Alcohol-Free Booze: What You Said

After varied vaccine views, it’s a personal delight that many of you also enjoy the charms of zero alcohol beer.

To answer some queries, it’s lower in calories but still may contain some sugars. It’s also considered a sports drink!

Sadly, the pursuit of a half-way decent tipple of non-alcoholic wine seems a far harder path (link).

Our commentators on last week’s piece about this new development in booze-free beverages, especially beer, were pretty enthusiastic about the choice.

RAYMOND from NSW commented:

It is the best thing that happened, I now have non-alcoholic beers and I'm healthier than I've ever been

Patricia from NSW commented:

I've been drinking Heineken Zero since I had heart surgery in 2019. I found it to be the product closest to the alcoholic beers I drank before. I have the benefit of great tasting ale which I can enjoy without having to worry about the effect of alcohol with my medication or on my ability to drive. I haven't had as much luck with finding a decent tasting non-alcoholic wine though.

 As to the best brands there’s plenty of advice online. Some cost pretty much the same as full strength but most are cheaper. I can get a case of the very tasty Tinnies Ultra Low Alcohol for $35. But what about the nutritional qualities?

Rob from QLD commented:

I was a BIG drinker but luckily not an alcoholic. I just got too fat and have had to get off the alcohol. To help, I thought 0% was a great idea. Quite frankly, most of it was rubbish IMO, esp the wine. Heineken is OK but the Budvar from Dan Murphy's was my favourite, followed by Holsten, again from DM. BUT... what about the sugar content?? Am I replacing one 'poison' with another? What do others think?

 Rob, this piece from Better Homes and Gardens magazine (and see more here), might help.

“Alcohol by itself is 43 calories per unit, so just by removing the alcohol, you already have a healthier, low-calorie beer… But be mindful of the sugar content! All regular beers are actually low sugar alcohols since the sugar turns into alcohol during the brewing process, but non-alcoholic beers might not go through this step so they will be more sugary than your run of the mill beer.”

However - and my personal experience would back this up - the wines don’t quite stack up.

Roger from NSW commented:

Haven't tried alcohol free beer (maybe it is OK), but all the alcohol free wines I have tried were shockingly bad; not even good as grape juice. Neither I nor my wife drink that much these days, but when we do buy a wine we want something good, and the alcohol free wines just don't cut it.  

 An experience in Germany, the home of great zero alcohol beers, came after the Berlin Marathon a couple of years ago. Finishers were ushered to massive beer tents serving non-alcoholic wheat beer. It tasted great, was refreshing and a great alternative to many sports drinks. Considering how much we drank after the run, if it contained alcohol, we would have been ruined.

Again from Better Homes and Gardens:

Because of its near to none alcohol content, non-alcoholic beer won’t dehydrate you. In fact, it will actually rehydrate you! A study has actually shown that alcohol-free beer is isotonic, implying that it can actually make a great sports drink! But don’t go replacing your actual sports drinks though: beer is low in sodium, which is an important component of sports drinks!

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Any information is general advice, it does not take into account your individual circumstances, objectives, financial situation or needs