The Taste Without The Hangover

I have also discovered that many pubs and clubs sell Becks Blue which is a nice beer.

Since finding in Norway that restaurants there sell non-alcoholic beers is normal and supermarkets sell a range of these drinks I have found that the UK is getting there. May be I just wasn't looking properly. I was surprised at how many beers were available from various supermarkets. My favorite is Bavaria 0.0% (larger) which is mainly sold in bottles but I have found Morrisons sell both bottle and can versions. Being a keen biker I attend many biker rallies and do a lot of camping and all campsites do not allow 'glass' so this is brilliant but the only company I have found which do this. Bavaria do a Bavaria 0.0% (Wit) which is nice too.

It all started when I had some medication which recommended you should not drink alcohol and as I wanted to make sure it worked I decided not to drink at all. Since then I found I did not miss the alcohol and decided to stop completely. I run my own businesses so there are advantages in being able to leave a party, pub or restaurant and get straight in a car and drive. I really don't miss it at all now and feel a lot better for it.I started on juice and lemonade then my wife found Kopparberg in both Pear and Mix Fruit Alcohol Free. We then found that Sainsburys do a set of de-alcoholised (0.05%) wines from Germany. I found the rose too sweet and tasted more like a fruit drink. However the white is nice but the red is even better which I tend to mix with some lemonade. Another nice red (Cabernet Sauvignon) comes from Eisberg and is available from many supermarkets. The red wines do contain tannin so your tongue will stain red (as with normal red wine) and you can feel a bit rough if you drink too much neat though this might be psychological or just the tannin.

One thing to note is that a beer or wine can be classified as Alcohol Free if it contains 0.05% or less and De-alcoholised contains 0.5% or less.. So if you want no alcohol then make sure you read the label. Another benefit is the number of calories, for example Bavaria 0.0% (larger) contains 25 kcals (per 100ml)..

The main problem with the white wines and ciders are they tended to be a little to a lot sweeter. The Kopparberg particularly which makes it hard to drink more than two of these.
Now before someone asks "what's the point of alcohol free, it just isn't beer", there are many reasons why someone will not or cannot drink alcohol. With these products you can feel like you are part of a BBQ, party or social event and still be able to drive your friends home.

A useful source of information is The Alcohol Free Shop which has an extensive collection of wines, beers, stouts and Gluten free but check the prices.