Fav Alcohol Free Beer?

senordingdong · 13-01-2021 9:05am

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

That's the one. I drank it out of the can so didn't see the colour! I'm going to go get a couple shortly, I'm finding dry Jan easier with a better range in non alcs.
Can't wait for the Guinness, should it ever happen.

Definitely. Such a huge selection these days. Though I feel like I'm cheating as they are all 0.5%.

Thelonious Monk · 13-01-2021 11:25am

senordingdong wrote: »

Definitely. Such a huge selection these days. Though I feel like I'm cheating as they are all 0.5%.

They really have to be 0.5 for them to taste anything like beer, the 0 ones are just awful, they all taste like tomatoey pasta sauce to me.

senordingdong · 13-01-2021 11:35am

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

They really have to be 0.5 for them to taste anything like beer, the 0 ones are just awful, they all taste like tomatoey pasta sauce to me.

Carlsberg and erdinger are awfully sweet, but a synthetic sweetness which is worse again. The Heineken zero is not as bad and very drinkable.
But I think you're right with the half a percent idea. Ipa is more flavoursome anyway so atleast something small remains after the alcohol is gone.

Thelonious Monk · 13-01-2021 1:38pm

Isn't most of the price of a beer or at least a lot of it, tax? If that's the case why do they charge the same for non alcs as they do for alcs, pretty much?
Seen as they are so keen to introduce MUP, you'd think they'd do something the opposite so that non alcoholic beers are half the price they are now.
The craft beer ones are especially ridiculously priced.

senordingdong · 13-01-2021 1:47pm

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Isn't most of the price of a beer or at least a lot of it, tax? If that's the case why do they charge the same for non alcs as they do for alcs, pretty much?
Seen as they are so keen to introduce MUP, you'd think they'd do something the opposite so that non alcoholic beers are half the price they are now.
The craft beer ones are especially ridiculously priced.

Agreed but I think it could have more to do with logistics costs. Manufacturing, distributing will cost the same even if there is no alcohol. And then it takes up the same space on the shelf so if the shelf space is potentially worth x, than they must charge at least x for whatever sits there.
In reference to craft beers I don't mind paying extra when they're strong, but I agree that it's annoying to pay the same for a 2% or 0% as you do for a 6%.

BeerNut · 13-01-2021 2:34pm

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Isn't most of the price of a beer or at least a lot of it, tax?

Not really, no. I make it 68c extra tax due on 500ml of 5% ABV beer, vs a non-alcoholic one.

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

why do they charge the same for non alcs as they do for alcs, pretty much?

The marketing spend around the big brands, especially this time of year, is enormous. There's also the issue of brand equity: they can't allow Heineken/Carlsberg/Peroni/Whatever to be seen as cheap, even a version with no alcohol in it.

With mass market beers, both normal and N/A, the cost of production and distribution has very little to do with the the retail price. Enjoy the ads: you're paying for them.

Zaph · 13-01-2021 2:42pm

Is there much additional production cost associated with dealcoholising N/A beers, or is it pretty cheap to do?

Macy0161 · 13-01-2021 3:02pm

Zaph wrote: »

Is there much additional production cost associated with dealcoholising N/A beers, or is it pretty cheap to do?

Not really 100% on this, but I thought the big step forward in the Non and Low Alcoholic beers was yeast that doesn't convert to alcohol. Rather than them having to heat to remove the alcohol (like awful ones like Kaliber).

BeerNut · 13-01-2021 3:17pm

Zaph wrote: »

Is there much additional production cost associated with dealcoholising N/A beers, or is it pretty cheap to do?

As a proportion of the retail price it would be negligible.

tallaghtfornia · 13-01-2021 3:21pm

Anything on the N/A Guinness yet of the grapevines :-) ?

Must have been a very bad quality issue if they have not launched it yet !

senordingdong · 13-01-2021 3:52pm

tallaghtfornia wrote: »

Anything on the N/A Guinness yet of the grapevines :-) ?

Must have been a very bad quality issue if they have not launched it yet !

Better to wait than have a repeat of the pear cider pandemic some years back.

L1011 · 13-01-2021 4:39pm

Macy0161 wrote: »

Not really 100% on this, but I thought the big step forward in the Non and Low Alcoholic beers was yeast that doesn't convert to alcohol. Rather than them having to heat to remove the alcohol (like awful ones like Kaliber).

Most of the improvements has come from ethanol selective reverse osmosis membranes I thought

Pen Rua · 13-01-2021 4:44pm

tallaghtfornia wrote: »

Anything on the N/A Guinness yet of the grapevines :-) ?

Must have been a very bad quality issue if they have not launched it yet !

Latest update from Guinness' Twitter is that they have paused production for now. Whoops.

https://twitter.com/GuinnessIreland/status/1346502922666995713

https://twitter.com/GuinnessIreland/status/1346074017711718400

Thelonious Monk · 13-01-2021 7:18pm

I used to buy cans of mid strength Guinness in London, were they ever available here? Is it still out there on draught?
I found it a lifesaver at weddings and other all dayer things, I could drink away without being absolutely rat arsed.

BeerNut · 13-01-2021 8:05pm

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

I used to buy cans of mid strength Guinness in London, were they ever available here? Is it still out there on draught?

It still exists on draught, mainly in sports clubs, but I don't think it was ever sold canned here.

bennyl10 · 13-01-2021 9:18pm

Having the Lervig no worries grapefruit tonight. Very very good. Big move up from Heineken and open gate.

senordingdong · 14-01-2021 11:50am

bennyl10 wrote: »

Having the Lervig no worries grapefruit tonight. Very very good. Big move up from Heineken and open gate.

Anybody had the pineapple no worries yet?
Saw it release in craft central the day after I put my big alcohol free order in.

Thelonious Monk · 14-01-2021 12:15pm

BeerNut wrote: »

It still exists on draught, mainly in sports clubs, but I don't think it was ever sold canned here.

Yeah for some reason I thought it might still be in Golf clubs and the likes, they used to have it at my local GAA club too.
Australia is the mid strength beer capital of the world, I used to love drinking 3% beers all day long at barbecues etc.

dzilla · 15-01-2021 12:40pm

BeerNut wrote: »

It still exists on draught, mainly in sports clubs, but I don't think it was ever sold canned here.

Is it really?

I liked the idea off it years ago,, ya could chance a pint with your dinner.

Haven't seen it in pubs in years though.

tallaghtfornia · 15-01-2021 12:44pm

Any recommendations for an NA beer for tonight ? I tried the Hino N/A and was not my cup of tea.

Any help would be great for a man suffering in dry January

Macy0161 · 15-01-2021 12:52pm

dzilla wrote: »

Is it really?

I liked the idea off it years ago,, ya could chance a pint with your dinner.

Haven't seen it in pubs in years though.

The one out of my five locals that had it, got it taken out after about 6 months. It just wasn't selling. I actually think 0% might do better, if or when (I guess Guinness have a while to solve the problems on draft at least). Too much "might as well have a proper pint" with the mid strength.

senordingdong · 15-01-2021 12:55pm

tallaghtfornia wrote: »

Any recommendations for an NA beer for tonight ? I tried the Hino N/A and was not my cup of tea.

Any help would be great for a man suffering in dry January

Depends what you like. Can recommend a few non alcoholic ipas, lagers are harder to come by.

tallaghtfornia · 15-01-2021 3:11pm

senordingdong wrote: »

Depends what you like. Can recommend a few non alcoholic ipas, lagers are harder to come by.

Anything will do that resembles Alcohol !!

Macy0161 · 15-01-2021 3:20pm

Aldi/ Roadworks "Early Start" IPA or the Brewdog options (Nanny State or Punk AF) probably the easiest to get hold of.

tallaghtfornia · 15-01-2021 3:23pm

Macy0161 wrote: »

Aldi/ Roadworks "Early Start" IPA or the Brewdog options (Nanny State or Punk AF) probably the easiest to get hold of.

Was thinking brew dog ill give it a try tonight - but if I go back on the beer will blame Boards

:):):)

banchang · 15-01-2021 4:21pm

Anyone know when Guinness 0.0 will be back on shelves ?

Guinness website simply says :

We are working hard to return Guinness 0.0 to shelves as soon as possible. Production will only recommence when we are completely satisfied that we have eliminated the root cause of the issue and the product meets the highest standards of quality that we and our Guinness drinkers expect.

senordingdong · 15-01-2021 9:26pm

tallaghtfornia wrote: »

Anything will do that resembles Alcohol !!

https://craftcentral.ie/collections/non-alcoholic

All of these are nice, except the Kinnegar 'low tide'. The only Kinnegar beer that didn't impress me.

L1011 · 15-01-2021 9:42pm

Macy0161 wrote: »

The one out of my five locals that had it, got it taken out after about 6 months. It just wasn't selling.

I've only ever seen it on draught in one conventional pub - Pebble Beach in Clontarf which is beside two golf clubs.

Its absolutely a sports club bar product - probably legal(for a normal sized adult with normal alcohol handling and metabolism, etc etc) to have one after a round/match with the current drink drive rules and maybe two in the old days; not that they can explicitly say that; and not that anyone is to take this as advice to drive after drinking any alcohol.

senordingdong · 15-01-2021 11:06pm

senordingdong wrote: »

Anybody had the pineapple no worries yet?
Saw it release in craft central the day after I put my big alcohol free order in.

Got some of the pineapple tonight, it's very nice.

BeerNut · 16-01-2021 1:03am

L1011 wrote: »

I've only ever seen it on draught in one conventional pub - Pebble Beach in Clontarf which is beside two golf clubs.

I had it in Doheny & Nesbitt which presumably stocked it because most of Ireland's important decision-makers don't have a ministerial driver to bring them home after the negotiations.

Fav Alcohol Free Beer?

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