NA Beers that dont taste like monkey butt

JP4CY

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I am probably in the minority here (shocking, I know), but I really like Heineken Zero.
I don't think that's bad at all.
My problem with Heineken NA is sometimes it just tastes great and sometimes it tastes skunky.
I can never just get a consistent flavor/taste for some reason.
 

ClonerJams

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Tried the Athletic Hazy IPA. Pretty good stuff, definitely tastes like an IPA
 
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Tailg8er

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I might try one sometime if they weren't so damn expensive. The ones I've seen cost as much or more than actual beer - I drink mostly for the side effects and don't really crave them when I'm not able to imbibe, so guess I'm not really the target demo anyway.

Are they that much because they cost as much to make as the actual brews? Or they're just still (somewhat) new and growing so supply and demand? I've never seen anyone drinking them (anecdotal, I know), doesn't seem like there's demand to justify the price. Can they sit on shelves longer than actual beer with less "damage"?
 

BigTurk

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I might try one sometime if they weren't so damn expensive. The ones I've seen cost as much or more than actual beer - I drink mostly for the side effects and don't really crave them when I'm not able to imbibe, so guess I'm not really the target demo anyway.

Are they that much because they cost as much to make as the actual brews? Or they're just still (somewhat) new and growing so supply and demand? I've never seen anyone drinking them (anecdotal, I know), doesn't seem like there's demand to justify the price. Can they sit on shelves longer than actual beer with less "damage"?
I think they are expensive like gluten free beers because niche product in new niche market. Actual beer had several hundred (thousands maybe) years head start. Brewers know how to brew real beer quickly and cheaply. Hopefully NA and GF beers get there too.
 

BigTurk

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As a follow-up, ISU’s brewery (yes, ISU has a state licensed brewery) just got a contract with one of the big boys to research malting techniques of gluten free grains. I wanted to share because I think that is really cool.
 
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Stumbles

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I'm on call at the plant 1 out of every 5 weeks and I can't drink during that week Sierra Nevada Trail Pass IPA does a pretty good job of scratching that wanna have a beer itch. I drink it even when I am not on call to cut back on the calories.
 
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2speedy1

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There are such things as water, pepsi, and juice, etc.

If you dont want to drink alcohol dont. Unless you are giving sparkling grape juice to your kids at a holiday to make them feel included, NA alcohol makes no sense otherwise.

Its like vegan meat. If you dont like meat, why imitate it. Just eat vegetables and like it.

I get it some quit drinking etc, but isnt drinking poor imitations just keeping the taste for alcoholic drinks in your mind, and thus making you want to drink again.
 

Al_4_State

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There are such things as water, pepsi, and juice, etc.

If you dont want to drink alcohol dont. Unless you are giving sparkling grape juice to your kids at a holiday to make them feel included, NA alcohol makes no sense otherwise.

Its like vegan meat. If you dont like meat, why imitate it. Just eat vegetables and like it.

I get it some quit drinking etc, but isnt drinking poor imitations just keeping the taste for alcoholic drinks in your mind, and thus making you want to drink again.
Some of us just legitimately like the taste of beer and want that when we don’t want the effects of alcohol.
 

CyclonesRock

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I was traveling through St Louis several years back and when we stopped to eat, the restaurant had the Iowa State basketball game on. I wanted to watch the game but also was going to be driving another 5 hours, so I ordered a NA. They had a Leinenkugel Amber that was actually surprisingly good. I have never seen it again anywhere else, but I would definitely drink it again.
 

Cyforce

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I'm a big fan of red beer (Bloody Mary mix) so I went ultra cheep one time. Went with PBR NA and tasted it before I mixed it. It basically tasted like a regular PBR.
 

JohnPrineforCy

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Had the Sierra Nevada Tall Pass IPA last night. Really enjoyed it. Comparable to the athletic IPA
 

Stumbles

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There are such things as water, pepsi, and juice, etc.

If you dont want to drink alcohol dont. Unless you are giving sparkling grape juice to your kids at a holiday to make them feel included, NA alcohol makes no sense otherwise.

Its like vegan meat. If you dont like meat, why imitate it. Just eat vegetables and like it.

I get it some quit drinking etc, but isnt drinking poor imitations just keeping the taste for alcoholic drinks in your mind, and thus making you want to drink again.
Again, I'm on call frequently and can't drink. I like beer. I like the taste of it. More importantly, I enjoy the ritual of having a beer, with a neighbor just shooting the ****, after mowing the lawn, while cooking on the grill, or just enjoying some sun outside I find a good NA beer very satisfying in those situations, almost as good as the real stuff. I also find it refreshing and a nice break after I have been drinking too many triple IPAs.
 

2speedy1

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Again, I'm on call frequently and can't drink. I like beer. I like the taste of it. More importantly, I enjoy the ritual of having a beer, with a neighbor just shooting the ****, after mowing the lawn, while cooking on the grill, or just enjoying some sun outside I find a good NA beer very satisfying in those situations, almost as good as the real stuff. I also find it refreshing and a nice break after I have been drinking too many triple IPAs.
As someone who worked on call 24/7/365 for years, in an industry that regularly tests for drugs and alcohol, I get this. We would get breath tested and drug tested frequently on arrival at work and we could not register even .02, which is the low threshold for most testers. A single test hot and it was minimum 9 months off without pay, and required to be admitted to a detox facility for several months in another part of the country (usually Tennessee or Utah.) You then would give permission to be randomly tested at any time, even at home on a day off, for 10 years. A second hot test for the rest of your career was immediate termination.

But I still never had the desire to drink anything N/A. When not able to drink I just drink something else. If I cant have the real thing then I have no desire to drink it. Especially when most of it is so bad, I would much rather drink something else.

I look at it like this, I can drink my favorite soda, or an N/A beer that doesnt taste nearly as good as my beer of choice, just to say Im drinking beer.....kind of. (or at least look like I am) And everyone understood when I couldnt drink due to being on call, that I didnt need to drink N/A beer just for the sake of it.

I get it if you really like it, but it just never has made sense to me. But, so many people that do drink it claim it isnt good, so it just doesnt make sense to drink something you dont like just to drink "beer".

And I love beer, and whiskey, by the way. But to date I have never drank an N/A beer.
 

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