Honestly, I’d had one of the best days of my life—the golden-tinged type you remember fondly many years later. It was probably around 10 pm, the sky still solstice-bright, as I coasted into my campsite, blissfully sweat-crusted and dehydrated. I’d managed to sneak in a weeknight bike ride up Glacier National Park’s Going-To-The-Sun Road to Logan Pass just before it opened to cars for the season. Taking my time, I had dilly-dallied at each pullout that beckoned, snapping photos with an Instax camera and inhaling deep alpine breaths. And the first thing I pulled out of my trunk when I got down, along with the campstove, was a cold beer. A cold non-alcoholic beer.
Twenty-something me would have scoffed as I glugged those crisp, semi-cold gulps (from Athletic Brewing Co., in case you’re wondering). What’s the point, if it doesn’t have alcohol? Even as I type the headline to this story, it sits a little funny. But by the time my potatoes browned in the skillet, I was crushing the empty can and rummaging in the cooler for another. Almost-40-year-old me was floating in an endorphin-filled pool of wellbeing, and it felt good knowing the hoppy beverages quenching my thirst wouldn’t sabotage my sleep that night or hammer me with a hangover.
Writing this, I’m aware of the masses who find the very premise of non-alcoholic beer absurd—my younger self included. To those folks I say, To each their own. I will happily clink cans with you at the trailhead or takeout. And you still might see me with an, ahem, real beer occasionally, too. But the thing is, I’m not my younger self anymore, and a few things have changed since I last shared sips from a flask at the top of a mountain bike ride. Namely my age.
Unless you’re Benjamin Button, or 21 years old, you probably know what I mean. Big days in the mountains, late nights, and dehydration all seem to hit a bit harder than they used to—and the idea of feeling good, feeling rested and clear-minded, has never seemed so appealing. Perhaps because it feels more fleeting than it used to. Enter: non-alcoholic beer.
If you’re struggling to “get” the appeal of a buzzless beer, it might help to think of it less as a beer substitute and more like another option akin to fizzy water. When I handed a cold bottle of Lagunitas IPNA—ha—to a friend recently, he took a few sips and summed it up: “Not bad. But also, you know, not real beer.”
Right. If you’re really, truly looking for beer, it might not fly for you. Fair enough. But if, like me, you’ve been slamming more La Croix lately than Sierra Nevada, it’s lovely to have a non-fruity adult-flavored option. I see it as one more tasty addition to the lineup of refreshing drinks I can crack after a long run, ride or float—or even while wrapping up a workday during a heatwave—without getting drowsy. Bonus points for actually being hydrating instead of a diuretic.
The choice whether to imbibe or not is deeply personal, and I certainly bring my own baggage to the human-beer relationship. From what I can tell, I’m not alone. Even before the pandemic added stress and isolation to the mix for everyone, conversations were already bubbling in the outdoor world about how enmeshed inebriation is in our culture.
For some, I imagine a nonalcoholic beer might help bridge the gap between a drink they should maybe be avoiding and the awkwardness of standing around empty handed at the barbecue or at the trailhead. In my own household, it turns out that as the light drinker in the family, I’m the one who loves having them in the fridge alongside the fizzy water. My husband—who’s 18 years sober—tried one sip, shrugged, and decided they were not for him.
Obviously this is no crusade to convert beer drinkers out there. It is simply a word in praise of a small recently discovered joy. That night in Glacier, scarfing down a late dinner as darkness finally fell, having those two cold beers to celebrate just felt right, alcohol or not. And, you know, waking up to the cacophony of hermit thrushes whistling at 5 am the next day with no headache wasn’t so bad either.
Our round-up of good non-alcoholic beer options
Athletic Brewing has a solid and expanding lineup. Their All Out Stout is one of very few non-alcoholic stouts out there. That’s one to check out for sure.
Clausthaler Dry-Hopped is another great choice. It’s a bit darker than most n/a beers, with a lot more toasted malts that masks the unusual tea-like flavor most n/a beers have.
Brewdog, out of Scotland, has been at the top of the craft brewing game for years now. They have a FANTASTIC lineup of n/a beers, and if you can get them in your area, check them out. Not cheap, but on par with standard craft beer prices.
Photo: Will Stewart/Unsplash
I’ll lift a glass to a little well-earned middle-age wisdom. 🙂
so I’m well over 40 and I just make sure I drink water as well as beer. the first two beers taste really really good and then I start subbing in water. Has been working for me all these years…
Rock on! I’ve been mixing mocktails for my wife (5 months pregnant) and myself once or twice a week recently. Makes Tuesday night feel a bit more like a celebration and makes for a nice close to the weekend on Sunday, without feeling fuzzy at work the next day. Been using Ritual Zero-Proof as a base. Not quite on the NA beer train, but I’m certainly less likely to snub my nose at it these days.
Great article! Ive been brewing beer professionaly since starting at Coors on 08 and have recently removed myself from all consumption and creation of alcohol. I’ve been very happy with the NA options and have bèen researching yeast developments behind their success. I’m almost 45 and very active and find no shame in the NA game. It’s nice to search for taste and balance and not get hammered as a result. Cheers and thanks again for the article!
More real beer for the rest of us.
I stil very much enjoy “real” beer.
That said, the N/A’s I’ve tried over the years have mostly repelled me.
Enter Athletic.
Their Free Wave DDH IPA is about as close as you can get to happy sauce without the happy.
I really enjoy using them as “splitter beers”, one real, one fake, one real, one fake. Halves my consumption in a session so I can enjoy an extra, without the potential sanctimony of “I’m jumping on the bandwagon because it’s cool to dis alcohol now”.
It’s not the same, but it’s awfully close, and yes, it’s rather like adult fizzy water, just more expensive.
It’s also a bit of deviant fun to enjoy one driving down the road with some good rock n roll cranking, it’s like being back in the 70’s, just without the DWI….
I love the New NA beers. Super refreshing, pretty good IPA flavors, and as you already noted..way easier on your system. I like the taste of a beer and it’s nice to have something other than the seltzers. Cheers to you!
Athletic brewing company is really good.
stick with the real deal, and the next morning when it’s “sunday morning coming down” just eat a bowl of menudo and you’ll be ready to rip…….
If your in Truckee, go to New Moon, they have at least 20:N/A beers of really good quality and taste from around the country and Europe. A hazy ipa from mikkler is great.
Almost 40? Almost?? 40??? Come back in 10 or 20 years, kid, when you’re on the downside of the bell curve. (OK, sorry, couldn’t resist).
I literally grew up with beer. My dad was in the beer business and beer was everywhere. I’ve loved beer my whole life and still cherish the nights I could sit at Doyle’s Cafe with my good bud Billy Dowd and down some good beer. And, nothing is better after a good ski day than beer. But, no more. At 67, I’ll have one beer, two tops. If I have 3, I’m suffering the next day with headaches and achiness. It can happen with just two. Ugh, what a wimp I’ve become.
I just might have to consider trying a NA beer. My 95-year-old dad may disown me, but I just hate feeling shitty.
Here, here! I’ll support and drink a NA beer to the sentiment of this piece.
UK pubs are well behind the times on AF beer. I make a point of asking pubs what they AF Beers they have and if it’s a vile token gesture like Beck’s Blue pointedly order a diet coke. Annoys me when they make enough effort to have 20 craft beers that they don’t even bother to think creatively for their AF customers
You nailed it! I used to be a hardcore craft beer drinker but now being 37 and with two small kids… it’s hard for me to drink more than one beer without waking up feeling like crap (sometimes one beer already makes me feel like crap! *gasp!*)
And like you, not wanting to drink soda, I’ve been chugging down a LOT of flavored soda water. I think I prefer hop water over NA beer but hop water selections still seem a bit weak at the moment (at least what I can find here). NA beer definitely has it’s place and I totally agree, if you’re looking for “beer”, you’ll be disappointed, but if you’re looking for something good/different to drink, they’re pretty damn good!
One side note on feeling shitty after 2 or 3?
The seeming obsession in the brewing industry with Doubles and more, means the vast bulk of offerings now, are north of 7%, so, really, two “old school” beers, in every one.
Sure, they’re good. sure, they have all manner of tricks to hide the “burn” of higher booze, but seriously folks, it shouldn’t require a detectives license to find beers in the 5% and under range, but it seems like you need one.
I’m a huge supporter of Session beers for this exact reason.
I’m a HUGE fan of Founders All-Day IPA. Sub 5% ABV. Lagunitas DayTime is good too, and that’s just a tick over 4%.
Session beers for the win. I diligently study beer lists and avoid those high ABV beers – I can’t handle them.
Like Justin, the Founders works well for me.
I have enjoyed very cold Becks NA and St Pauli Girl NA on hot summer eves.
Not local, hardly sustainable, but a cold lighter beer on a hot afternoon. O my my.
Good article and right on point. I’m 52 and enjoy Heineken 0.0 after riding my mountain bike all day in the heat of Alabama. Refreshing and taste great without the buzz.
The hangovers hurt more than they used to
If you enjoy the taste of beer and want NA, great. But the main point of a cold one after a hard day of _fill in the blank outdoor activity_ is to enjoy the taste AND get a buzz on. Just relax and the alcohol content helps. No different than the need people have for coffee in the mornings, Advil when they have a headache, bowl of ice cream when they are craving sugar, and the same. Everything in moderation. CHEERS!
Yes! I love beer and found Athletic Brewing and Brewdog this year when my schedule had me working in the evenings. I would normally be having something strong and Belgian but now couldn’t so I checked out NA because my tastebuds were board. I’ve tried a bunch of bad NA beers but Athletic Brewing and Brewdog are fantastic! When considering NA beers I think it’s important to not try and replace your favorite real beer but rather find a substitute for what you would otherwise be drinking when you cant or don’t want to have the real beer. Best flavored water in town! I’m saving the real stuff for when I have time to really enjoy it.
YAAASS! I stopped drinking almost entirely and it was solely because I just kept waking up with that off feeling. A little slow, a little sluggish. My local watering hole has several NA options and for months my friends didn’t even know I wasn’t drinking the real thing. I really like beer, so I’m stoked that there is a growing selection of really tasty NA beers out there.
Untitled Art’s Juicy IPA is not only the best NA iPa I’ve had, but I think better than any IPA I’ve ever had, alcohol or no alcohol. It is outstanding.
Interestingly, I find that one of these after work has the same effect as an ipa with alcohol. I don’t know if it’s bc the flavor is perfect or just the hops doing their thing but it is identical in sensation to drinking a traditional IPA.
Also, after 2, I don’t crave more, where alcohol based IPAs beg to drink another.
Non-alcohol beer represents 30% of the beer market here in Spain where I live. It’s the best product ever. The variety here of 0,0% beer is many and varied and growing every day. No hangover, no sugar, crisp, clean, and cold. Great for people who do sports or just want to spend quality, non-drunken time with their family. It takes a bit of getting used to, but once you do you’ll never go back.
I’ve been absolutely loving these NA beers, great taste, and I’m so much more on point with activity and family.