0.0/AF Christmas beers

Nip* into Villeneuve's they normally have a decent selection but its quite patchy what they are able to get in**.

Sport zot its great, belgian and they nearly always have it. I normally go in, do a sweep of a few of each (plus some of their other excellent non AF).

Try them and nip back for the goodbefore they all go.

* I don't actually know how close to peebles you are. It might be more of a jaunt than a nip.
**Some of the absolute best ones have been limited runs/collaborations or just not that available.

I liked Leffe 0.0% when I tried it a few weeks back.

When I'm driving on pub quiz nights I enjoy a few bottles of Budvar Nealko, which although it technically not alcohol free is <0.5% and is the most palatable alcohol free beer I've drunk there.

Still not as good as Guinness 0.0 IMO but will quite happily drink it all evening.

Have a look on drydrinker.com...huge selection there

I particularly like the Kaineken smoked porter

Mr B’s favourite is Beaverton, seems quite widely available in supermarkets.

My favourite is Big Drop Paradiso Citra IPA

Big drop galactic milk stout

Has anyone found a decent alcohol free 'traditional' bitter/brown beer? There's quite a few decent AF lagers and happy IPA type ones, but all the ones I've tried in a more traditional style have not been great at all, they were really sweet (basically testing like unfermented wort).

This was about a year ago though and times move on, so anyone found anything?

Free Damm is also gluten free. Only one I know of and luckily I like it.

Big Drop make some nice ones.

They do AF and gluten free which can be handy for coeliac.

The other AF GF one I've found regularly in supermarkets is Estrella free dam, likable lager.

I had a Ghost Ship 0.5 the other day and was pleasantly surprised.

Cross post - same idea

I had a Brooklyn one last night that was good.

Butcombe's Goram IPA Zero is my new favourite, though it's only available direct or through one or two places online.

Another vote for Ghostship 0.5

I'll buy the Peroni 0.0 when it's on offer or Becks Blue when it isn't!

Lucky Saint is okay- again only buy on offer

Last Jan, my go to was Erdinger Citrus. Really refreshing but never seen it since!

In our local, they do "Clearhead" on draft (Bristol Brewery I think) - very good. Not seen it in a bottle tho.

I like Brooklyn Special Effects.

Only really found decent lagers so far. Bitters and the like don't seem to work AF.

I can highly recommend all the beers from Jump Ship Beer, based in Pathhead. An AF only brewery making some top products.

Not the cheapest on the market but you get what you pay for

Jump Ship 

Shipyard low tide American pale ale is nice (Morrisons £1.75)

Brewdog do a mixed box of their AFs. I like the Elvis Juice best but they are all nice.

Guinness 0.0 is my go to.

Jump Ship looks interesting, close enough to me I could do a beer run on my bike.

I have Infinite Session on a monthly delivery, mixed case with lager, pale Ale and another. I also love Impossibrew, though quite pricey.

This might be a stupid question but is there any such thing as super-low abv beers? i.e. like 2 or 2.5 or 3%? I see lots of AF beers and lots of strong/standard ones but not much in-between.

I'm not trying to quit drinking but sometimes I really would like to keep my intake low but still "join in", in social situations if that makes sense.

Obviously I could just alternate standard beers with AF ones I suppose, but I feel like it would be nicer to drink really low ABV beers throughout.

I guess it may be a somewhat niche request though.

https://thornbridgebrewery.co.uk/products/jaipur-alcohol-free-ipa-12-x-330ml-bottles?pr_prod_strat=jac&pr_rec_id=cfcfbac38&pr_rec_pid=14868606222715&pr_ref_pid=8416700268707&pr_seq=uniform

or Becks Blue when it isn’t!

Becks Blue has got to be the worst NA Lager out there - how they can still sell that rubbish baffles me. Awful aftertaste.

Guinness 0.0 is really rather good.

Lucky Saint is a nice IPA too.

At a gig last night and 4 'pints' of Guinness 0.0. A first for me an, oh my - that's good.

But.......and it must be psychological......at the end of the night I was questioning myself if I was fit to drive. I swear my brain thought I'd had a few and 'thought' my reactions were impaired- a sort of Pavlovian response to 35 years of 4 pints having that impact. It was definitely the 0.0 as I watched it being opened and poured.

Is this a known thing?

edit - read that back. It sounds like I know what it's like to drive on 4 pints! For the avoidance of doubt, that's not what I meant!

This might be a stupid question but is there any such thing as super-low abv beers? i.e. like 2 or 2.5 or 3%? I see lots of AF beers and lots of strong/standard ones but not much in-between.

Sometimes if I don't want too much alcohol I'll pour a bottle of NA lager in a pint glass and top up with normal lager (usually on a Sunday night when I have work the next day). Takes the edge off the aftertaste of NA lager alone.

1
Duggan
Full Member
This might be a stupid question but is there any such thing as super-low abv beers? i.e. like 2 or 2.5 or 3%? I see lots of AF beers and lots of strong/standard ones but not much in-between.

yes, have a google at ‘Small Beer’

https://theoriginalsmallbeer.com/

I have it in the fridge at all times and it’s my go to if I want an alternative to the AF stuff.

Nice, thank you! Just ordered a bunch.

Another fan of the Guinness 0%
best other ones I’ve tried is the aldi Pilsner or lucky Saint lager

Theres a grapefruit 2peecenter i forget the name of. Its like a lilty beer.

Totally tropicaal

Something you can already see on this thread is - one persons nice AF beer is another persons poison. Some of the worst (to me) AF beers I've had have been recommendations on threads like this. It seems one of the hardest things to take on someone else's reccomendation for some reason.

Guiness Zero seems to be the outlier, seems to be the most universally agreed on good AF beer

Generally I think if you need to exclude something from your diet its better to go into new territory than have alternative versions of your favourites as you're more attuned to the differences with things you're familiar with. So perhaps try alcohol free versions of the kinds of beers you don't normally drink (or alcohol free versions of drinks you don't normally drink like cider maybe).

but sometimes leads to devastating, for others olfactory sensitivity, trouser trumpets.

I can't see any down sides

At a gig last night and 4 ‘pints’ of Guinness 0.0. A first for me an, oh my – that’s good.

But…….and it must be psychological……at the end of the night I was questioning myself if I was fit to drive.

I had the same thoughts at wake a few weeks back where I was designated driver. I think when I've had AF beers in pubs in the past the selection has tended to  been quite light, quite small bottled AF beers like Becks. I think becuase the Guiness is so weighty and sold in proper pints sized portions you feel very 'full' after a few of them in a way that a night in a pub drinking beer usually feels - and it is odd in that while you're not drunk you do 'feel' in every other sense like you've been drinking

Is this a known thing

Yes, I've had the same experience. It's a bit weird isn't it?

It's a combination of light headiness and mouth taste, I'm sure it's the association with being a bit pissed. I've had the same with zero and 0.5 beers, not with the wines although they seem so un winely I'm not surprised.

Tempted to try an alcohol free lager top. Or an af shandy!

I'll be honest though, I can't imagine drinking more than a pint of af beer, let alone more. Would love to be proved wrong though

Black Isle brewery Halo is very good, they also did an af oat stout which was excellent

Cloudwater, brewed in Manchester, delicious, but I've only had it on draught, can't speak for cans or bottles.

Becks Blue has got to be the worst NA Lager out there

It's not my fav but maybe I've got used to it. It does tend to be the 'last one to be picked" but £7 for 12 bottles in Morrisons had it in the trolley last time. Worse ones for me are the Aldi versions like FireDam. Ugh.

Point made ^^^ that version of what you like would be a good start makes sense. On that note Corona 0.0% I quite like as well.

Corona 0.0% I quite like as well.

Had this too and was surprised it was actually an ok drink

None of them are great IMO, and are best considered an alternative to Coke, fruit juice, tonic etc rather than as a choice vs actual beer.

Peroni is my usual, or Lucky Saint, though that's usually too spendy. I'd happily pay more for something actually good but I think we're dealing in "least worst" choices here!  Peroni has less of an aftertaste than most others but it's greatly helped by having it chilled to within an inch of its life - something I'd never do with actual beer.

I like a Ghost Ship, and the AF Doom Bar isn't bad.

Not strictly for this thread, but if you're a cider drinker on a quest for an AF stick that doesn't just taste like overly sweet apple juice, Hogan's High Sobriety is really nice. It's still not exactly dry, but way better than anything else I've tried.

Clear Head from Bristol Beer Factory is a tasty drop.

On the "phantom" alcohol sensation it could also be your blood sugar/carbs.

AIUI many of the AF beers have a notably higher sugar and carb content as the sugar hasn't converted to alcohol.

As for proper AF bitters someone asked about it does seem (Guiness aside) that the market is dominated by pales and lagers.  Even Ghost Ship mentioned above has more of a pale ale feel.

Mash Gang make some very good 0.5% beers, Stoop is a favourite of mine when it's on.

Not strictly for this thread, but if you’re a cider drinker on a quest for an AF stick that doesn’t just taste like overly sweet apple juice, Hogan’s High Sobriety is really nice

If I see it around I'll give it a try, I like a cider. Conversely, give Thatchers Zero a massive swerve. It doesn't manage to even taste like apple juice, it's just downright weird.

Another good one in the low not no alcohol category is Kernel's Table Beer. 3% iirc

A few to contemplate.

Re the phantom drunk sensation. I had it at a friend's leaving do. Definitely 0.0 drinking. He questioned why I was driving, pointed out the 0.0 then turned and tripped over the kerb. Didn't do much for my sobriety score.

Really enjoyed the free Damm in Andorra alongside San Miguel's.

I just got some Leffe 0% today. Tastes great. Never had a zero alcohol beer before. The bottles are bloody tiny though! 250ml.

I guess I'll know later whether it's just the alcohol  I'm intolerant to in normal beer, or the grains too...

Yeah I think I prefer leffe 0.0 to the full fat version.

Thanks @bikerevivesheffield for the Thornbridge reminder, I’ve ordered a mixed case for collection next week. I signed up to the email for 10% off but whilst I was waiting tried WELCOME10 and it worked! They’ve also sent me another more complicated code that I will try too for a second order.

I think Beck's Blue is very good for an AFB. It tastes like a decent lager and doesn't just disappear from the taste buds. It's very refreshing too. Of course this is a very subjective topic.

Had the 0.0 fake woozy feeling last night after 3 cans of Guinness Zero ( I bought the cans so I know it was). Very weird. I guess because I was round a mates where I almost always drink and everything else about the evening was exactly same as always - just I was driving and not my wife.

AF Doombar and that low alcohol Ghost Ship look and taste like what I imagine sweetened dishwater might be like. Absolutely disgusting. So just goes to show one man’s acceptable refreshment is very different to another.

currently enjoying some Leffe zero though and another vote for smallbeer, especially their stout.

I think generally I'm enjoying af beer with food rather than on its own. It just seems to be a good companion, especially with curries. Also very nice with a fresh bread sandwich, ideally moist

Any recommendations for AF wine?? I know it's a sacrilege and most people just won't bother but the wife quit drinking a couple of years ago and wine was her tipple before so she likes a glass of AF wine now and again but so far the only one she tolerates is Mcguigan 0 red.

I guess the answer is 'you're screwed' but hypothetically speaking where would you stand if you thought you had been drinking af beer all night but had been served full strength by mistake and then drove and got stopped?  I stress this is just a hypothetical question, it hasn't happened.

Yeah your screwed. It would be a dick move if someone bought you full% beers if you'd said you were on 0s.

Did have someone say "what if I accidentally bought you a real beer" I asked him how he'd feel if I crashed on the way home killing my passengers.

is there any such thing as super-low abv beers?

There used to be Session beers that were around 3 to 3.5% but even most ones I see labelled "session" are now creeping over 4%

The other alternative is a shandy. I'm sure there's an old fashioned reputation for not being a manly drink, but I quite enjoy them and alternate between bitter or lager shandys depending on the mood. They're especially refreshing on a sunny beer garden day.

Did have someone say “what if I accidentally bought you a real beer”

I had this in an Indian restaurant last year. They brought me the drink out in a glass without the bottle. I was amongst others who were drinking the full alc version and doubt got the better of me no matter how much head nodding and "yes sir" was happening when I questioned it. I had to order another one and ask for it to be brought out in the bottle to be sure.

Most places serving 0% will bring you it in the bottle I've found, for the reasons above.

Moretti 0% is drinkable, had one yesterday and was pleased, better than Heineken or Becks Blue which are the usual 'default' 0% options in most pubs.

A Pint of Bitter Shandy is literally the perfect post ride pint when the suns out. Sugary tasty frothy goodness. S+V crisp too, obviously.

My favourite AF is the Lucky Saint IPA - they messed up an order so we have a couple of boxes.

No recommendation for AF wine - but, Freixinet do a AF rose prosecco thing that is quite tasty. The regular one is wrong tho.

I like Brooklyn Special Effects.

Only really found decent lagers so far. Bitters and the like don’t seem to work AF.

The Brooklyn one does taste more like an IPA than a lager though, I think. Despite being called a lager.

Takes the edge off the aftertaste of NA lager alone.

Try squeezing quarter of a lime in an NA lager, makes a big difference and Becks Blue in particular is quite nice with it.

is there any such thing as super-low abv beers?
There used to be Session beers that were around 3 to 3.5% but even most ones I see labelled “session” are now creeping over 4%

I’ve seen 3-3.5% session beers, Banks’ did one, I think might even have been 2.8%, with a really rich, full flavour. Kettlesmith in Bradford-on-Avon, where I was on Saturday night do Outline Amber Ale which is 3.8%, and Streamline Blonde Ale which is 0.5%

https://kettlesmithbrewing.com

Yeah, here you go, Banks’ Amber Bitter, and their Mild, both at 3.4%.

https://www.bankssbeer.co.uk/product-category/beer/

I went to Stroud brewery a couple of weeks ago and really enjoyed a pint of clear head. Probably the best low alc I've had so far. I also really like Gloucester brewery's zero degrees, which is probably the best canned one I've tried.

Down here in the South East Harveys do a very nice 3.4% 'table' beer called Sisters

I also bought a few cans of Aldi Toast/Hop Foundry and it was suprisingly OK - but more for the summer I reckon.

Any recommendations for AF wine?? I know it’s a sacrilege and most people just won’t bother but the wife quit drinking a couple of years ago and wine was her tipple before so she likes a glass of AF wine now and again but so far the only one she tolerates is Mcguigan 0 red.

I've yet to find a decent AF wine. That McGuigan is 'okay', there's a couple of whites that are 'okay', the rest are, unfortunately, pretty gash, generally really sweet. It's a shame, there's clearly a market for AF stuff in general but there seems to be little effort to make a decent AF wine.

If I'm craving a beer, which is usually a good sign not to, https://www.dropbearbeers.co m">Drop Bear's yuzu pale hits the spot. Gower Zero is also good. Both local to Swansea.

Any recommendations for AF wine??

Not regular wine, it’s pretty horrid. But the AF Prosecco I have tried wasn’t bad. Bought a slightly pricey one in Waitrose and Nozecco, a few pounds from Tesco. I couldn’t detect much difference other than cost.

Tried the Jump Ship lager and pale ale and they were as good as any AF beers I've had so far. Also tried the squeeze of lime in the lager, should've tried it without first but I'll definitely do that again.