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What's the Best Non-Alcoholic Alternative to an Ice Cold Beer at the End of the Day?

The flavor of beer is rich and complex and I can't think of anything to replace the experience of beer.

If it helps, I actually like fruity beer, something sweet but with still some bitterness and that complex flavor I can't describe that most good beers have.

Why not a softdrink or a root beer? It's just not the same, it's like a different branch from beer.

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[-] Sanctus@lemmy.world 90 points 1 year ago

A fat fucken glass of cold water.

[-] dinckelman@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

Chilled water is definitely the way

[-] tpfm@lemmy.world 65 points 1 year ago

Ice cold non-alcoholic beer, perhaps?

[-] Changetheview@lemmy.world 26 points 1 year ago

NA beers can be great. Lagunitas sells a Hop Water that’s pretty good too - very light though. And most high-quality ginger beers pack a lot of flavor.

[-] Earthwormjim91@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

Athletic makes some great NA beers too. Everything from a light lager like you’d expect from something like a bud light all the way up to NA stouts.

[-] maporita@unilem.org 7 points 1 year ago

For a long time I was in the "Non alcoholic beer can never replace real beer" camp. But in the last few years they've come a long way .. and now you can buy low or no alcohol craft beers that are actually quite good.

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[-] red@feddit.de 11 points 1 year ago

At least here in Europa NA beers have improved wo much in the last few years. I literally don't know when I last drank one with alcohol when I just felt like drinking a beer (as opposed to when I wanted to drink alcohol).

And since OP likes it fruity, (NA) Radler/Shandy is just great. It's 50:50 (NA) beer and lemon soda mixed. This was one of the original ways to get a fruity beer with a lower alcohol content (since the soda doesn't have any) when NA beers weren't good yet, great for a hot summer day.

[-] dannoffs@lemmy.sdf.org 9 points 1 year ago

As someone who used to have a pretty bad drinking problem, NA beers have gotten so good in the past few years. Heineken zeros are almost indistinguishable from normal ones and craft NAs have also gotten pretty good. Even though I'm not "fully sober" I mix in some non alcoholic beers if it's going to be a long night to help pace myself.

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[-] i_r_weldr@lemmy.ca 37 points 1 year ago

Try a good quality kombucha. Ice cold and carbonated they have a very similar bite/finish to a lot of beers. Most have sweet notes but are low sugar.

[-] chris@l.roofo.cc 6 points 1 year ago

Doesn't kombucha have a bit of alcohol as well?

[-] i_r_weldr@lemmy.ca 10 points 1 year ago

Technically yes but it’s around .5% or less which is the same as most non alcoholic beers

[-] jeanofthedead@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

They sell both kinds.

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[-] CaptainBlagbird@lemmy.world 31 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

It might be worth a try to get into tea!

(Loose leaf tea, not tea bags, the quality is usually better and you get a greater selection and much more diversity.)

There are so many different flavours and types, find out which ones you like.

If it helps, I actually like fruity beer, something sweet but with still some bitterness and that complex flavor I can't describe that most good beers have.

Talk to the tea seller, they should be able to help you find something. It might also be a good idea to start with a small quantity of different tea types, just to see which suits you best (but keep in mind that there might still be a lot of variety for each type): black/white/green/fruit/herbal/...

Personally on a hot day, I like cold brewed black tea with some fruity additions (orange/peach/bergamot/roses or whatever mix I find that I haven't tried yet). I don't add sugar (sometimes a bit of honey, but that only works when hot brewing) because that way I smell the light bitterness of the black tea better, which I like. It sounds like that could also be your thing. Another combination I frequently do is Rooibos + Hibiscus (mixing it myself, about 1/3 or less, by weight, of Hibiscus).

Experiment with cold brewing, or just regular brewing then icing. And in winter you might drink it hot.

Keep in mind, the taste is not at all like beer, but as written above it can have the same properties.

Don't stop when you don't like your first one, try another one, or try to prepare it differently.

[-] nIi7WJVZwktT4Ze@fost.hu 5 points 1 year ago

Your comment made me crave for a cuppa. I'll make something green.

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[-] ScottThePoolBoy@lemmy.world 28 points 1 year ago

when i quit drinking, i had a hard time finding something that scratched that itch. the thing i found, that a few other recovering alcoholics ive met like, is Topo Chico. they have a hard seltzer or something, but the mineral water is fantastic. when its nice and cold, it has the same bite as a fresh beer. the beauty is, you can drink as much as you want, its just water.

[-] DigitalTraveler42@lemmy.world 20 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)
[-] ivanafterall@kbin.social 21 points 1 year ago

I have my own fun little twist on this: three joints.

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[-] darcy@sh.itjust.works 19 points 1 year ago
[-] Scrollone@feddit.it 7 points 1 year ago

I still miss the waterniggas sub from "that site"

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[-] applejacks@lemmy.world 16 points 1 year ago

Iced tea.

both me and my wife has quit drinking and just have tea all day.

so much better.

[-] neptune@dmv.social 16 points 1 year ago

Theres a whole world of NA beer and mocktails.

Sparkling water is the base ingredient. Throw in a little bit of juice, tea, and/or kombucha. And if you aren't completely avoiding alcohol, a dash of bitters or amaro will give the drink that final complexity.

Hop tea and hop water are now a thing too.

[-] NataliePortland@lemmy.ca 16 points 1 year ago

I like to mix some fruit juice into seltzer. It’s nice to have something bubbly and it’s more refreshing than just drinking straight juice. Juice is too strong! I can’t do full strength!

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[-] Smokeydope@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago

Ice cold lemon water and some pot ingestion

[-] Riesen@kbin.social 12 points 1 year ago
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[-] Rozz@lemmy.sdf.org 12 points 1 year ago

My family made homemade lemonade today while I was outside working all morning and it was delicious. It's not a common occurrence, but it just hit the spot today.

[-] davidalso@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago

I switched from from beer to flavored carbonated water. This was 18 years ago though and the options were pretty limited back then. Mostly it was just artificially sweetened garbage. I'd rather just have a club soda and add my own fruit or juice to taste. But these days it's just easier to buy Polar or whatever.

[-] motsu@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

Highly recommend a soda stream, or soda stream alternative. My go to is 4 or 5 drops of lime juice in a glass, then the carbonated water. Tastes identical to the canned stuff, but way cheaper (and maybe less preservatives? Idk if the canned water has anything besides fruit juice and water)

I also occasionally like root beer if I'm eating something junky like a pizza slice or burger. I bought a bag in a box of syrup from the small root beer brand I enjoy, and can make my own for a few cents instead of a few bucks per bottle. Plus, I can control the concentration depending on how sweet my sweet tooth is feeling that day

[-] QuarterSwede@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

Same for me. Lots of great options for sparkling water these days. I prefer it to soda.

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[-] AWittyUsername@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago

A massive joint

[-] Player2@sopuli.xyz 10 points 1 year ago

Kombucha, flavored sparkling water

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[-] Hikermick@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago

Ginger beer, the spicier the better. Blenheim is the best I've found so far

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[-] mojo@lemm.ee 10 points 1 year ago

To add to any any all of these answers.

High quality Grape and apple juices - but like pressed/cider/fresh. There is so much incredible depth to the flavor profile and tons of variants and profiles to work through.

A favorite runner up would be a crisp cold can of la croix

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[-] phoneymouse@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago

For me it is seltzer. When it’s really cold and you’re thirsty, taking a gulp is like the same as drinking a really cold beer for the first few seconds.

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I had some really good nonalcoholic beers.

I went to a BBQ where the host had a new liver, so they stocked some solid nonalcoholic beers like Clausthaler and Athletic Brewing Run.

I now alternate between nonalcoholic and regular beer depending on how I feel.

[-] Crackhappy@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

Honestly ginger beer is amazing for this.

[-] BrerChicken@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

I had a really cold can of hop water and it was so so good! Lagunitas makes some, but there are other brands that probably taste similar. It was so good and so refreshing!

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[-] rayyyy@kbin.social 8 points 1 year ago

I like a cold glass of homemade pineapple kombucha - family love it too.

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[-] Peppycito@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 year ago

Cold soda water with a dash of angostura bitters. And lime if you're fancy.

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this post was submitted on 12 Aug 2023
147 points (95.1% liked)

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