The Next Round: What happens after you change your drinking?
The Next Round: What happens after you change your drinking?
We first spoke to Mike last month when he talked about how he gave up drinking during lockdown. Mike by replacing his fascination with brewing his own alcohol and began exploring the plethora of non-alcoholic options now available. And he’s started reviewing the best alcohol-free beer on the market.
Following serious health problems which Mike openly admits scared him sober, he watched the documentary “Drinkers Like Me” by Adrian Chiles and saw our very own Laura representing Club Soda. Mike joined the Club Soda community to discover more about the best alcohol-free beer alternatives, and suddenly his extensive home brewing equipment became redundant!
“I made it a personal challenge to find the best alcohol-free beer that I most liked”, says Mike. “A whole new world of drinks opened up to me, and suddenly, my old love of making my own alcohol every other week halted – I replaced something self-destructive with something that feels a lot more like self-care”.
With Mike’s newfound love of all things non-alcoholic and his extensive knowledge of the AF beers on offer in the supermarkets and via online retailers, we asked Mike to review his 4 best alcohol-free beer choices for you – cheers Mike!
A citrusy punch in the face. Seriously when I picked up a bottle of this to try it felt like a breath of fresh air. So many AF brews that I’ve tried seem to struggle with generating any kind of noticeable flavour profile, but this takes it in completely the other direction and is possibly a little too flavourful for some. For me, it’s a perfect summer beer.
A more full-bodied and convincing mouthfeel. I was honestly surprised at how convincing this was, especially coming from one of the main supermarket brands. I’ve not worked out exactly how they’ve managed to change the texture but I suspect they’re introducing glycerol at some point in its production, which is something occasionally done to wine to achieve a similar effect.
What it lacks in bold flavours it makes up for by being the most refreshing of my top 4 best alcohol-free beer choices. It’s even quoted as being isotonic which conjures images of beer-chugging marathon-runners.
The cream of the crop when it comes to my best alcohol-free beer options. It avoids the unfermented wort flavours common in some AF craft brews, replacing it with fresh pine notes and a citrus undertone. Big Drop is absolutely killing it, but their Pine Trail is by far their most impressive product. Keep an eye on these guys, they’ve recently launched a second wave of collaborations with other well-renowned craft brewers and are rapidly expanding into UK pubs with draught versions of their core range.
In the UK, you can buy all of these beers from Wise Bartender and Amazon. Heineken and Erdinger are widely available in supermarkets. In the USA, Amazon has at least Heineken and Erdinger. For other options and locations, read our article on online alcohol-free drink shops.
Club Soda may earn affiliate fees from any purchases made on Amazon using links on the Club Soda website.
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