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.
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.
Your comment made me crave for a cuppa. I’ll make something green.
I find tea to be a great solution to this as well! I have a gong fu set, and learning about the complexities and trying different types is really great. I’m a huge coffee nerd and I’ve also always loved beer but have been cutting back significantly on the latter. Coffee would fit the bill perfectly except that it’s too high in caffeine content - and a good decaf that fits what i’m looking for is hard to come by.
enter tea! It’s perfect. Much lighter caffeine content so it’s perfect to enjoy in the early evening. And there’s so much complexity and rich history to learn about in the process which feeds the beverages nerd in me lol.
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.
deleted by creator
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.
Doesn’t kombucha have a bit of alcohol as well?
Technically yes but it’s around .5% or less which is the same as most non alcoholic beers
I’ve never made it myself but home made kombucha is beautiful! Not as sweet as the store bought stuff, bit of a process though
My first thought. Has to be the most complex least alcoholic drink.
Water
I still miss the waterniggas sub from “that site”
Sparkling Water with Limo Slice and some Ice Cubes Slaps wuth Glas Straw
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.
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!
A tiny bit of sugar free cordial is my go to, mainly as it gives it a hint of flavour without diluting the bubbles too much!
I’m drinking cranberry juice and seltzer rn
Iced tea.
both me and my wife has quit drinking and just have tea all day.
so much better.
Ice cold lemon water and some pot ingestion
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.
Arnold Palmer
Agreed. For anyone unfamiliar - that’s a mix of lemonade and iced tea.
A massive joint
Kombucha, flavored sparkling water
Kombucha contains alcohol…
It’s such a minimal amount there are no restrictions on it
It’s usually around 0.5%. I mean, OP asked for non-alcoholic beverages… I believe we should be honest about that.
Most commercial kombuchas are specifically filtered to remove as much as possible of it, but good point
It’s not really flavored water. Google “tea mushroom”. Sugars fermented by shrooms, that’s how it’s made.
But indeed it’s a healthy alternative.
I meant them as two separate suggestions, sorry if unclear!
I came here to post something similar, but yours is probably a better suggestion. I’m now fond of beet flavoured water kefir.
Ginger beer, the spicier the better. Blenheim is the best I’ve found so far
Homemade ginger beer, fermented, is immeasurably much better than any commercially produced ginger beer. Is not quite non alcoholic but is not intoxicating. Easy to make too
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.
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
deleted by creator
