Favourite non (or low) alcohol beer

[Francis Albert]

As a companion to the other thread what is your favourite? I don't like sweet fizzy drinks, fruit juice is only for breakfast, and water is a side thirst quencher at meals with wine. I like beer but sometimes feel the need to ease up on my alcohol consumption.

 

In the old days, certainly in pubs or even in supermarkets and off-licences  the choice was pretty much Becks Blue or  Becks Blue which I always found had an odd metallic taste (it may have improved). There is now a huge variety available. 

 

My current favourites are Clausthaler, a German unfiltered lager, slightly cloudy with a slightly hoppy flavour. and  Adnams Ghost Ship (0.5%) which is a decent substitute for the real thing. Moretti and Peroni Zero are drinkable and after a couple of their alcoholic equivalents I don't much notice the difference in taste.

Edited July 11, 2020 by Francis Albert

[Dawnrazor]

Irn Bru.

[Neil Dongcaster]

Normally just opt for a zero sugar juice in a glass.

[Alan_R]

Budweiser prohibition is about the best

 

Becks blue is ok

 

Heineiken and peroni 0% are bowfin

[Alan_R]

I like the little stubbies of french lager you find in the super markets.

 

Often 3%-4% though

[felix]

Been  round the houses with the 0% beers,  find myself coming back to Becks Blue every time.

Bavaria is strangely good imo - and Peroni 0% undrinkable 🤮

[Rupert Pupkin]

Bavaria, Erdinger, Adnams Ghost Ship alcohol free.

Brooklyn’s Special Effects is really nice.

There is an excellent selection now, and some really tasty ones.

Also had this recently and it was decent.
 

[Harry Potter]

2 hours ago, Neil Dongcaster said:

Normally just opt for a zero sugar juice in a glass.

Aye or real coke.

[Fitzroy Pointon]

Tennents L.A. 

 

I remember my dad buying me a 4 pack for watching the 1994 Cup Final. My mum went nuts when she got home. 

[davemclaren]

Alcohol free used to be rubbish in the 80s. Seems to have improved quite a bit. 

[Der Kaiser]

I still genuinely don't see the point in alcohol free beer.....

 

[frankblack]

2 hours ago, Der Kaiser said:

I still genuinely don't see the point in alcohol free beer.....

 

 

In agreement with you.  If I want to drink I go and do it properly.  If I am a designated driver I drink soft drinks.

[NANOJAMBO]

I really like Aldi Patronus weissbier and in a rush I grabbed a couple of bottles of what turned out to be the zero alcohol version : it was absolutely rank. 

[graygo]

[graygo]

4 hours ago, Der Kaiser said:

I still genuinely don't see the point in alcohol free beer.....

 

 

Me neither, a bit like how I feel about tofu or any other vegetarian crap made to taste like meat.

[Morgan]

Alcohol free beer is the liquid equivalent of condoms.

[Locky]

54 minutes ago, graygo said:

 

Me neither, a bit like how I feel about tofu or any other vegetarian crap made to taste like meat.

Same here. I take on the OP's logic, but I personally couldn't think of something worse than drinking alcohol free beer on a night out or that.

 

As for vegetarians, I've yet to hear a logical argument for eating meat flavoured, meat substitutes.

Edited July 11, 2020 by Locky

[heartsfc_fan]

Brew Dog Nanny State is quite nice.

 

 

[Francis Albert]

3 hours ago, frankblack said:

 

In agreement with you.  If I want to drink I go and do it properly.  If I am a designated driver I drink soft drinks.

Isn't alcohol free beer a soft drink?

[frankblack]

1 minute ago, Francis Albert said:

Isn't alcohol free beer a soft drink?

 

Not really, it tastes like piss.  A soft drink is something like a Cola that doesn't try and pretend to be something it isn't which is a beer in this case.

[Francis Albert]

9 hours ago, Neil Dongcaster said:

Normally just opt for a zero sugar juice in a glass.

What is a zero sugar juice?

[Neil Dongcaster]

10 minutes ago, Francis Albert said:

What is a zero sugar juice?

A juice with no sugar.

[Francis Albert]

7 minutes ago, Neil Dongcaster said:

A juice with no sugar.

Like what? Water? 

[Francis Albert]

21 minutes ago, frankblack said:

 

Not really, it tastes like piss.  A soft drink is something like a Cola that doesn't try and pretend to be something it isn't which is a beer in this case.

A soft drink is a drink with no alcohol or so little as makes no difference. Taste is a matter of taste and I prefer the taste of non alcoholic beers to something like a Cola. The thread was about preferences between non alcoholic beers.

[graygo]

10 minutes ago, Francis Albert said:

Like what? Water? 

 

Coke zero?

[frankblack]

24 minutes ago, Francis Albert said:

A soft drink is a drink with no alcohol or so little as makes no difference. Taste is a matter of taste and I prefer the taste of non alcoholic beers to something like a Cola. The thread was about preferences between non alcoholic beers.

 

You are entitled to your opinion, but a  significant number of drinkers think low alcohol beer are pointless, and from my point of view a temptation to drivers to switch up to a proper beer.  If you aren't drinking then don't accept a fifth-rate substitute.

 

By the way, I wasn't the first to comment about low alcohol being pointless on this thread.

[Francis Albert]

18 minutes ago, frankblack said:

 

You are entitled to your opinion, but a  significant number of drinkers think low alcohol beer are pointless, and from my point of view a temptation to drivers to switch up to a proper beer.  If you aren't drinking then don't accept a fifth-rate substitute.

 

By the way, I wasn't the first to comment about low alcohol being pointless on this thread.

Sorry but how can opimioms about the relative merits of different non/low alcohol beers  be pointless on a thread which is about non/low alcohol beers?

The idea that low alcohol beer might tempt drivers to switch to proper beer is also ludicrous. One of the main indeed probably over-riding reason for people drinking low alcohol beer is completely the opposite. They want to drive but not not drive drunk.

Edited July 11, 2020 by Francis Albert

[frankblack]

1 minute ago, Francis Albert said:

Sorry but how can non/low alcohol be pointless on a thread which is about non/low alcohol?

 

The whole concept is weak and the taste is worse than crap low strength beer.

 

1 minute ago, Francis Albert said:

The idea that low alcohol beer might tempt drivers to switch to proper beer is also ludicrous. One of the main indeed probably over-riding reason for people drinking low alcohol beet is completely the opposite. They want to drive but not not drive drunk.

 

I'd say the temptation of a driver drinking something clearly removed from beer such as cola/irn bru/lemonade, etc is far lesser than something that's objective is to give someone the taste of beer while their friends are getting pissed.

[Francis Albert]

50 minutes ago, graygo said:

 

Coke zero?

A fizzy sweet drink. Yes if you.like that sort of thing. But the thread was  about preferences between different low or non-alcoholic beers. 

Edited July 11, 2020 by Francis Albert

[Francis Albert]

4 minutes ago, frankblack said:

 

The whole concept is weak and the taste is worse than crap low strength beer.

 

 

I'd say the temptation of a driver drinking something clearly removed from beer such as cola/irn bru/lemonade, etc is far lesser than something that's objective is to give someone the taste of beer while their friends are getting pissed.

I completely disagree but in any event you are completely off topic. The topic is or was meant to be about non or low alcohol beer drinkers preferences between different brands of low or non alcoholic beers. 

[graygo]

12 minutes ago, Francis Albert said:

A fizzy sweet drink. Yes if you.like that sort of thing. But the thread was  about preferences between different low or non-alcoholic beers. 

 

No I don't like it, I was responding to your question of what is a juice with no sugar.

[Francis Albert]

2 hours ago, Morgan said:

Alcohol free beer is the liquid equivalent of condoms.

Given the choice would you prefer sex with condoms to having no sex? Anyway the point of the thread given your analogy is the relative merits of different condoms.

[Francis Albert]

10 minutes ago, graygo said:

 

No I don't like it, I was responding to your question of what is a juice with no sugar.

OK thanks. The post I replied to and my reply were equally off topic. Sorry.

 

Having said that the objections of some to drinking a substitute for alcoholic beer would surely also  apply to drinking coke zero.

Edited July 11, 2020 by Francis Albert

[Francis Albert]

8 hours ago, jonnothejambo said:

Erdinger lager. German and comes in a big bottle. 

 

It's actually drinkable when ice cold.

Erdinger is decent.

[ri Alban]

Whats the point? Just drink Water or Ginger/Juice/Pop. 

 

Drink to get drunk. Well I do. 

Edited July 12, 2020 by ri Alban

[¼½¾]

Why are alcohol free beers subject to the same licencing laws as the regular stuff? Cans of shandy, which contains the same, sometimes more, alcohol than the 'alcohol free' beers, can be bought by children, and outwith licencing hours too. 

 

[martoon]

15 hours ago, Der Kaiser said:

I still genuinely don't see the point in alcohol free beer.....

 

 

Me neither. 

 

Coke Zero, Irn Bru or Schweppes Lemonade for me on non beer days. Honestly don't think I've ever drank a non/low alcohol beer. Never seen the point. If I want/have to moderate alcohol intake I add Schweppes and have a 50/50 shandy. Cracking on a sunny afternoon. 

 

Might do that that today if the sun makes an appearance. 

[pablo]

It's predicted that within the next 5 years 20% of the world's beer production will be no alcohol beer. 

 

It's really popular with some drinkers, which is quite difficult to get your head around if you're a man of a certain age, especially in Scotland maybe? Don't drink it myself, but it does taste good now, on account of how it's brewed.

[3fingersreid]

Is Kaliber lager still on the go ?

Due to taking medication for a while in the mid 80’s I was told to avoid alcohol, got fed up drinking juice , as much with the price as to the taste, so I tried Kaliber, the only way to drink it was adding lime to it , wasn’t pleasant unless it was freezing cold .

There was another alcohol free one but I can’t remember it’s name 🤔

[davemclaren]

22 minutes ago, 3fingersreid said:

Is Kaliber lager still on the go ?

Due to taking medication for a while in the mid 80’s I was told to avoid alcohol, got fed up drinking juice , as much with the price as to the taste, so I tried Kaliber, the only way to drink it was adding lime to it , wasn’t pleasant unless it was freezing cold .

There was another alcohol free one but I can’t remember it’s name 🤔

Clausthaler and Kaliber are the two I remember from the 80s. Preferred the former. 

[Taffin]

11 hours ago, frankblack said:

 

Not really, it tastes like piss.  A soft drink is something like a Cola that doesn't try and pretend to be something it isn't which is a beer in this case.

 

What about Coke Zero, Pepsi Max and the like? Are they permitted?

 

I like the Bavaria and the Erdinger mentioned already. Very drinkable.

[A.C.]

5 hours ago, ri Alban said:

Whats the point? Just drink Water or Ginger/Juice/Pop. 

 

Drink to get drunk. Well I do. 

 I don’t get the point in someone posting on (or indeed reading) a thread they have no interest in, but there you go. 

[AlimOzturk]

The only one I have liked the taste of is becks blue but even then it wasn’t really for me. I like the effects of alcohol as much as the taste

[Governor Tarkin]

6 hours ago, ri Alban said:

Whats the point? Just drink Water or Ginger/Juice/Pop. 

 

Drink to get drunk. Well I do. 

 

I love the taste of beer and lager, and many of the low or alcohol free varieties these days taste as good as their regular counterparts. 

 

Folk that think they are pointless obviously don't get the evening beer cravings that I do. A couple of alcohol frees are generally enough to scratch the itch on a school night. If I start on the real stuff I generally don't stop.

 

 

[Governor Tarkin]

59 minutes ago, windsor1874 said:

To the OP- don't get drawn into the boring stuff about "what's the point"- drink what you enjoy the taste of- who cares what other folk think! 

 

 

[frankblack]

1 hour ago, Taffin said:

 

What about Coke Zero, Pepsi Max and the like? Are they permitted?

 

If you read my other replies I said as much.

 

1 hour ago, Taffin said:

I like the Bavaria and the Erdinger mentioned already. Very drinkable.

 

Not for me.  If you are going out to drink, don't mess about.

 

Might as well go to a café if beer isn't for you.

[Francis Albert]

1 hour ago, windsor1874 said:

To the OP- don't get drawn into the boring stuff about "what's the point"- drink what you enjoy the taste of- who cares what other folk think! 

 

Tempest Brewing do a good lowalcohol sour beer called Drop Kick. It's really sour though, but I like it and worth a try I'd say. I think they sell it in wee shop on dalry road beside the chippy.

 

Thanks for the first piece pf advice.

I'll try out the second piece of advice when I see Drop Kick!

[pablo]

12 minutes ago, Governor Tarkin said:

 

I love the taste of beer and lager, and many of the low or alcohol free varieties these days taste as good as their regular counterparts.

 

 

 

A decade ago low alcohol beer was boiled to remove the alcohol and that could and did damage the beer. Now it goes through a de-alcoholisation process. Regular beer is pushed through a high pressure filter/membrane thing that only water and the alcohol will pass through so it's extracted at low temperature too. 

 

I know Heineken 0.0 is made with the same malt and hops and fermented with the same strain of yeast as regular Heineken and is made in the Netherlands.

 

People might not appreciate the concept or feel it's for them. But to say it tastes pish nowadays, isn't really true.

[Governor Tarkin]

3 minutes ago, pablo said:

 

People might not appreciate the concept or feel it's for them. But to say it tastes pish nowadays, isn't really true.

 

I absolutely agree.

[Taffin]

55 minutes ago, frankblack said:

 

If you read my other replies I said as much.

 

 

Not for me.  If you are going out to drink, don't mess about.

 

Might as well go to a café if beer isn't for you.

 

That's the point though, it caters for people who are for beer but for whatever reason don't want the alcohol. As governer tarkin says, I've often got the craving for a beer but need to drive/exercise/work later and it's perfect for that.

 

Sure any sugar free pop is just a knock-off of the real thing too?