Alcohol Free?

[Beanwood]

I suppose this could be considered sacrilege in 'The Brew Room', but here goes.

I like a drink. A nice Cider. Decent beer or lager. Particularly partial to a nice red wine. But if I'm honest - I was probably drinking a little too much, without having x (Whatever the latest guidance is) nights off of it in a week. This and various other reasons made me decide to cut back a bit (Not completely, but that's not the point).

The oint is, without alcoholic beverages, I'm left with squash, fruit juices, water, coke (The fizzy stuff not the snorty stuff) or low/no alcohol options in the evening.

I've tried Thatcher zero cider - very good really once you get over the slightly meaty tatse.

I saw @slim_boy_fat recommend a low/no alcohol dark beer - and it got me thinking - can any of you recommend any decent tasting low or alcohol free alternatives? Particularly Red Wine - as that's the one I can't see the suppliers have got right just yet.

 

[CompoSimmonite]

I like Lidl 0%

 

[Pond frog]

Brew dog do some reasonable 0% bitter

 

[mr haynes]

I would consider some of the Appletise( random choice) type drinks.
Many to choose from, lots of fruity, elderflower, ginger beer etc.
Another option could be tea, lots of infusions, hot and cold out there with huge variety of flavour

 

[Bullet2012]

Guinness 0.0
Estrella 0

 

[Wozzaaah]

Guinness zero is very nice, in my opinion it’s probably the closest any alcohol-free beer tastes to its normal one from all the ones I’ve tried so far.
Some are absolutely dreadful.

 

[Blobber]

Funnily enough Mrs Blobbers daughter bought a bottle of 0% red wine up a few weeks ago, cant remember now what make but pretty fancy by all accounts, absolutely disgusting and just like grape juice except worse, apart from the tasters the rest went down the sink

 

[Mick Annick]

Kronenbourg zero is passable

 

[piman]

Hello Beanwood,

I think I am right that Britain has one of the lowest 'recommended limits' for drinking.
At 76 years of age and in good health I pay no attention to the chief medical officer's guide.
Moderate and regular suits me, never enough to get a hangover and I avoid spirits, just beer and wine, every day and have done so for decades, except if I was really ill, which is rare.

If you suffer effects from alchohol, cut back otherwise?

When I have a non alchholic drink it is good ginger beer, not sweet but with flavour.

Alec

 

[minimutly]

Guinness zero is very nice, in my opinion it’s probably the closest any alcohol-free beer tastes to its normal one from all the ones I’ve tried so far.
Some are absolutely dreadful.

I’ve heard this is good too.

 

[500e]

A good ginger beer is hard to find , most to much fizzz not enough ginger
Used to like cream soda with ice cream

 

[RichardM]

I have re-found a liking for Robinsons Orange Squash (with no added sugar) for much the same reasons.

 

[optima21]

Aldi Summer Fruits squash for me

 

[Morrisman]

I drink beer, or Tesco blackcurrant squash. Several pints a day of both.

Any fake beer is probably loaded full of sugar, so if it's got no alcohol in I'm not ingesting the sugar without the buzz. That's just plain unhealthy.

 

[reb78]

I was going to say to make your own ginger beer - only ferment it for three days and it will be fizzy and tangy with little to no alcohol. The issue is, as @Morrisman says, that it is full of sugar, so you replace one bad thing with another. Still nice for a refreshing non alcoholic drink though.

 

[Seadog]

Fruit juice is also very high in sugar, fruit drinks even higher.

 

[Beanwood]

Thanks all so far - it isn't just the health effects encouraging me to reduce - it's the fact that if I have a drink - I don't drive. My mum is now 86, frail and 50 miles away - and I want to be able to jump in the car at a moments notice and drive down, should she take any sort of turn for the worse.

I'm not keen on anything too sweet in the evenings - although Apple and Blackcurrant NAS is nice and refreshing.

Looks like I'll be trying some Guinness 0%.
Gordons G&T 0% was very good - just too much lime in it.
I have yet to find a red wine thatisn't terrible.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Brew dog do some reasonable 0% bitter

Coincidentally, I'm having lunch at their place in Ellon (Aberdeenshire) next Thursday and will probably be driving so I'll try some and report back when I get back home.
These two lads have done exceedingly well since I first met them, starting out in Fraserburgh. CLICKY

As for the Guinness, I've looked for it when shopping, but have never found a place stocking it - must try harder.

 

[Bullet2012]

As for the Guinness, I've looked for it when shopping, but have never found a place stocking it - must try harder.

Mine gets delivered by the nice people from Waitrose, somehow it keeps slipping into the shopping order.

 

[RaceDiagnostics]

Watch out for the high sugar content in most low alcohol beers. I found this one which is low in both and tastes pretty good. Down side is it bloody expensive.