I’ve got my works xmas lunch coming up very soon, BYOB and a curry – braw. However these days I can’t be arsed starting drinking at noon and being asleep by 5…

So as per title, what’s the best 0 – 0.5% beer as found on local supermarket shelves? I’ve tried Becks blue and wasn’t a fan. Budweiser prohibition brew was broadly better than drinking pints of coke but still, well like too gassy Budweiser…

What else is good?

Brewdog Nanny State isn’t bad at all.
Erdinger is alright too.

Brooklyn’s Special Effects is tasty. Waitrose, IIRC.

Moretti Zero I had at the weekend was nice.

Marks and Spencer. Brewed by Staropromen. Its very nice

Big Drop Brewing Co Pale Ale is the best I’ve tried by quite some margin.
We get it delivered from Waitrose – not sure if I’ve seen it on the shelves though

What lunge said (Brewdog is hoppy, Erdinger a standard lager). The Sainsbury’s lager was drinkable but no cheaper than the Erdinger. Free Damm was nice. I also like the Franziskaner wheat beer.

Nanny State and PUNK AF are ok.

I also really like the 0% white wine from Eisberg.

Just drink soft beverages!

FreeDamm and Infinite Session IPA

Brooklyn’s Special Effects is tasty. Waitrose, IIRC.

Agreed.

Heineken 0.0 is probably my preferred AF lager, but I doubt I could tell it from the Peroni/San Miguel/Estella AF beers in a blind taste test.

Erdinger for something with more flavor.

Personally I don’t like the Brew Dog ones. Becks Blue is OK, Bud terrible. I was disappointed with Infinite Session, but a lot of people like it.

Just drink soft beverages!

I can’t drink sweet stuff in volume, hence if I’m in a pub not drinking alcohol, AF beers are a better choice for me.

Low tide is pretty good and the one i go for if im after low alcohol beer

Big Drop Brewing Co

Good stuff.

[strong]unfitgeezer[/strong] wrote:

Just drink soft beverages!

An evening (or indeed afternoon) drinking fizzy juice just makes my teeth feel furry and and unable to sleep due to the sugar. With coke especially the “hangover” seems just as bad too.

Fruit juices don’t do it for me, looking for something a bit tastier than water and having a cuppa with a curry seems wrong…

I’ve tried a few and settled on Bavaria Original 0% which I buy from Asda. It’s only about £2.20 for 4 bottles.

Erdinger isn’t a beer, it’s a malt isotonic. I certainly don’t like it but the malt is different. See also St Peters Without (both from Tesco).

Brewdog Nanny State is hoppy but nice if you like that kind of beer, I think they have another one out now but I’ve not tried it (EDIT: just noticed Brant mentioned Punk AF, that’ll be it). Pistonhead Flat Tyre is also tasty but FFS make sure you get the blue and silver pack and not the blue and black (former is alcohol free, latter is 4.4%). Again, all available from Tesco.

I was going to say the Heineken one is probably the closest to tasting like the normal version, and I quite like Heineken.

Not a fan of Nanny State, the hops make it taste like soap with nothing to balance it. Not tried Punk AF.

Lidl do an AF wheatbeer, which is nice if you like wheatbeers.

I can’t drink sweet stuff in volume, hence if I’m in a pub not drinking alcohol, AF beers are a better choice for me.

TBF I usually end up ordering carbonated water with ice/lemon.

The Lidl AF Wheat beer is a good cheap option, but I find it a bit sweet. The Erdinger AF Wheat beers is closer to the real thing, but quite pricey. Sainsburys do it.

Adnams Ghost Ship 0.5% is nice if you can find it.

I’ve had the Erdinger and Moretti and both were pleasant enough, whilst I’m good with one or two of them I wouldn’t be on them all night. I couldn’t drink pop or juice all night either. So when needing to be af, generally I tend to stick with water as my preference.

My father is trying a fair few the last couple of weeks and his favourite so far is a Czech one from Marks and Spencer, brown bottle with white/purple lable.

There was a wheat beer he got that he thought was great, had real taste he said. On closer inspection the 0.5 was 0.5 litres…..it was 6%abv!!!!

if you dont like sugary drinks, be warned that a lot of AF beers are full of sugar. the Erdinger one is definitely rammed full.

Nanny State isn’t, and Punk AF has some sugar but not as much.

Nanny State was definitely my favourite during Sober October

My wife likes the Erdinger and has been drinking lots of Eisberg white wine too. That’s the nicest 0% drink I’ve tried recently; it’s got a dryness to it which is quite alcoholy.

Our Tesco has a big selection of alcohol free beers. In its own section on the booze aisle. So just pop to your local large Tesco.

Punk AF is my current fave, I think because it seems most drinkable in volume! perhaps less sugary as mentioned above.

Also enjoy the Big Drop beers, both Pale Ale and Stout. Brooklyn also nice and equally happy with Heineken.

I’ve been drinking more and more AF these days, just doesn’t seem much of a sacrifice but still fills the Friday evening beer shaped hole quite nicely with some salt and vinegar crisps (obviously still enjoy a nice punchy IPA now and then).

At restaurants etc. if I’m going AF I quite often get a sparkling water and request some lime wedges. The ‘fizz’ seems to hit a spot in your throat that makes it seem like so much more than just expensive water. Again, doesn’t feel like you’re missing out so much.

Warsteiner alcohol free is very drinkable if you can find it.

Ghost ship, Infinite session and Nanny state/Punk AF are my personal preferences from this list. If you thought Bud was ok though I’m not sure there is much cross over in our tastes!

The big bottle with the blue label that I can never remember the name of is decent enough. (I’ll check next time I’m shopping if I remember).

I’ve not tried it yet, but I’ve got a bottle of alcohol-free Old Speckled Hen here. That could be interesting.

Heineken 0.0 is probably my preferred AF lager

Me too and have tried most of them. Becks Blue is rank.

For ale types Infinate Session and PUNK AF or Nanny State.

I can’t drink more than 4 of any though – and aftertaste seems to build up after a few.

And St. Peters Without is worse than drinking Mr Muscle drain cleaner!!

Bavaria or Erdinger for me. When I asked myself what I thought I was missing, going alcohol free, it was a cold lager rather than an ale. Both of those hit the spot.

Shipyard low tide is my favourite at the moment, not quite as metallic tasting as ghost ship. First sip it seems a bit flowery but soon settles down after a couple of swigs.

I drink mostly Heineken 0%.

I find most of the other lagers (particularly Becks and Bud) have some kind of weird undertone that I can’t quite describe. Not totally nasty but enough that I’d avoid given the choice. If you’re happy with the flavour of real Heineken then you’ll probably like their O%. As mentioned above, the flat tyre lager is also excellent and a bit more interesting flavour-wise than Heineken.

I find the more ale-y ones a bit hit-and miss. They usually taste fine enough but they usually just leave me wishing I was drinking actual beer.

Brewdog Punk AF is really good, I think because it is brewed at 0.5% abv rather than having the alcohol removed later leaving that weird malty taste many have.

Another +1 for Flat Tyre.

Not tried Punk AF, despite being a shareholder 🙂

Brooklyn Special Effects or Erdinger are way better than anything else that I have tried.

And yes, you can taste the sugar in the Erdinger.

Forgot Franzikaner Weissbeir, they do an alcohol free version of that too.

Nanny State, Erdinger Blue or the Franzikaner for me.

Sounds like I need to seek out some Punk AF to try though…

Adnams Ghost Ship 0.5% is nice if you can find it.

+1

Available in Waitrose and M&S

Moretti Zero +1

Been trying a few recently and this one is probably my favourite but pricier, followed by Heineken-which I’d buy if I was having quite a few over an evening.