Remember this Heineken ad about having an alcohol-free beer during a work meeting? Well, if you're lucky enough to work from home, you can be as inebriated as you like, with your colleagues none the wiser. Assuming you don't have a Zoom meeting, that is. But besides avoiding the social stigma of day drinking, there are other perfectly good reasons to choose a non-alcoholic beer.
Calories for one. There are fewer calories in an alcohol-free drink and beer bellies are definitely not attractive. Then, there are the health risks associated with chronic heavy drinking. Some folks, especially East Asians, also suffer from alcohol intolerance that can cause unpleasant side effects such as headaches and dizziness.
The good news is that there are now more alcohol-free beers than ever. In fact, there are enough choices that we have skipped mainstream brewers like Heineken and Carlsberg. Here are our impressions of eight alcohol-free beers that you can buy from Redmart.
Big Drop Paradiso Citra IPA
There's a strong whiff of hops when pouring as well as a nice bubbly head. It has just the right bitter aftertaste that marks it as an IPA (India Pale Ale), but it's not citrusy enough. It's still a very good non-alcoholic IPA.
Clausthaler Original Lemon
This blend of lemonade and non-alcoholic beer is very bubbly. It's sweet and citrusy with a slight sour lemon aftertaste. While it smells like a beer, it doesn't remotely taste like beer. A refreshing drink on a hot day. Clausthaler also makes a tasty grapefruit version.
Big Drop Galactic Milk Stout
Strong milky taste with just a whiff of chocolate. Dark as stout should be, with a good head. It's also sweeter than expected, I would have liked more chocolate or coffee notes. Naturally, there's also none of the boozy taste I associate with stouts.
Veltins Non-alcoholic Pilsener
Pours nice with plenty of froth. It tastes light, refreshing and smells like the real deal. The first gulp is very pilsener-like, with a sweet aftertaste.
Alpirsbacher Klosterbrau
Looks great with a nice thick head and plenty of fizz. It tastes sweet and malty with a slight bitter aftertaste. The mouthfeel is full, not watery like some non-alcoholic beers.
Big Drop Pine Trail
You get a nice floral aroma when pouring and a decent head of carbonation. I like the citrusy taste with a slight bitter finish. Very drinkable for a non-alcoholic beer, probably the most tasty of the eight beers here.
Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier Alkoholfrei
This German non-alcoholic beer tastes and smells exactly like what a wheat beer should. It has a hazy golden colour with a sweet and sourish taste. One of the better non-alcoholic beers I have tried.
Holgate Love All Alcohol-free Pale Ale
A dark golden colour with a thin head. It's pretty dry and is not as sweet as the others. The initial fresh hop aroma fades quickly. There's a slight bitter finish but it's lacking in flavour. It's currently unavailable on Redmart, but I would recommend getting another alcohol-free beer instead.
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