Beer is one of the few alcoholic beverages where the taste difference to non-alcoholic is really small, many would even say non-existent (at least for the ones that are regularly sold in German supermarkets).
Yesterday I even used non-alcoholic pilsener in an alcoholic cocktail, there was just no reason to use alcoholic pilsener instead.
Then you have had shit non-alcoholic beer so far. Bitburger 0.0% tastes bad. But Radeberger alkoholfrei, Nittenauer Lola Coffee Porter alkoholfrei, Härle Export non-alc, Uiltje Bird of Prey, Wolfscraft Bio alkoholfrei, Störtebecker Frei-Bier all are good non-alcoholic beers.
I’ve bought alcohol free wine in Canada and Japan. They were ok, but it makes me want to drink the real thing even more so I stay away from it. And I think my body still reacts to the tiny bit left in it because I can feel my face get warm and red (I have that crappy Asian genes that doesn’t process alcohol).
That might also be a reaction to the histamines common in wine and well cured cheese. Some people are very sensitive to that and have allergy like symptoms.
Oh! I had no idea! I don’t think I get that from well-cured cheese, but tbh, I haven’t had good cheese in a while since it’s so expensive to get in Japan. I do have sensitive skin too, so you might be on to something!
I’ve yet to try an alcohol free wine I’ve liked, a lot more alcohol to replace than beer, I guess. Also don’t see the point with wine. Alcohol free beer is nice as a fizzy beverage that isn’t sugary.
In Germany, alcohol-free wine is very common, and even smaller supermarkets sell alcohol-free gin and rum (specifically Captain Morgan Spiced). Whether those are any good really depends on what kinds of drinks you make with them, IME they usually suck when drunk neat, but e.g. alcohol-free wine is fine in an Aperol Spritz.
I have never tasted a difference between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beer of the same brand, though I’m not a big beer drinker so the nuances might be lost on me. But I don’t really like wine, either, and that difference is extremely obvious to me.
I’ve never seen a herbal tea that tastes like juniper. You’re not wrong, though, and it definitely feels like a ripoff when it’s the same price as the brand’s regular alcoholic product.
Meh, it’s not that bad. Wouldn’t pick it over any of the rums I usually buy (which aren’t available in supermarkets anyway), but it’s a decent enough spirit for its price class. I’d pick it over Bacardi or cheap whisky for sure.
There are some where there is no difference or where it tastes like a slightly different beer but not thin. I have tried over 100 different non-alc beers and Helles and IPLs tend to get pretty good non-alcoholic variants. However I recommend staying away from Bitburger, Paulaner, Clausthaler, Bayreuther and Oettinger. Basically most of the most available large brands have the worst non-alcoholic beers.
Never had a decent NA helles, but Athletic does have some IPAs that aren’t awful. Lagers though always taste way too malty, at least all the ones I’ve tried.
Not on my new phone, no. They’ve got just a website, you can just link that. I’m sincerely interested if you know NA lagers that actually taste like the beer they’re trying to be.
Here you go. Got 66 different non-alc beers rated and nearly 400 alcoholic beers rated. And you can see when I stopped drinking alcohol in my timeline (around March 2023).
I like having my gin and tonic with a healthy dose of lemon juice and pulp, but I discovered it’s just as nice without the gin so these days I often just have tonic and lemon. Obviously it’s still a different experience so it’s not like I’d never have a g&t again
Beer is one of the few alcoholic beverages where the taste difference to non-alcoholic is really small, many would even say non-existent (at least for the ones that are regularly sold in German supermarkets).
Yesterday I even used non-alcoholic pilsener in an alcoholic cocktail, there was just no reason to use alcoholic pilsener instead.
I really don’t think that alcohol free beer and normal beer taste similar at all, and I really like both kinds of beer 😀
Then you have had shit non-alcoholic beer so far. Bitburger 0.0% tastes bad. But Radeberger alkoholfrei, Nittenauer Lola Coffee Porter alkoholfrei, Härle Export non-alc, Uiltje Bird of Prey, Wolfscraft Bio alkoholfrei, Störtebecker Frei-Bier all are good non-alcoholic beers.
I never said they taste bad. I said they tastes different. If you can’t tell a difference in taste, then I don’t know what to tell you.
Here in Belgium more and more of the stronger beer brewers are experimenting with creating non-alcoholic versions and it’s pretty great.
Obviously the taste is different, but often still very decent.
As compared to what? Non-alcoholic wine? Is that even a thing? And I don’t mean grape juice obviously.
I find the taste difference to be pretty strong and would rather have no beer at all 🤷 Which is also fine ofc.
There are non-alcoholic Rieslings that taste like actual wine. I have done enough tastings to know that.
I’ve bought alcohol free wine in Canada and Japan. They were ok, but it makes me want to drink the real thing even more so I stay away from it. And I think my body still reacts to the tiny bit left in it because I can feel my face get warm and red (I have that crappy Asian genes that doesn’t process alcohol).
That might also be a reaction to the histamines common in wine and well cured cheese. Some people are very sensitive to that and have allergy like symptoms.
Oh! I had no idea! I don’t think I get that from well-cured cheese, but tbh, I haven’t had good cheese in a while since it’s so expensive to get in Japan. I do have sensitive skin too, so you might be on to something!
I’ve yet to try an alcohol free wine I’ve liked, a lot more alcohol to replace than beer, I guess. Also don’t see the point with wine. Alcohol free beer is nice as a fizzy beverage that isn’t sugary.
I recommend Deutsches Weintor Riesling alkoholfrei if you are in Germany. Then you will know there are good non-alc wines.
In Germany, alcohol-free wine is very common, and even smaller supermarkets sell alcohol-free gin and rum (specifically Captain Morgan Spiced). Whether those are any good really depends on what kinds of drinks you make with them, IME they usually suck when drunk neat, but e.g. alcohol-free wine is fine in an Aperol Spritz.
I have never tasted a difference between alcoholic and non-alcoholic beer of the same brand, though I’m not a big beer drinker so the nuances might be lost on me. But I don’t really like wine, either, and that difference is extremely obvious to me.
I don’t drink since ages and never really drank wine. For me real wine mostly smells and tastes like solvent. Like it is isopropanol with some grapes.
Hmm, TIL. I never noticed those in any supermarket, but I admit I never looked for them either.
Gordon’s non-alcoholic gin works well with lemonade (Zitronenlimo) or sprite.
Wouldn’t alcohol free gin simply be herbal tea?
I’ve never seen a herbal tea that tastes like juniper. You’re not wrong, though, and it definitely feels like a ripoff when it’s the same price as the brand’s regular alcoholic product.
captain morgan spiced isn’t very good to begin with
Meh, it’s not that bad. Wouldn’t pick it over any of the rums I usually buy (which aren’t available in supermarkets anyway), but it’s a decent enough spirit for its price class. I’d pick it over Bacardi or cheap whisky for sure.
In Sweden, alco-free wine definitely is a thing. I’ve also already seen it in a German supermarket. But, as I don’t like wine, I didn’t try it.
I second that the taste difference is pretty big, at least for most I’ve tried.
I’ll third that, I would never confuse any of the German NA lagers I’ve tried with the real thing.
There are some where there is no difference or where it tastes like a slightly different beer but not thin. I have tried over 100 different non-alc beers and Helles and IPLs tend to get pretty good non-alcoholic variants. However I recommend staying away from Bitburger, Paulaner, Clausthaler, Bayreuther and Oettinger. Basically most of the most available large brands have the worst non-alcoholic beers.
Never had a decent NA helles, but Athletic does have some IPAs that aren’t awful. Lagers though always taste way too malty, at least all the ones I’ve tried.
Do you have Untappd? I can show you my reviews.
Not on my new phone, no. They’ve got just a website, you can just link that. I’m sincerely interested if you know NA lagers that actually taste like the beer they’re trying to be.
Here you go. Got 66 different non-alc beers rated and nearly 400 alcoholic beers rated. And you can see when I stopped drinking alcohol in my timeline (around March 2023).
https://untp.beer/K4qwQ
Champagne / sparkling wine is a common one with non alcoholic versions
I like having my gin and tonic with a healthy dose of lemon juice and pulp, but I discovered it’s just as nice without the gin so these days I often just have tonic and lemon. Obviously it’s still a different experience so it’s not like I’d never have a g&t again
Espresso Tonic is my favorite “cocktail”, it’s just tonic and a shot of espresso. Terrible for those that don’t like bitterness though.
I discovered last week alcohol free gin. Didn’t even know that was a thing