What's the Best Non-Alcoholic Alternative to an Ice Cold Beer at the End of the Day?
What's the Best Non-Alcoholic Alternative to an Ice Cold Beer at the End of the Day?
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.
A nice joint, or two.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Water
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.
Honestly ginger beer is amazing for this.
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.
Glass bottle coke, cane sugar variety
Strongly agree about iced tea and kombucha. Both can be bought or made at home, and are naturally complex, fruity, and diverse in flavor.
I think people suggesting very sugary drinks like coke are missing the point somewhat
Sparkling water and shrub over ice
I like lime sparkling water. You get the bubbles and it has a nice taste
Big fan of a virgin mojito.
Just sparkling water, mint, lime, and a little bit of syrup to taste, as cool as it is refreshing.
Fucking fudgee-o bars. Or, the haaagen-dasz or magnum or whatever -- Ice cream bars dipped in chocolate.
It's second ONLY to a cold-as-hades low-booze beer like a corona.
A perfectly made Ocean Water from Sonic does it for me
Ice-cold spiced coconut water. I like the kind with ginger, lime, and turmeric in.
Ice-cold Coke?
Virgin mixed drink? (e.g., mai tai, daiquiri)fruit smoothie
Water
Caffeine free iced herbal tea.
How about a fancy coffee or tea? Not the same stuff you drink at work, you add a flavored creamer or something and just sip it on the couch.
As someone who's trying to drink less. An ice cold topo chico does it for me. I don't like the flavored ones either
Some THC + CBD
Orange Vanilla Mio mixed with Key Lime LaCroix is a great drink. I feel like I almost got to where I was spending as much on that as I used to spend on beer and had to cut back on it too, but I don't mind it when I do!
Vita Malt or Malta Goya might be worth a try. They are malted soft drinks flavored with barley and hops. A South American or African grocery should have them or similar brands if you can't find them at your regular grocery. They will probably be in the international section.
Hey bro,
I'm curious, did you find something that works for you? :)