Alcohol-free beer is fizzing
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I now sleep and feel a lot better, my resting heart rate decreased substantially, among other benefits.
It's not easy to quit alcohol, especially from a social aspect. But good non-alcoholic beer makes it possible for me at least.
Athletic brewing's Upside Dawn is probably the first beer I ever drank that I truly ever enjoyed due to this. I keep a case in the mini-fridge in my office. The other `upside` is that it is socially acceptable to drink an NA beer during work hours and as a programmer I don't have to worry about declining ability or focus.
Also, it's worth noting that local vendors will sell it for ~60% the price as online. My local Wegmans sells it for just $9.99/6 pack compared to $17 at their website.
The only thing about Athletic is that they don't offer calorie-free options. Lagunitas' Hoppy Refresher is probably my favorite of the calorie-free options available. Though when you go calorie-free with NA beer you're pretty heavily pushing what the definition of a beer is.
I like them as a beer replacement though, they get close enough to the feeling of beer for me personally.
Still, it's not like there's exactly a shortage of beers for people that don't really like hops so while it makes it kind of difficult sometimes (especially when all you're given is a name of a beer) it isn't something to get that upset over.
And maybe I just hate watching people and the market gravitate towards only one thing.
How is not liking IPAs 'conservative'?
A lot of non-alcoholic options tend to be sweet: soft drinks, fruit juices, mocktails being the first that come to mind.
The newer trend with companies like seedlip, or with actually good non-alcoholic beers means you can having something "adult" to drink without rotting your teeth
A few years ago, there weren't as many craft breweries around Central New Jersey. They had a small yet varied selection - one or two different lagers, stouts, wheats, and IPAs.
Then those came around (mostly hipsters who couldn't even handle the alcohol content of one glass!) who started promoting an IPA as an "adult" drink. Now there are craft breweries - if not multiple - in damned near every town on the Shore. At many a good three quarters if not more of their offerings are some variant of an IPA.
We've tried a few others, the Brooklyn Brewery Special Effects was pretty good too. Totally different flavor from any of the Athletic stuff.
https://jesterkingbrewery.com/main-blog/commercial-suicide-b...
Becks also has an unusually low alcohol content beer, Beck's 'premier light' which is 2.3%.
That may still be too high for you though, and for people who must never touch alcohol, even 2.3% is probably a bad idea.
Neither of these or anything like them are likely to be served in a bar, so for socializing, probably not a helpful option anyway.
Just pick up a small bottle of 100% pure lemon juice, add about a half the bottle to a quart of water, ymmv, and whatever (brown!) sugar and other stuff you want.
There’s nothing better than cold kvas on a hot day - shame we can’t just buy it in the supermarket here in America.
Seems to work for me ;)
(If anyone else likes a good RIS try Lemke’s one if you’re in Berlin)
but a lot of 'non alcoholic' beers do have alcohol in them which is a problem for some. A good amount more than a kambucha in some cases..
[0] https://athleticbrewing.com/products/rainbow-wall-non-alcoho...
For the last year or so, there's always a couple kinds of Athletic in the fridge, in addition to whatever regular beer we have on hand, and most of the time I choose the NA as a result.
(Not for nothing, but a good IPA can be 200 calories a can. Athletic's is 50.)
I always enjoyed a good beer, wine and whiskey. But during the covid year, I took a few months break. Then when I had a drink again, I could see how much it affected me. So I didn’t do it again for a few weeks. I tried couple more times but each time it was just not worth it for the next 1-2 days. (After one or two drinks, that is).
Now I just don’t miss it anymore, and I love it!
If you don't feel any adverse effects later, you're probably drinking responsibly (never more than 2, always with food), or are still on the younger side.
Age is a huge factor in how we process booze. As you get older, your liver gets worse at handling the byproducts of alcohol, specifically acetaldehyde. It's the poison that leads to longer, worse hangovers. I didn't get hangovers until my early 30s, and they've gotten considerably worse over time, while simultaneously being _much_ easier to achieve. If I drink at all on an empty stomach, even just a single beer, I really feel it now in my early 40s. Maybe not later as a hangover, but rapid onset sluggishness. The effects on sleep are no joke, and as you get older sleep is harder to come by for a number of reasons, which we've learned is incredibly problematic.
You get to a point where you have rules: always eating something first (which could affect other health goals like calorie counting), drinking water between drinks/every other (which leads to feeling gross and bloated, possible hyponatremia if you're not careful), and taking supplements like NAC before bed/every 2-3 drinks. It becomes clear at some point that not drinking is the only real solution.
I’d love to see more restaurants carry more varieties of non alcoholic beer and more brewery’s try their hand at making one.
I don't miss hops. I don't miss the buzz. I don't miss my belly. I don't miss hangovers.
I realized I was drinking beer and looking beyond all that makes beer what it is and focusing on the qualities of the water (softness, minerality, etc.) and bubble characteristics (small nitro bubbles or big bursty ones) and finding no limit to the quantity I could consume, no scarcity in variety or imposed limits on where I can refresh myself.
I've gone so far as to consider adding hop essence and some barley malt for lulz, but probably have turned that corner for good.
Their lime flavor is my favourite:
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61lzGXV15AL._SL1500_.jpg
https://www.consumerreports.org/bottled-water/whats-really-i...
PPT PFAS for various brands:
1.1 - Perrier Natural Sparkling Mineral Water
1.16 - La Croix Natural Sparkling Water
1.24 - Canada Dry Lemon Lime Sparkling Seltzer Water
1.66 - Poland Spring Zesty Lime Sparkling Water
2.24 - Bubly Blackberry Sparkling Water
6.41 - Polar Natural Seltzer Water
9.76 - Topo Chico Natural Mineral Water
(brands that are <1PPT in link)
Makes me also remember that there is PFAS in all kinds of food processing equipment that we know very little about. For example, in the US pasta extruders are coated with Teflon and who knows how often or how well that coating is maintained. (In Europe the pasta extruders are not Teflon-coated by regulation)
Just an FYI, these have as much sugar as a regular ol' can of Coke at ~30g.
The only tricky part for me was figuring out what ratio of water:syrup to go with for any given brand, but that isn't too difficult.
I've thought about making my own syrup, as I'm a lifelong tonic water fan, and make a lot of other things myself, but haven't wanted to mess with it.
There's relatively dry tonics on the market now too, but nothing will get you to quite the same place as the syrups.
https://www.onlybitters.com/tonics/
I'm probably not the best person to ask for favorites as I tend to like almost all the tonic waters and syrups I've tried (except for diet ones).
Making a DIY force-carbonation rig is trivial and costs around $100 upfront: https://www.seriouseats.com/pros-cons-diy-carbonation-rig
Cloning mineral waters is also easy enough to do: https://khymos.org/2012/01/04/mineral-waters-a-la-carte/
I've been doing this for a while and have had great results. Even if you're not tee-totaling, it's still a fine investment for cocktails and DIY alcoholic seltzers.
It's a luxury, but we really love it.
I personally haven't found that to be the case, but it seems like there's dozens of sodastream models and maybe I happened on a good one.
Will need to play with the amount of hops, but it's cheap.
Hops and alcohol are like white pepper - great but just a little too much ruins the recipe.
A local restaurant gets kegs and it’s almost like being there.
So there is this wrong idea about Radler (or panache) drinkers.
Still I would recommend anyone to try their favourite beer with their favourite coke or Fanta kind!
I’m sure growth is great, but I see it stagnating at a small percentage of the market.
Beer-less alcohol in a can is really skyrocketing. Not sure how 5% food-grade ethanol in carbonated water sells for 50% more than beer, but it is what it is.
All the buzz and less the sugar-rush calories.
Maybe one day we’ll grow up and replace alcohol with better recreational drugs that are more fun, easier to manufacture, better targeted and result in fewer health and social problems.
There’s a bazillion candidates out there.
Other than cannabis, and maybe psychedelic mushrooms, what candidates are there exactly?
It's not without concerns (tolerance/addiction) but for those who respond well it is incredibly valuable.
Kava, a beverage made from the roots of the piper methysticum plant, is broadly similar to alcohol, but milder, more sedate, non-addictive, non-toxic, and legal almost everywhere in the world. It's expensive though (only grows in the tropics), tastes like dirt-water, and takes a bit of work to prepare.
English neuropharmacologist David Nutt has been reportedly working on a synthetic less-toxic alternative to alcohol for years, but it's unsure if anything will ever come of it.
Fills the same niche as beer in the night without being beer.
- For one, the most popular brands are a very easy amount of calories to add up per can. White Claw, for instance, has exactly 100 calories per can, so it's very easy to calculate how many calories are consumed per night by counting cans. So it appeals to calorie counters.
- Along the same lines, the carbs in the can are straightforward and easy to count. People doing keto are usually trying to stay under 30g of carbs per day. White Claw again has an easy-to-remember and easy-to-count 2g of carbs per can. So it appeals to carb-watchers.
- It's gluten free, unlike beer. Obvious appeal for people who have some sort of gluten intolerance
Wrap all of the above together and include the fact you mentioned that it functionally works like beer (you buy it in single serve containers in packs, it's relatively low ABV so it won't get you trashed immediately and you can drink it casually and it's served ice cold) but isn't beer from both a taste and feel perspective and it's pretty clear to see why it's really taken off as quickly as it has.
At that point if I were the government, I would look at the current policies and determine if they still made sense. Meanwhile, the actual US customs didn't like that dodge, and apparently wanted imports of it re-classified for tariff purposes. That apparently happened last month.
There's even some evidence, perhaps of questionable quality, but it makes a good story at least, that we may have evolved to prefer alcohol despite its toxicity because it was a reliable source of safe drinking water.
And even newer theories saying it may be related to the smell of ripe fruits leading to some primates getting a better source of energy.
In any case human affinity for alcohol likely goes back very far.
Ease of manufacturing is also a major factor. All you need is sugar, water, yeast (which can come from a multitude of sources), and patience.
With cannabis, all you need is... cannabis. No patience required.
Sugar, historically, has not been available or even cheap.
Sugars are commonplace. If you can make bread, you can make beer.
Making alcohol by fermenting fruits is comparatively much easier, but then again, cultivating and harvesting fruits is a pretty laborious process.
Then actually brewing beer is not that simple.
Even today, with availability of source materials and technology, homebrewing is a rather involved hobby. Same with producing wine that's drinkable.
On the other side, we have literally a weed that needs very little to grow, and requires nearly zero processing.
I really see no comparison here.
The theory that we started making alcohol for food safety/nutrition reasons makes the most sense to me.
Ingredients:
Spicy ginger beer (the spiciest you can find, since we'll be watering it down in the next step). Frozen blueberries.
Preparation:
1) Fill a small glass nearly to the top with frozen blueberries - don't skimp on these because it definitely makes a difference. 2) Slowly pour the ginger beer into the glass until it's full. 3) Let the drink stand for about 5-10 minutes to allow the blueberry flavor to mix with the ginger beer - give it a few stirs during that time. 4) Enjoy!
If this looks like just a weird way to eat blueberries, you're kind of right about that! The drink itself takes up very little volume in the glass compared to the blueberries - and so you'll need to refill the glass from the same single serving bottle of ginger beer several times. Do keep in mind that ginger beer contains nearly an entire day's worth of sugar, so you probably don't want more than one of these in a night.
Without any of those, non-alcoholic beer seems to fall into a category of drinks like flavored carbonated water. I enjoy drinking those, but it's not likely to be a habit that sticks. If it's in the fridge, I will drink it; if not, I will forget that it exists.
It's also hard to grow that niche. If 20% of people in the bar are ordering NA beer, it would seem to reduce the pressure to be drinking beer at all, or perhaps going to the bar at all.
If we time traveled to the future and you saw 90% of patrons drinking NA beer at the bar, you'd think it was a historical reenactment.
Also, our entire market economy is based on constant upward inflation/growth, and rewards those who grow faster.
They still make a small to medium sized fortune =^)
I like bars and hanging out in them, and it would be awesome to preserve the atmosphere with less and less alcohol consumed.
Which is probably why people don't ask questions when you do it.
I’d also stress modern non-alcoholic beers are really good taste wise compared with what there used to be.
Quite tasty.
I lived through 2 bubble tea hypes in Germany already, and they all just lasted only a year.
Wouldn't have thought that I came back a third time now.
Nothing is as tasty yet as the best regular beers, so each one involves a bit of sacrifice, but I've found these to be good choices:
Bravus Oatmeal Stout
Surreal 17 Mile Porter
Wellbeing Hell-Raiser dark amber
Lagunitas NIPA is the best I’ve tried so far, doubt I could tell that’s it non alcoholic in a blind taste test.
Of course, a lot of American beers are around that percentage point, but the ones I'm talking about are a bit higher quality in my opinion :)
Don't worry, it's usually only the worst American beers that end up exported outside the US, and unfortunately this seems to go both ways between every pair of beer-producing regions I've been to. You can't even find a decent selection of German beers here (~50km away) in Switzerland, let alone ones from local American/Canadian/... breweries which are rare exceptions at this point. The same seems to be true of Canadian beer quality in the US, even in neighboring states like Michigan which at least had some Canadian options.
One state's worth of demand seems awfully small to me for the big brewing companies to keep bothering to produce 3.2 versions of their products. However that's assuming the legal climate is the main driver for the demand. Maybe the growing interest in NA or low alcohol content beers will lead them to increase availability of 3.2 beers, or market them more.
3.2 is the only beer that can be sold in grocery and convenience stores (grocery stores have separate alcohol stores that sell higher content beers, wines, etc.). From the article, CO, KS, OK and UT also sell 3.2.
[1] https://www.startribune.com/last-call-for-3-2-beer-bars/2034...
And there is no more 3.2% ABW/4.0% ABV beer in Utah, the limit was recently raised to 5.0% ABV.
Edit: update link
https://www.americanexperiment.org/minnesota-last-state-stan...
I've made a 2.9% English Mild by way of a partigyle brew that resulted in a very low OG. Low enough to make me concerned that the yeast would struggle. Perhaps that worry was unfounded.
Not a fan of most other brands of alcohol free beer. They taste like they're just wort they stopped fermenting early, so it's oversweet and smelly.
Heineken 0.0 isn't too bad in a pinch.
I get that these are still small-batch, artisanal products and eat up the same shelf space as beer. But my brain can't get past the idea that this is really fancy soda being sold at beer prices.
I just want a line of dry-hopped La Croix.
Of course that makes it not as popular, so economy of scale comes into play.
You might want to check out Athletic Brewing company, which has a line of hops-flavored seltzers.
Again, this is significantly more than I pay for beer when I buy it. I'm not much of a heavy drinker, so I just buy beer still when I want some.
This is kind of like alternative meats that I love the concept, but the price point just isn't there yet to impact my shopping decisions.
On a rational level I've discovered it's solely an excuse for people to get away with something socially that they normally wouldn't. I don't chase getting drunk. I drink beer the exact same way and reason I drink any other beverage: because I enjoy the taste, not the "high" it brings.
All these teetotalers on here sound like they're chanting some sort of weird praise that quitting alcohol is the panacea of fixing yourself. Like losing weight, having a better life, or wrestling with demons when in actuality it's just your own individual inability to have self restraint. The fact that people on here consider an edible as less destructive to beer is nothing but astounding to me. A drunk with one beer at like 5% alcohol maybe lasts an hour. An edible can last several if not all day.
There's more to it, though... it's addictive, and there's often group pressure or rather conformancy.
> get away with something socially that they normally wouldn't
Yup... dating is a good area here. You can make a social faux pas and then say "my apologies, perhaps that last glass of wine wasn't a good idea". And get forgiven rather quickly. And actually I don't really like that part, which is one of the reasons I prefer 0.5%-2.5% beers.
Want a low alcohol carbonated beverage? Make ginger beer with low sugar and only ferment long enough to carbonate. Want something that gets you a good buzz? Make a fruit wine or strong ginger beer.
I make my own and the only downside is I drink more than I used to. I enjoy the process of making it and it has to go somewhere. I'll make several gallons of cider for like 10 bucks. I haven't made low alcohol brews yet, but I'm going to start soon. Most of what I make is 10%-15% abv.
It is very very easy.
To each their own I guess. I'd much rather spend my free afternoons hiking or on a beach, or cooking a great meal that I can eat straight away.
Why not walk to the far end of the cooler where the domestic 30s are?
In some cases, in social events, it felt like I had to explain myself as to why I wasn't drinking. It was so strange to me.
For a lot of health and wellness reasons mentioned throughout, I much prefer a 4-5%. They're often marketed as "sessionable" and I like that trend. I'm not sure I'm looking for a NA brew (yet) but I'd much rather something just as flavorful without the race to high ABV.
I think I missed those. How is drinking lower-ABV beer more healthy than drinking less of the higher-ABV beer?
What I do now is enjoy a real beer or two, and then finish the rest of the evening with NA. Athletic brewing is my favorite. I wish bars had it on draft. It fits both needs, I get to enjoy the taste and effect of the real at first, but continue socially with the NA after that won’t lead to drunkenness.
Alcoholism runs in my family, I could very easily go down that road if I’m not careful, but I found combining the two short circuits the desire to binge on the real thing. I can easily do most events with just NA beers and enjoy myself all the same.
Heineken 0.0 was the best tasting NA beer but still, it just felt like I was drinking sugar for no reason.
Half of drinking is the ritual of cracking open a cold can/bottle of something a little sharp, and so while I don’t need the sugar, I find that nothing has worked better to replace beer than a Reed’s Strongest ginger ale.
However nearly all breweries in Europe have Alkohol free editions (I assume mostly for their TV ads) which aren't at all bad usually. The few I sometimes drink, Siegel, Feldschlösschen, basically taste identical minus the slight Alkohol taste. It's not artisan product around here, but done from the same people that brew the same beer for 500+ years. Maybe it's worth looking into importing some.
All of my DDG searches are just telling me how to make swill from concentrated orange juice.
I may be misremembering, but I think Athletic Brewing mentioned their beers are closer to 0.2 -> 0.3% on average.
But even at 0.5%, that would be 10 NA beers to add up to one average alcoholic beer at 5% assuming equal volumes.
Weirdly, my favorite NA beer right now is a store-brand red ale - President's Choice from Superstore.
Livermore CA 94551
Morgan Hill CA 95037
Elk Grove CA 95758
Soledad CA 93960
Sloughhouse CA 95683
You have to go way out in the boonies to get it, apparently.
Drinking beer without alcohol is no big deal. It can actually be quite good, though I've never found a non-alcoholic beer in the US that is worth drinking.
These are fantastic: Non-alcoholic, hoppy, carbonated tea: https://hoplark.com
- green, white, black teas - varying levels of hoppiness - varying levels of caffeine - will ship cases at a time!
Best decision I made in my life. If I want to get tipsy to enjoy some movie or music, I just take an edible. Weed is orders of magnitudes more practical than alcohol. Alcohol hangover is the worst. Edibles (especially sugar/calory free edibles they make now) are a lot healthier than alcohol and my mental health doesn't take a toll.
I've never had a problem with sativa, though. Maybe whatever you've used is due to a particular strain?
Also, the majority of strains are hybrids - so it's unlikely you have a bad reaction to indica (unless you only ever vape landrace sativas - which is highly unlikely).
I too hate that THC heavy strains everyone is into these days
After quitting alcohol and started getting high regularly with my friends, I got used to THC. Now THC doesn't give me anxiety/heart palpitation/paranoi etc. I think it's so worth it! The way I see it, getting used to THC is a life skill. I spent way too much health drinking alcohol in parties and getting wasted. Just take an edible before the party and you're all set; fuck hangovers. I'm so happy I'm not wasting my 20s on alcohol.
I don't reckon much on some of the offerings from UK brewers: things like Doom Bar, Adnams Ghost Ship and Brewdog's Punk AF just seem thin and with no body.
In the supermarkets, Brooklyn Special Effects is pretty good, and if you like lager then FreeDamm works.
Current online favourites include St.Peter's Without and Harviestoun Wheest from the UK; Force Majeure Tripel and Brugse Zot from Belgium; anything from Insel Brauerei and Nittenau in Germany and Nogne O in Norway.
It’s great to be able to grab a decent beer knowing that I’ll have to drive later.
After about 1 year of drinking only water I lost the desire for everything except water.
After about 2 years I've found that I got significantly more enjoyment from water than I ever got from any other drink previously.
I now find that trying to drink anything other than water is not enjoyable.
While I still drink alcohol from time to time, I find myself drinking alcohol-free far more often. Usually as a post-workout drink or something to relax with in the evenings without wanting to disturb my sleep.
For anyone looking for great alcohol-free options, my favorites so far have been Athletic Brewing[0] for NA beer and Lyres[0] for NA cocktails and spirits.
My favorite so far has been a spruce tip tea with sabro hops.
I haven't quit alcohol consumption entirely, but I limit it to once every few months if I feel like having one, typically with family.
Also working on just making it myself, with tea, hop pellets, and using a "drink mate" (like sodastream but can carbonate any liquid, not just water) to carbonate it.
For example here, the 1664 is pretty popular but I don't like it that much. But the blonde alcohol-free version really tastes like a real beer. I even doubt sometimes that I'm drinking a beer without alcohol: I have to double check! Maybe my brain is playing with me.
Some beers add too much fruit Flavours or sugar like the Leffe ones. Not good.
The difference with your beer/NA beer might be due to sugar contents.
I can't get over the taste of Ethanol. I know there are notes and stuff, but all I can taste is yuck.
I wish soda and juice had a following like wine and beer.
Far too sweet to be a suitable wine replacement
I do this this soda and my apple vinegar. I like it.
While most bars will happily serve me Diet Coke when I ask for it (sometimes for free depending on the city), I gotta say that it does a pretty good job making me look fairly lame around my friends or coworkers.
Maybe some alcohol-free booze would help with that.
Note, the hops in beer has a much stronger bitter effect than the alcohol, so I looked for beers without hops, which are the hefesweizens. Non-alcholic beer with hops tastes just as bad as alcoholic beers.
Because of that I have several non-alcoholic ciders, at home, for when I can't drink alcohol. Before driving, taking care of children...
I would rather quit coffee than alcohol
It was always a kind of disgusting caramel taste.
Alcohol-free is just a marketing trick of the beverage industrials to pretend that there is a product worth buying at a price higher than soft drinks to target non alcoholic drinkers.
At the opposite, I know close to no one that is a beer drinker and that would drink an alcohol-free beer. In all cases, it is almost always better to drink something else. Alcohol-free beer are targeting persons that don't normally drink alcohol.
It is like if you would say a person loving "burgers" would appreciate to temporarily eat "meat-free" burgers when they can't eat "meat", just to have the "taste" of a burger...
Looking at your examples, I don't think that they are correct:
if you are pregnant, even alcoholic-free beer is probably still a shitty drink for you.
If you are a "recovering alcoholic", you would probably avoid everything that will give you the "brain feeling" and the "habit" of drinking any alcohol.
To say that you are "tasty" alternatives, you are probably North American, because alcohol-free might taste like american beers, but at least nothing like tasteful Europeans beers.
Recovering alcoholics might crave the feeling of being refreshed and would probably prefer that drink to a 'water' or coke. What do you know about coping with alcoholism. Do my 10 years dry count? It's hard enough to police oneself without people having opinions on what I should drink... The fact that I can go meet friends, colleagues, business contacts in a pub and not drink while avoiding the shit question is good for recovery.
The thing is you can get non alcoholic beer throughout Europe I restaurants and supermarkets (do Poland, Portugal, France and Germany count?) and they're getting better and better every year.
As to your point about... burgers? It's getting more and more shunned to get shitfaced for lunch, yes even in France, and maybe you can have the 2 or 3 beers at noon with your meal and still drive (well, no...), work (good luck of anyone smells wine on your breath), etc. No, just because you 'can' drink, should you be only drinking an alcoholic beverage.
I have been asking for more NA beers of every small producer I know of and have been making them deliver them to me, across Europe, sometimes across the pond. There are very good NA beers, far tastier and refreshing or interesting than the generic beer.
https://www.amethystrecovery.org/can-alcoholics-drink-non-al...
You pretend to represent the ideas of the majority over my comment that would be too general, but you clearly look like to be a special case of a particular fan of NA beer for whatever reason.
<<I have been asking for more NA beers of every small producer I know of and have been making them deliver them to me, across Europe>>
In Europe, no NA beer tastes anything like a real non-industrial European beer. And by non industrial I mean anything not like kro, Carlsberg, Kronenbourg, 1664, ... That are clearly not known for their tastes.
My points stand. You clearly don't know enough about European beers I'll drop this thread. Just try and drink some brewdog punk af or some brooklyn af or some of the delicious Polish AF IPAs I've had.
You may want to open your mind to what exists or, please, show your work and cite the ones that you tried and were so bad you can't call them 'beers'.
And Mikkeller's Drink’in the Sun is a great beer.
> beer has been relied upon both to refresh and intoxicate.
I've never understood how beer could be described as refreshing. Is bread refreshing?
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Having said that, I am partial to "malta" - a carbonated soft drink with mostly the same basic ingredients as bear: barley, hops and water; but with a higher ratio of water, I think. It has added sugar and caramel flavoring typically.
I suspect it is because they add a lot of citric acid, and the PH value goes through the floor.
I gave up beer because of the calories, but I have since gotten hooked on whiskey. I enjoy the ritual of having a glass or two in the evening but also would like to reduce my alcohol consumption. Alcohol-free liquor is intriguing to me, although it would obviously be better for me to drink water instead.
It's pretty good!
Perhaps timely too! https://youtu.be/3Xa1L01ZNaY