[jlhonora]

I quit alcohol a year ago, but still enjoy non-alcoholic beer like Athletic Brewing's [0]. It's got great selection and taste, although lacks the alcohol kick of course (which I don't miss).

I now sleep and feel a lot better, my resting heart rate decreased substantially, among other benefits.

It's not easy to quit alcohol, especially from a social aspect. But good non-alcoholic beer makes it possible for me at least.

[0] https://athleticbrewing.ca/

[dnissley]

Also worth trying are non-alcoholic hop-based beverages like hoptea [1], hopwtr [2], h2ops [3], and lagunitas' hoppy refresher [4].

[1] https://hoplark.com

[2] https://hopwtr.com

[3] https://h2ops.com

[4] https://lagunitas.com/beer/hoppy-refresher

[tomc1985]

Why does everything have to taste like hops? Fuck hops, I am surrounded by IPAs where I am and it has corrupted the local palate into liking this crap

[ragingrobot]

Some people enjoy the bitterness, I know I do. However, I've gotten sick of IPAs everywhere and I share your sentiment.

A few years ago, there weren't as many craft breweries around Central New Jersey. They had a small yet varied selection - one or two different lagers, stouts, wheats, and IPAs.

Then those came around (mostly hipsters who couldn't even handle the alcohol content of one glass!) who started promoting an IPA as an "adult" drink. Now there are craft breweries - if not multiple - in damned near every town on the Shore. At many a good three quarters if not more of their offerings are some variant of an IPA.

[antsar]

Check out Ashton in Middlesex sometime, if you haven’t already. Plenty of IPAs, but the rest of the menu is rather creative & dynamic IMO.

[ragingrobot]

I'm off this week, I'll keep them in mind, thanks!

[el_oni]

I would guess because bitterness is what makes it taste like an "adult" drink.

A lot of non-alcoholic options tend to be sweet: soft drinks, fruit juices, mocktails being the first that come to mind.

The newer trend with companies like seedlip, or with actually good non-alcoholic beers means you can having something "adult" to drink without rotting your teeth

[mpfundstein]

maybe because its nice? where does that conservatism come from?

[least]

I would assume it comes from disliking the taste of hops. I find hoppy beers taste like soap, personally but IPAs and other hoppy beers have become incredibly popular, so navigating the craft brew landscape can be a minefield for people that dislike it.

Still, it's not like there's exactly a shortage of beers for people that don't really like hops so while it makes it kind of difficult sometimes (especially when all you're given is a name of a beer) it isn't something to get that upset over.

[tomc1985]

Because there is way more to beer than IPAs! There are lagers, hefeweizens, stouts, radlers, and yet the only beer that's stocked in any quantity are the same boring bitter-ass "craft" IPAs.

And maybe I just hate watching people and the market gravitate towards only one thing.

How is not liking IPAs 'conservative'?

[williamtwild]

So its crap because you don't like it? What an odd position to take.

[mikelward]

Love Hoplark. Expensive tho.

[mywittyname]

So, are these meant to taste like beer or just hops?

[marzell]

For a bit more detail than some of the other responses.. for example, seeing Lagunitas on the name made me concerned it would be very hop-bitter (IBU) but that was not the case at all. I found it to be more like a modern flavored sparkling water (think LaCroix and the like) except with the floral flavor of dry-hopping, and a bit of sweetness kinda like tonic water.

[city41]

The ones I've had had a strong hop flavor, and reminded me of an IPA.

[dnissley]

Usually just hops, but sometimes other flavors are added. E.g. different kinds of tea in the case of hoptea.

I like them as a beer replacement though, they get close enough to the feeling of beer for me personally.

[loeg]

Hops plus other flavors; not like beer.

[ubermonkey]

Glad to see Athletic getting mentioned here. I haven't quit alcohol, but as I've aged (51) I've found the margin for "trouble free" consumption has narrowed considerably -- in terms of sleep, but also weight gain and impact to my cycling performance.

For the last year or so, there's always a couple kinds of Athletic in the fridge, in addition to whatever regular beer we have on hand, and most of the time I choose the NA as a result.

(Not for nothing, but a good IPA can be 200 calories a can. Athletic's is 50.)

[geebee]

Have you considered very low alcohol beers? I remember one called, amusingly, "commercial suicide". it was a bit difficult to find. ABV was 3.3%

https://jesterkingbrewery.com/main-blog/commercial-suicide-b...

Becks also has an unusually low alcohol content beer, Beck's 'premier light' which is 2.3%.

That may still be too high for you though, and for people who must never touch alcohol, even 2.3% is probably a bad idea.

Neither of these or anything like them are likely to be served in a bar, so for socializing, probably not a helpful option anyway.

[jmacd]

These really are my sweet spot. I'm a very cerebral person (for better and neurotic worse) and the "dumbing" effect of alcohol is sometimes welcome but often comes on too strong. ~2.5% beers are something I can enjoy.

[enriquto]

just mix a regular 5% beer with lemonade, as many people do in summer

[gfaure]

This combination is what Germans call a Radler, which translates to "cyclist": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shandy#Radler

[mpfundstein]

and if you mix it with coke, its called a 'Neger' (negro in english). at least in bavaria and parts of Austria.

[hirvi74]

Sorry, I am not trying to be funny or anything, but by "coke" do you mean soft drinks or cocaine?

[jacobmischka]

If someone is trying to cut back on alcohol consumption I don't think that's necessarily good advice. Sweet drinks like lemonade are so easy for me to suck down without thinking.

[toastal]

Hot beverages are a lot harder to suck down. I try to start most mornings with a hot cup of sencha or oolong tea, but there's a lot of good, hot options like chrysanthemum, ginger, or lime.

[flobosg]

Personally speaking, the carbonation in shandies prevents me from chugging them down. Besides, when I prepare them myself I tend to water down the mixer a bit, otherwise they end up being a little too sweet to my taste.

[jmacd]

I think it was in reference to my 2.5% comment. For me, the sweetness of most juices isn't a good thing, so it works for me. ymmv

[sdenton4]

I strongly prefer DIY lemonade, exactly because I've got full control over the sweetness. (and throwing in a few fresh mint leaves is a nice touch, too..)

Just pick up a small bottle of 100% pure lemon juice, add about a half the bottle to a quart of water, ymmv, and whatever (brown!) sugar and other stuff you want.

[da39a3ee]

+1 to lemonade shandies if you're feeling like limiting alcohol intake for an evening. They're actually a good way to enjoy aggressively hoppy IPAs if you find those a bit tough to drink neat.

[adav]

Brits call this a shandy. Very refreshing at music festivals.

[yissp]

Might sound strange, but beer and tomato juice is also nice if you want something more savory vs sweet. Possibly a Canadian thing.

[kingosticks]

A brewery near me did a run of "Tomato Gose" which I really liked and then followed by "Clamato" which was interesting... and I learned that clam juice is a thing in Canada.

https://untappd.com/b/perivale-brewery-tomato-gose/3801467

[mattzito]

There a place near me that makes micheladas (beer, Worcestershire, lime, hot sauce), with an added splash of tomato juice. My wife has fallen in love with them and it’s her regular around the house adult beverage .

[ryanbrunner]

If you have a chance to try it with Clamato, I highly recommend it. I never thought I'd say "the clam juice really adds something", but well, it does.

[matthewowen]

It’s a Mexican thing too - Michelada

[tick_tock_tick]

Tons of brunch places in CA that don't have hard liquor offer a beer bloody mary which is pretty close.

[0x38B]

Kvas(1), a fermented bread drink from Russia and Ukraine, might fit the bill with its alcohol content of 0.5-1% (it’s considered a non-alcoholic drink, but I’ve had Kvas that was _strong_).

There’s nothing better than cold kvas on a hot day - shame we can’t just buy it in the supermarket here in America.

1: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kvass

[5e92cb50239222b]

I don't know anyone who buys it. It's easy to make at home.

[cyberpunk]

I’ve gone the other way, I have one extremely good beer (usually a 10% or more Russian Imperial Stout) instead of 6 bottles of ipa..

Seems to work for me ;)

(If anyone else likes a good RIS try Lemke’s one if you’re in Berlin)

[ragingrobot]

Can't agree with you enough here. It's something I've learned as an adult when it comes to alcohol - better to have that one good beer or wine, enjoy the taste and the feel of it, than to drink more of mediocre stuff.

[404mm]

Just curious, how did you quit?

I always enjoyed a good beer, wine and whiskey. But during the covid year, I took a few months break. Then when I had a drink again, I could see how much it affected me. So I didn’t do it again for a few weeks. I tried couple more times but each time it was just not worth it for the next 1-2 days. (After one or two drinks, that is).

Now I just don’t miss it anymore, and I love it!

[wjamesg]

Opposite for me. Been drinking way too much since Covid. Need to take a break

[jefft255]

Same for me. Me and my partner had to set an artificial rule to never drink on weeknights. Especially at the beginning, the stress induced by the pandemic made it really easy to want to pop a beer open at 5 every day. It mostly worked, in that there was an obvious benefit even though we slipping every now and and then.

[sjg007]

Your strategy is basically the best way. You have to actively remember how bad you feel after drinking and that changes your psychology.

[mpfundstein]

but what if you feel great after drinking?

[scrozart]

I believe they meant the next day/several hours later.

If you don't feel any adverse effects later, you're probably drinking responsibly (never more than 2, always with food), or are still on the younger side.

Age is a huge factor in how we process booze. As you get older, your liver gets worse at handling the byproducts of alcohol, specifically acetaldehyde. It's the poison that leads to longer, worse hangovers. I didn't get hangovers until my early 30s, and they've gotten considerably worse over time, while simultaneously being _much_ easier to achieve. If I drink at all on an empty stomach, even just a single beer, I really feel it now in my early 40s. Maybe not later as a hangover, but rapid onset sluggishness. The effects on sleep are no joke, and as you get older sleep is harder to come by for a number of reasons, which we've learned is incredibly problematic.

You get to a point where you have rules: always eating something first (which could affect other health goals like calorie counting), drinking water between drinks/every other (which leads to feeling gross and bloated, possible hyponatremia if you're not careful), and taking supplements like NAC before bed/every 2-3 drinks. It becomes clear at some point that not drinking is the only real solution.

[mason55]

Another vote for Athletic Brewing. My wife and I are huge beer lovers who quit drinking recently. We both agree that the benefits are completely worth it but I'm not sure we would have gotten through some recent social functions without drinking (including 4th of July) unless we had a NA beer in hand.

We've tried a few others, the Brooklyn Brewery Special Effects was pretty good too. Totally different flavor from any of the Athletic stuff.

[agloeregrets]

I'm not sure if it was related to my high blood pressure (which was a major health concern before managed, an IVH is NOT fun.) but alcohol was just never an enjoyable experience for me in any large amount (I'm like a 1 drink a month type due to this), I just felt nauseous in a bad way and generally unwell.

Athletic brewing's Upside Dawn is probably the first beer I ever drank that I truly ever enjoyed due to this. I keep a case in the mini-fridge in my office. The other `upside` is that it is socially acceptable to drink an NA beer during work hours and as a programmer I don't have to worry about declining ability or focus.

Also, it's worth noting that local vendors will sell it for ~60% the price as online. My local Wegmans sells it for just $9.99/6 pack compared to $17 at their website.

[SOLAR_FIELDS]

Athletic really seems to be the leader in this sector in terms of taste. I have a spouse who drinks a lot of non-alcoholic beer and as such I have gotten to try a whole host of them - so far Athletic has handily defeated competition in the few flavors they offer.

The only thing about Athletic is that they don't offer calorie-free options. Lagunitas' Hoppy Refresher is probably my favorite of the calorie-free options available. Though when you go calorie-free with NA beer you're pretty heavily pushing what the definition of a beer is.

[dageshi]

I was going to say, if it's low alcohol and low calorie maybe you're just better off with a nice soda water.

[chipotle_coyote]

That's basically what the Hoppy Refresher is -- a hop-flavored seltzer. :) I actually really like it, though.

[jmacd]

Not sure about the US, but in Canada there are a couple of yellow label grocery store brands of non alcoholic beer which are very surprisingly good as well. Seems like there are more and more options every day.

[obloid]

Most of the nonalcoholic beers I've tried are pretty terrible, Athletic have somehow made a nonalcoholic beer that actually tastes like a beer. I've got a case of Run Wild in the fridge and it satisfies my beer craving without the alcohol. I'm hoping more brewers can figure it out. Athletic is way ahead of the ones I have tried so far.

[jonnycomputer]

So I like a beer or two, but any more than that and its downhill later on. So I've taken to bringing beer and high-quality ginger ale to parties. So that I can switch over and have something that I still enjoy and fits in to the scene without close inspection. An alcohol-free beer might fit in... if I enjoy the taste.

[danielecook]

I joined my wife in giving up alcohol during pregnancy. I have thoroughly enjoyed Athletics. I will also recommend odouls amber and Heineken 0.

I’d love to see more restaurants carry more varieties of non alcoholic beer and more brewery’s try their hand at making one.

[dillondoyle]

They also sponsor a climber close to my heart, with a themed LGBTQ beer - AND as a sober person myself - I love that company.

but a lot of 'non alcoholic' beers do have alcohol in them which is a problem for some. A good amount more than a kambucha in some cases..

[jlhonora]

Thanks for sharing! Is it this one: [0]? I'm a weekend warrior climber, and Blood Orange beers are my favorite! And even better if it's for a noble cause.

[0] https://athleticbrewing.com/products/rainbow-wall-non-alcoho...

[barbazoo]

thanks for sharing, looks great, I ordered them right away. I like most non-alcoholic beers, what bothers me most is the lack of variety so I'm always happy to try new ones

[footlose_3815]

seltzer and thc for me