# Will someone please recommend a GOOD non-alcoholic beer for me? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** beer\ **Created:** [February 7, 2012, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-someone-please-recommend-a-good-non-alcoholic-beer-for-me/612060 "2012-02-07T09:57:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-someone-please-recommend-a-good-non-alcoholic-beer-for-me/612060/21 "2012-02-07T16:25:35Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > No, but neither does non-alcoholic beer. It’s the same reason I don’t eat Tofu “ice cream”; if I want something that tastes like ice cream I get the real stuff or do without. That’s a reasonable approach for someone who is free to eat ice cream or drink beer. It is neither germane nor helpful in a thread asking for the best options for someone who is trying to avoid alcohol. In my opinion even the worst NA beer tastes like beer, just not as good. If you think NA beer doesn’t taste like beer, what do you think it most resembles in taste? ---
**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-someone-please-recommend-a-good-non-alcoholic-beer-for-me/612060/22 "2012-02-07T19:52:32Z")
> [@brujaja](#): > > Well, see, I _like_ beer myself, although I mostly drink red wine with my food. > > However, this guy is really hot, and he buys non-alcoholic beer because, yannow, he doesn’t drink anymore. I’m just trying to save him from a fate worse than “Old Milwaukee.” > well actually, it **is** “Old Milwaukee.” How do you know Old Mil wasn’t his favorite before he stopped drinking? ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-someone-please-recommend-a-good-non-alcoholic-beer-for-me/612060/23 "2012-02-07T20:01:24Z")
I’ll second Clausthaler. Unfortunately, all my market has had lately is Clausthaler Amber which to me isn’t as good as the regular. I’ve also tried O’Douls. In their case, the amber is better. Coors has one, and it sucks. I’ve seen the St Pauli Girl NA. Maybe I’ll pick up a 6 pack since there are several recommendations in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-someone-please-recommend-a-good-non-alcoholic-beer-for-me/612060/24 "2012-02-07T20:06:16Z")
Kaliber is good- BUT goes to shit in a hurry, perhaps before you even buy it. Get it while it’s fresh and it’s amazing. LaBatt’s Blue has a pretty good NA, I find it much easier to find it fresh than Kaliber. O’Douls amber is definitely better than the green. Busch NA isn’t bad, but I don’t find it in bottles and for some reason bottled NA is better in my opinion. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-someone-please-recommend-a-good-non-alcoholic-beer-for-me/612060/25 "2012-02-07T20:06:52Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Agreed. Kaliber is the best one I’ve tried, and it sucked. Me too. It was tolerable with spicy Mexican food, because that overwhelms all the flavor anyway. But when I’m not drinking, water is preferable to the best NA beer. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-someone-please-recommend-a-good-non-alcoholic-beer-for-me/612060/26 "2012-02-07T20:18:30Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > In my opinion even the worst NA beer tastes like beer, just not as good. If you think NA beer doesn’t taste like beer, what do you think it most resembles in taste? I’ve had several of the NA beers mention in this thread, and I found them extremely unsatisfying. If I had to choose one that was the least unsatisfying I would go with Kaliber. I found it bearable on a hot day after doing yard work, but couldn’t stand it with food. If I really wanted something beer-like but without as much alcohol as regular beer I’d probably make a Radler with a light beer and low sugar lemonade. It’s doesn’t taste like a regular beer but I find that much more enjoyable than NA beers and to me it feels like the same category of beverage. However I think they are much more enjoyable as an after workout or exercise drink and wouldn’t really have one with a meal. ---
**Author:** ![Toucanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Toucanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toucanna)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-someone-please-recommend-a-good-non-alcoholic-beer-for-me/612060/27 "2012-02-07T21:10:37Z")
I’ll jump on the beer wagon and recommend “St. Pauli NA”. Also, “Bohemia”, a non-alcoholic malt beverage. I get it at an Arab grocery store. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2012, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-someone-please-recommend-a-good-non-alcoholic-beer-for-me/612060/28 "2012-02-07T21:42:33Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > Do iced tea and lemonade taste like beer to you? Or do you just enjoy thread-shitting? > [@Telemark](#): > > No, but neither does non-alcoholic beer. It’s the same reason I don’t eat Tofu “ice cream”; if I want something that tastes like ice cream I get the real stuff or do without. > [@Crotalus](#): > > That’s a reasonable approach for someone who is free to eat ice cream or drink beer. It is neither germane nor helpful in a thread asking for the best options for someone who is trying to avoid alcohol. In my opinion even the worst NA beer tastes like beer, just not as good. If you think NA beer doesn’t taste like beer, what do you think it most resembles in taste? I think that NA beer doesn’t taste like beer at all. I don’t think that lemonade or iced tea taste like beer, either, but they are similar in thirst-quenching qualities. If someone can’t drink alcohol, I can respect that. However, I just don’t think that near beer is an acceptable drink. It just tastes really bad to me. For that matter, I’m fairly picky about the real beer that I drink, too. If the only beers available are mass market American beers, I’ll generally have the iced tea or lemonade, because that is what will taste good and quench my thirst. I drink beer for the taste, and to quench my thirst. If a beer (whether it contains alcohol or not) does not do both of those, then I consider it a fail, and I won’t drink it at all. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-someone-please-recommend-a-good-non-alcoholic-beer-for-me/612060/29 "2012-02-08T04:53:02Z")
> [@brujaja](#): > > Well, see, I _like_ beer myself, although I mostly drink red wine with my food. > > However, this guy is really hot, and he buys non-alcoholic beer because, yannow, he doesn’t drink anymore. I’m just trying to save him from a fate worse than “Old Milwaukee.” > well actually, it **is** “Old Milwaukee.” Years ago I read a comparison of non-alcohol beers, and the winner was Old Milwaukee NA. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-someone-please-recommend-a-good-non-alcoholic-beer-for-me/612060/30 "2012-02-08T09:34:02Z")
> [@amanset](#): > > I am told Brew Dog’s “Nanny State” is one of the best you can get. > > [BrewDog - Online Craft Beer Shop & Craft Beer Bars](http://www.brewdog.com/blog-article/153) I have no idea where to find any BrewDog product in the US, let alone N.A., but their name for it makes me cackle like a maniac, and I almost want to try it just for that reason. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-someone-please-recommend-a-good-non-alcoholic-beer-for-me/612060/31 "2012-02-08T11:59:11Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > If someone can’t drink alcohol, I can respect that. However, I just don’t think that near beer is an acceptable drink. It just tastes really bad to me. Okay, so you don’t like them. But when someone asks a question like the OP and people answer “non-alcoholic beer sucks!” isn’t that somewhat like the threadshitting that goes on when someone asks “What’s wrong with my PC” and people answer “It’s not a Mac, that’s what’s wrong with it!”? ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-someone-please-recommend-a-good-non-alcoholic-beer-for-me/612060/32 "2012-02-08T12:35:09Z")
I have nothing useful to add to this thread. I just had to comment that I never knew there were so many NA beers in existence, and now I need to pick up some Nanny State just to have it in my fridge. So, thanks for that! ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-someone-please-recommend-a-good-non-alcoholic-beer-for-me/612060/33 "2012-02-08T15:15:27Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Okay, so you don’t like them. But when someone asks a question like the OP and people answer “non-alcoholic beer sucks!” isn’t that somewhat like the threadshitting that goes on when someone asks “What’s wrong with my PC” and people answer “It’s not a Mac, that’s what’s wrong with it!”? Well, I think of it more like someone asking if there IS a good NA beer, and in my experience, the drinker is better off drinking something that tastes good. Life is too short to drink bad beverages. And every NA beer that I’ve ever had tasted like cat piss smells. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-someone-please-recommend-a-good-non-alcoholic-beer-for-me/612060/34 "2012-02-08T18:37:00Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Well, I think of it more like someone asking if there IS a good NA beer, and in my experience, the drinker is better off drinking something that tastes good. Life is too short to drink bad beverages. And every NA beer that I’ve ever had tasted like cat piss smells. You are a classic thread-shitter. Which NA beers have you tasted? Do you really think that the taste of beer with the alcohol removed tastes like a completely different, and entirely unpleasant, substance? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-someone-please-recommend-a-good-non-alcoholic-beer-for-me/612060/35 "2012-02-08T19:33:55Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > Do you really think that the taste of beer with the alcohol removed tastes like a completely different, and entirely unpleasant, substance? My experience, based on drinking 6-7 different types of popular NA beer available in the north east US, concurs with this. They just don’t provide me with enough basic “beer-ness” to satisfy my desire to drink beer. If the OP hasn’t yet found one that meets his needs it may not exist. Or it may, but we’re giving our opinions based on our experiences. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-someone-please-recommend-a-good-non-alcoholic-beer-for-me/612060/36 "2012-02-08T20:35:50Z")
I’ve sampled at least half a dozen, and possibly a dozen, NA beers. I don’t remember the name brands, I’d have to go down to a liquor store and look at them. None of those NA beers were worth drinking. Most of them were so bad that I only took a sip or two, and then ordered something else. I don’t drink a lot of alcohol. My average alcoholic consumption is something like 20 drinks per year. But if I’m gonna drink a beer, I want it to TASTE like a beer, dammit! ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-someone-please-recommend-a-good-non-alcoholic-beer-for-me/612060/37 "2012-02-08T22:12:11Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > My experience, based on drinking 6-7 different types of popular NA beer available in the north east US, concurs with this. They just don’t provide me with enough basic “beer-ness” to satisfy my desire to drink beer. If the OP hasn’t yet found one that meets his needs it may not exist. Or it may, but we’re giving our opinions based on our experiences. This, I think. If you’re a true beer-lover, none of the NA beers will really satisfy. I like really nice wine, but any NA wine I’ve tried tastes _awful_, like grape juice, just nasty, ick, ptoooie. However, if you’re not a beer afficiando (I’m not) some of the better NA beers - eg St Pauli Girl or Clausthaler will be perfectly satisfying. I don’t drink soft drinks; if I’m out and want to drink something NA besides water, I’ll often have an NA beer. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2012, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-someone-please-recommend-a-good-non-alcoholic-beer-for-me/612060/38 "2012-02-08T23:26:39Z")
I’ve heard a few people find [Bitburger Drive](http://www.bitburger.com/bitburger_beers/bitburger_drive/product_bitburger_drive/index.html)acceptable. I found it tasted like a pretty innocuous lager, so meh as far as beer goes but I guess that qualifies as good for a NA beer. I much preferred it over Clausthaler for example. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-someone-please-recommend-a-good-non-alcoholic-beer-for-me/612060.md?page=1)