Why I Made the Switch to Non-Alcoholic Beer

When it comes to drinking alcohol, I’ve been strictly a beer drinker for nearly my entire adult life. In other words, I rarely drink wine, vodka, or other spirits. Beer doesn’t have much of an effect on me, I just like the taste. Unlike most people, I don’t drink for the buzz or to get drunk. My wife, Kathleen, has only seen me intoxicated once or twice in all of our years together.

Earlier this year, we were in a pub in England, and I ordered a Stella Artois using a QR code with my phone. When the beer was brought to our table, I learned that I accidentally chose a Stella Artois Liberte’ which is 0.0% alcohol.

I was disappointed at first because I tried a Heineken NA years ago and didn’t like it, so I stuck with regular beer until that day in England. The Stella NA was pretty good, and something that I thought could become my go-to beer.

Along with the taste, another plus is that non-alcoholic beers are much lower in calories. For example, a regular Stella Artois is 150 calories, while a Stella Artois Liberte’ is only 59 calories.

So this led me to check out other non-alcoholic beers. I was told that the most popular non-alcoholic beers are made by Athletic. Athletic only makes NAs and has several different types to choose from. The Athletic Lite is the one with the lowest calories and least amount of carbohydrates with 25 and 5 respectively. Even though there aren’t many beers that I don’t like, Athletic Lite isn’t one that I’d recommend.

However, Athletic Lite is the only one brewed by that brand that I didn’t like. I like their Run Wild IPA, Upside Dawn Golden, and Free Wave IPA. However, these three are higher in calories and significantly higher in carbohydrates.

Another fake beer that I recommend is the Corona Non-Alcoholic which has 60 calories, and 17.5 grams of carbohydrates. Sam Adams Just the Haze is a good one too.

The only major drawback with NA beer for me is the higher carbohydrate content. If you’re watching your carb intake this could be an issue. As I shared above Corona NA has 17.5 carbs compared to regular Corona Light which has only 4.8.

NA beers also cost a bit more. My quick math determined that a case of NA beer costs about 25 to 30 percent more than its alcoholic counterpart.

Taste, calories, carbohydrates, and price are the four main factors I considered when deciding to limit my beer intake to mostly NAs. Some restaurants don’t offer them so I’ll still enjoy a Miller Lite or IPA on occasion.

Cheers!

With National Beer Day taking place today (April 7th) and it also landing on thirsty Thursday, we thought it was time to provide you with some liquid courage.

That's right, it's time to get your drink on with these 35 breweries located across the state of New Jersey. Whether you're looking for your next go-to pale al or IPA, this list has something for every beer drinker.

Which one is your favorite? Let us know! Cheers.