Five Booze-Free Beers to Get You Through Sober October
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You've heard of Dry January but what about Sober October? This month-long initiative was created by British Charity Macmillan Cancer Support, challenging people to give up the booze and raise money to support people facing cancer while doing so. You can find out more and sign up on their website: gosober.org.uk.
We bring this up because with all the parties, clubs, and bars that abound in our fair city, it can often feel like we Beijingers have to choose between our social lives and our livers. If you have decided to say bye-bye to the booze, then there is an alternative that can help save our bodies: non-alcoholic beers. To be honest, non-alcoholic beers don't have the greatest rep, so we decided to peruse local supermarkets, bars, and online stores in search of decent-tasting boozeless brews. Here's what we found.
One of the best things about this Japanese brew is that it contains 0 calories, 0 alcohol, and 0 grams of sugar. We're not really sure what is in it, though. The taste is much lighter than its boozy cousin and lacks the base hoppy notes, although it is a nice light golden color, just what you would expect from a beer.
The label is more upfront about its non-alcoholic content than the other beverages on this list, but the color scheme is very similar to the usual Asahi, so it ends up being quite discreet. It's also quite expensive compared to the other brews on account of it only being available online and shipped from Japan.
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Compared to the Asahi, Clausthaler comes much closer to having a real brew bite, with bitter notes that nod towards an IPA. It's best enjoyed straight out of the bottle (because, hello, look at this minimalist beauty), but if you pour it into a glass you can also feast your eyes upon its deep cloudy amber shade. It's only available online, for an unbeatable price of under RMB 15 per bottle. Each bottle contains 92 calories.
Erdinger's Alkoholfrei beer surprised us with its sour notes, which set it apart from anything else on this list. That distinctive element aside, we found that it lacks both base notes and an aftertaste. However, it makes for easy drinking and is also pretty damn cheap, with a price tag of just RMB 14 per bottle. Contains about 82 calories per bottle.
More like lemonade than beer, the Bavaria "Radler" series comes in a variety of flavors: lemon, apple, and peach, among others. Fans of shandy will have found their clear favorite here thanks to a burst of lemon that punches through. Think beer cocktail rather than anything you have ever tried down the pub.
We wouldn't recommend pairing with food due to its sweetness, but the Radler is pleasant on its own and the fruit element may also appease cider drinkers looking for a non-alcoholic substitute. Available online and in April Gourmet stores around Beijing, and contains about 120 calories per bottle.
Want to enjoy all of the hops with none of the hangover? Then you're in luck because Jing-A have just launched their first non-alcoholic beer, a hazy IPA double named the Designated Driver. The beer is double dry-hopped with a juicy blend of tropical and citrus aroma hops. A few pints of this beer and you'll still be sharp enough to cut through Beijing traffic jams. Typically, non-alcoholic beer has the alcohol removed by heat, which is not a great option if you're aiming to make a hoppy brew. Jing-A experimented with a yeast strain that limits the amount of alcohol produced in fermentation, allowing them to have all the hoppy aroma of a hazy IPA with only 0.5 percent alcohol content. If you're used to drinking more complex brews then this will certainly be the best of the bunch for you.
Images: Unsplash, Tautvile Daugelaite, Jing-A
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