not the same, it’s like a different branch from beer.
Water
Some THC + CBD
Hey bro,
I’m curious, did you find something that works for you? :)I like a cold glass of homemade pineapple kombucha - family love it too.
I was gonna say kombucha as well, the experience of drinking it is kinda similar?
I switched from from beer to flavored carbonated water. This was 18 years ago though and the options were pretty limited back then. Mostly it was just artificially sweetened garbage. I’d rather just have a club soda and add my own fruit or juice to taste. But these days it’s just easier to buy Polar or whatever.
Same for me. Lots of great options for sparkling water these days. I prefer it to soda.
A Sodastream with a bulk tank and adapter is righteous. I love my set-up and it’s about as basic as It gets. Then flavoring and sweetness are totally customizable according to the user. Full disclosure: I’m diabetic so the sweetener/lack of is key for me.
I have a soda stream but not a bulk adapter. I don’t want to clutter up the counter space since we use it to entertain (it’s open to the living space). I really wish there were more options for flavors though.
Do you have a hard time charging your tanks? Mine only get about half full - little better if i put them in the freezer for awhile.
I have a bulk tank that holds 15# of CO2 and a hose from it to the fitting where the small tank attaches. It’s just so much more economical. I get it refilled at a fire extinguisher shop.
You have no problem filling the little ones? Mine only fill about half way and i can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong. I get my big tank filled at the keg store.
The adapter connects my bulk tank directly to the Sodastream. No small tanks at all.
It’s aggravating because soda water costs more than cola but has less ingredients and all comes from the same bottling plant.
Highly recommend a soda stream, or soda stream alternative. My go to is 4 or 5 drops of lime juice in a glass, then the carbonated water. Tastes identical to the canned stuff, but way cheaper (and maybe less preservatives? Idk if the canned water has anything besides fruit juice and water)
I also occasionally like root beer if I’m eating something junky like a pizza slice or burger. I bought a bag in a box of syrup from the small root beer brand I enjoy, and can make my own for a few cents instead of a few bucks per bottle. Plus, I can control the concentration depending on how sweet my sweet tooth is feeling that day
Have you tried any non alcoholic beers? Some aren’t terrible but not sure if there are any that are fruity though.
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This is just going to make you want a real beer even more, I’d wager. It’s like feeling really horny and playing “Just the Tip.”
not in my experience
Ngl I’ve had non-alcoholic beers that I could not distinguish from real ones.
(The same is not true for wine. Non-alcoholic wine is ass)
fruit smoothie
Ice cold non-alcoholic beer, perhaps?
At least here in Europa NA beers have improved wo much in the last few years. I literally don’t know when I last drank one with alcohol when I just felt like drinking a beer (as opposed to when I wanted to drink alcohol).
And since OP likes it fruity, (NA) Radler/Shandy is just great. It’s 50:50 (NA) beer and lemon soda mixed. This was one of the original ways to get a fruity beer with a lower alcohol content (since the soda doesn’t have any) when NA beers weren’t good yet, great for a hot summer day.
NA beers can be great. Lagunitas sells a Hop Water that’s pretty good too - very light though. And most high-quality ginger beers pack a lot of flavor.
Athletic makes some great NA beers too. Everything from a light lager like you’d expect from something like a bud light all the way up to NA stouts.
Hop Water is insanely good. Like a citrusy, slightly bitter seltzer and usually cheaper than any NA beer that’s worth drinking. It’s quite a bit more money than any store brand seltzer though (which I would’ve recommended otherwise in either grapefruit or mango flavors for basically the same reason).
I agree. Really hits the spot sometimes!
For a long time I was in the “Non alcoholic beer can never replace real beer” camp. But in the last few years they’ve come a long way … and now you can buy low or no alcohol craft beers that are actually quite good.
Ginger Beer with lime is fantastic.
Non alcoholic beats have gotten so good with the proliferation of reverse osmosis distilling! The previous methods ruined it.
I’d like to try getting a small reverse osmosis pump such as for survival desalination, and try doing small batch dealcoholising for more variety of wine. I’m sober now and I’m grateful for my options, but I was really into exploring before.
As someone who used to have a pretty bad drinking problem, NA beers have gotten so good in the past few years. Heineken zeros are almost indistinguishable from normal ones and craft NAs have also gotten pretty good. Even though I’m not “fully sober” I mix in some non alcoholic beers if it’s going to be a long night to help pace myself.
Yup. There should be a couple where you normally buy alcohol. Check out middle eastern grocery stores too. Mine has a wide range of NA beers.
Try a good quality kombucha. Ice cold and carbonated they have a very similar bite/finish to a lot of beers. Most have sweet notes but are low sugar.
Doesn’t kombucha have a bit of alcohol as well?
They sell both kinds.
Technically yes but it’s around .5% or less which is the same as most non alcoholic beers
My first thought. Has to be the most complex least alcoholic drink.
I’ve never made it myself but home made kombucha is beautiful! Not as sweet as the store bought stuff, bit of a process though
Homemade almond milk with toasted ciconut, cinnamon and tumeric and lime juice and idk pineapple
For me it is seltzer. When it’s really cold and you’re thirsty, taking a gulp is like the same as drinking a really cold beer for the first few seconds.
Glass bottle coke, cane sugar variety
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Fucking fudgee-o bars. Or, the haaagen-dasz or magnum or whatever – Ice cream bars dipped in chocolate.
It’s second ONLY to a cold-as-hades low-booze beer like a corona.
Athletic Brewing Company’s Blackberry Lemon Mango NA Sour Near Beer.
I would also go with a non-alcoholic beer. stortebecker Atlantic Ale for me
