7 ms·
That's one important reason, but there's another one that is even more neglected: it just... tastes good (for those of us who like it, of course). For example,
by Al-Khwarizmi 3y ago
That's one important reason, but there's another one that is even more neglected: it just... tastes good (for those of us who like it, of course).
For example, as a 90 kg man, for me drinking a single 33cl bottle of beer has pretty much the same effect as drinking water, i.e., I don't feel anything at all (note that I don't drive, in that context it would probably still be relevant). So when I have a single beer with dinner, there is zero intention of socializing, stupefying myself or whatever. I just like the taste (and don't order alcohol-free beer, which is healthier, because I hate its taste).
Similarly, having a red wine with a strong sheep milk cheese is an amazing experience, just because the tastes combine so well and enhance each other.
If there were alcohol-free versions of the beverages that tasted the same, I'd probably use them most of the time (except in some social contexts). There is no such thing, though.
- deafpolygon 3y agoIt tastes good because a) you like the carbonation (try drinking sparkling water), and b) your brain wants the alcohol, so it makes beers or anything resembling it taste good. > don't order alcohol-free beer, which is healthier, because I hate its taste
- Steve44 3y agoI love the wide variety of tastes you can get. Beers are getting there, but there is no alcohol free wine or spirit that comes close to the flavour carrying profile of decent drinks. I make quite a lot of cocktails and have some quite decent alcohol free ones in my repertoire, but compared to the alcoholic ones there are a very poor imitation.
- reverendjames 3y agoBavaria brand non-alcoholic beer, pomegranate flavor. If you can find it, it's delicious. The regular flavor tastes more like beer but also tastes great.
- medo-bear 3y agoI think culture toward drinking is the determining factor. In my culture we are brought up around wine, heavy spirits, and beer. There is no such thing as comming of age by drinking yourself stupid as in UK, US or Australia for example. Intoxication is considered VERY bad form (embarassing). Usually when people feel they are becoming intoxicated they will excuse themselves and go home.
- Hendrikto 3y agoWhich culture is that?
- medo-bear 3y agosouthern europe
- WastingMyTime89 3y agoIn which part of Southern Europe do people excuse themselves when they are becoming intoxicated? Because that's not true in France, Italy, Spain and Portugal unless you have very prudish acquaintances.
- medo-bear 3y ago> France, Italy, Spain and Portugal does not compare to the drinking culture of poms, aussies, or yanks https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/indonesia-deports-drunk-tourist-australia-naked-b2353058.html https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/indones...
- Scarblac 3y agoAlcohol by itself is tasteless though. And alcohol-free beer is getting better at very high speed. Keep trying it every now and then, you'll be surprised.
- fastball 3y agoMany of the compounds / tastes in alcoholic drinks are byproducts of the fermentation process, even if the ethanol itself is tasteless.
- Turskarama 3y agoAnd alcohol free beer is generally made by removing the alcohol after fermentation. The problem is, the process of removing the alcohol can also affect the taste, but they're much better at it these days than they used to be.
- ZiiS 3y agoMost good low alcohol beers are fully fermented and just remove the ethanol via vacuum evaporation or reverse osmosis. Whilst in practice it is difficult the is no theoretical reasons it would damage the taste.
- retsibsi 3y ago> Alcohol by itself is tasteless though. There seems to be disagreement over this. To me, alcoholic beverages have a distinctive taste in common (stronger in spirits and weaker in beer or wine), which I always assumed was the taste of the alcohol itself. Some sources describe pure ethanol as 'tasteless', albeit strongly odoured; if this is true, then I guess what I interpret as a taste is really the combination of the smell & the burning sensation. But other sources describe it as having a taste -- e.g. CAMEO Chemicals (via PubChem) says ethanol has a 'pungent taste', and a paper I find when googling says 10% ethanol tastes bitter to everyone and sweet to some (and I know that's not exactly alcohol 'by itself' but they do attribute the taste to the ethanol).
- Aeolun 3y ago
- yung_steezy 3y agoAlcohol-free beers have got a lot better in the past 10 years
- zikduruqe 3y agoAlso hop water is delicious.
- Turskarama 3y agoI would say even in the last 3 years there's been big strides.
- Al-Khwarizmi 3y agoI tried one a few weeks ago, in my son's end of schoolyear party. I found it so bad that I couldn't even make myself go beyond the second gulp... I had to stealthily leave it somewhere and pick a bottle of water. It could be that my local beer brand uses old tech, though. I'll keep trying from time to time, but at the moment nothing comes even remotely close to the real thing for my taste.
- OJFord 3y agoTry one from a brand with multiple 0/ish% beers, not just the 0/lite/whatever version of the 'normal' product. Then it's actually designed to be a good drink, with a distinct profile to another one. Similar to my advice on vegetarian food - you don't want it to be 'the vegetarian version', de-meated from the normal one. You want the vegetables to become the star, so you want an XYZ (what are the vegetables) lasagne, not a 'vegetarian lasagne'.
- TecoAndJix 3y agoSam Adams "Just the Haze" is my favorite 0% beer right now. Personally, I prefer a tonic & (lots) of lime or iced tea if I'm abstaining.
- Aeolun 3y agoThey’re a lot better, but they’re still nowhere close to the real thing. It’s absolutely beneficial there’s no chance of hangovers though.
- icoder 3y agoAbsolutely agree with the taste aspect. I (male) went 0% when my gf went off of birth control and kept it that way throughout pregnancy until now (baby's 9 months) and I certainly miss some of the tastes (beers, wines, liqueur). My luck is that I enjoy drinking Heineken 0.0 and most of the 0.3%/0.5% IPA's they sell now (at least here, Netherlands). As for 0% alternatives for wines and liqueur, they haven't come close to me yet to enjoy them. For me, there's nothing 'principal' about it btw, it just works, for now. The upside is of course no negative effects (ie hangover) and much less threshold to open one, even on the rare occasion we have a warm meal during lunch time (I work from home).
- pfannkuchen 3y agoWas this for moral support or can it damage sperm somehow? Asking for a friend.
- d1sxeyes 3y agoAlcohol interferes with your liver’s ability to process vitamin A, which in turn has a negative impact on sperm production. That said, moral support is also a pretty good reason.
- quickthrower2 3y agoIn australia the 4 pines alcohol free* tastes so realistic (and good) that it is hard to tell the difference other than the lack of sting from the alcohol. It is good stuff. But there are many bad alcohol free beers. * usually means < 0.5%
- thenoblesunfish 3y agoIncreasingly, there are! Where I live (Switzerland) there is a roaring trade in non alcoholic or very low alcohol drinks. I admit none are yet as tasty to me as a good IPA, but the market clearly wants what you do. If my beer of choice was more toward lager I might even be happier.
- konart 3y ago> single 33cl bottle of beer What kind of beer though? 33cl is nothing but we still have to compare apples to apples. Mystery of Beer vs something like Budweiser is a no-no.
- SergeAx 3y agoI am not sure about good taste of alcohol. I can agree about some wines and brandys (although they are universally better to smell than to taste), but beer? Bitter liquid, enriched with CO2. Do you remember first time you tasted beer, probably at the age of 5-7 from the bottle of your father? I can't see anyone liking non-alcoholic beer outside social context.
- z500 3y agoThankfully, brewers have discovered that there are other types of beer than IPAs.
- garyrob 3y agoI agree with this totally. For me, the strongest manifestation is cognac. A good cognac is just fantastic. The main thing is the tail, that just goes on and on in different stages of taste and sensation. I'd drink it all day if I could. But if I did... er... that would not be good.
- Steve44 3y agoI had a glass of Louis XIII Cognac a few years ago and was really surprised at how much better it was than a VSOP. As you say the tail lasted so long and was so rich and complex, I didn't expect it to be that incredible.
- garyrob 3y agoWhoah! Haven't had one yet. Saving that until I make a lot more money! :) But on a more affordable level I recommend checking out https://www.cognac-expert.com https://www.cognac-expert.com. They do have the incredibly expensive stuff, but at a also a reasonable-price range that goes well beyond the standard Remy, Hennessy, etc. VSOP or even XO. A world to explore!
- Steve44 3y agoLooking at that link it's a scary and expensive hobby. Having said that my brother used to get my dad a £200-500 bottle of scotch for Christmas each year so definitely something to explore. Cheers.
- abracadaniel 3y agoRelevant xkcd: https://m.xkcd.com/1534/ https://m.xkcd.com/1534/