Non-alcoholic beer (NAB) is much better than it used to be. If your memory of it is a sad, thin beer substitute, those days are over. The new NABs are a significant upgrade.
If you are curious to try, here are three simple tips.
1. Start with a style you already like
Do not begin with the strangest can on the shelf.
If you like crisp lagers, try an NA lager or pilsner. If you like hazy IPAs, try an NA IPA. If you like wheat beers, start there.
The goal is not to find the most impressive non-alcoholic beer in the world. The goal is to find one that fits your taste.
Also, do not judge the whole category by one can. Regular beer has plenty of bad beer too. Non-alcoholic beer deserves the same fairness.
2. Drink it properly cold
This matters more than you think.
Non-alcoholic beer is best when it is very cold. Not “I put it in the fridge ten minutes ago” cold. Actually cold.
Chill the can. Use a cold glass if you want. Drink it fresh.
Warm NAB is where good intentions go to die.
3. Try it in a real beer moment
Do not test your first non-alcoholic beer at 11:14 a.m. while standing in the kitchen like a suspicious scientist.
Try it when you would normally want a beer.
With pizza. After yard work. While grilling. During a game. On the porch. After a run. While making dinner.
That is when NABs make the most sense. They replace the beer moment, not just the alcohol.
You still get the cold can, the beer taste, and the small signal that the day has shifted into a better gear.
No manifesto needed
Trying non-alcoholic beer does not mean you are switching teams. It just means your beer fridge got more interesting.
Start familiar. Serve it cold. Drink it in a real beer moment.
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