BS: Non-alcoholic alternatives to beer

Subject: BS: Non-alcholic alternatives to beer
From: GUEST,Gadaffi
Date: 16 Jul 09 - 04:22 AM

For purely health reasons known to some 'catters, I am approaching Sidmouth FolkWeek and pondering what acceptable low or non-alcoholic alternatives there are to beer! I don't want to spend an arm or a leg, and non-alcoholic beer/lager seems to cost that! Nor am I really considering coffee, or sugar/saccharin containing soft drinks for fear of rotting my teeth. I am on friendly terms with the pub landlord concerned and would like to keep it that way without smuggling in a water bottle - which might just happen anyway!
This is a serious question, as I am due to chair a daily lunchtime session and am trying to keep my blood pressure stable.

Subject: RE: BS: Non-alcholic alternatives to beer
From: GUEST,Mr Red
Date: 16 Jul 09 - 04:44 AM

Beware the "low" alcohol beverages. A lot of them retain certain ingredients for the colour & flavour, called "congeners". But to give them a proper name - alcohols. The problem is that there are so many forms of alcohol and the darker the brew the harder it is for the liver to digest them, and hence the finding with some people that they give you a headache far sooner. Hence the red wine story. They call such people "red heads".
And some of them wear the colour as a reminder of the susceptability!

I avoid any cider that proclaims "with artificial sugars and sweeteners" - which seem to offer the same cranial facility. "cider" is a legal definition within the EC (milled from apples), anything extra has to be listed as ingredients. Low alcohol ciders are particularly heady.

Subject: RE: BS: Non-alcholic alternatives to beer
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 16 Jul 09 - 04:59 AM

I have not had a proper alcoholic drink since Novemeber. Alcohol free beers were OK but I find they give me a headache. Not quite alcohol free but I find shandy suits me fine - Particularly when there is a good dark mild available. Main thing is that while I would be quite happy with 6 or so pints of beer I am just as happy to stop at 2 pints of shandy. Good luck

Dave
Who is going to have a couple of pints next month to get acclimatised for hols in September:-)

Subject: RE: BS: Non-alcholic alternatives to beer
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 16 Jul 09 - 05:53 AM

I cant imagine a friendly pub landlord would have any objections to letting you have tap water, or bottled water for that matter. (I always found the soft tap water in Sidmouth didn't taste too good, since I'm used to the hard water here in the South-East.) After all there'll be enough punters around drinking the pub dry, and if you're running a lunchtime session you'll probably be increasing beer sales.

Subject: RE: BS: Non-alcoholic alternatives to beer
From: Leadfingers
Date: 16 Jul 09 - 06:13 AM

Lime Juice and Soda is a nice refreshing drink , and shouldnt be too pricy unless the Landlord is overgreedy !

Subject: RE: BS: Non-alcoholic alternatives to beer
From: GUEST,Neovo
Date: 16 Jul 09 - 06:18 AM

or grapefruit and soda if you want something with a bit more kick.

Subject: RE: BS: Non-alcoholic alternatives to beer
From: Will Fly
Date: 16 Jul 09 - 06:29 AM

I find a mix of fresh, natural of orange juice and cranberry juice to be refreshing after I've had my statutory one-pint-'cos-I'm-driving beer.

Subject: RE: BS: Non-alcoholic alternatives to beer
From: Stu
Date: 16 Jul 09 - 07:05 AM

Anything with soda works for me.

Subject: RE: BS: Non-alcoholic alternatives to beer
From: Ron Davies
Date: 16 Jul 09 - 07:33 AM

Not precisely germane, but related.

AP: Police say a homeowner in Maine used beer to entice an intoxicated intruder to leave. The intruder didn't realize that it was a nonalcoholic beer. Bar Harbor police say the homeowner awoke early Monday to find 22-year-old Scott Cote-- (I first typed Sott)--in the bedroom and used the beer to convince him to move on. Police say they found the suspect breaking into cars a short time later and arrested him after he fled into some woods.

Headline for this in the DC Metro free paper:   Man Willingly Drinks O'Doul's

Subject: RE: BS: Non-alcoholic alternatives to beer
From: 3refs
Date: 16 Jul 09 - 08:02 AM

Canada Dry Green Tea Ginger Ale-The Champagne of Ginger Ales!
Sorry, it's got sugar though.

Subject: RE: BS: Non-alcoholic alternatives to beer
From: Bobert
Date: 16 Jul 09 - 08:49 AM

Cocaine???

Nevermind...

B~

Subject: RE: BS: Non-alcoholic alternatives to beer
From: Wesley S
Date: 16 Jul 09 - 09:05 AM

Cocaines for horses, not for men.

The doc says it will kill me but he won't say when....

Subject: RE: BS: Non-alcoholic alternatives to beer
From: gnu
Date: 16 Jul 09 - 12:58 PM

Another drift.... years ago, the barmaid said the "lite" beer was on sale and I said I'd rather be fat than sober.

Subject: RE: BS: Non-alcoholic alternatives to beer
From: irishenglish
Date: 16 Jul 09 - 01:59 PM

Don't know if you have them over there, or if they are to your liking anyway, but as its summer, you could do some of those "virgin" mixed drinks, like pina colada and such...i don't have a recipe in front of me, but they are refreshing, they have no alcohol, yet give you the feeling you are drinking one. I had one recently, and if they hadn't told me there was no alcohol, I would not really have known

Subject: RE: BS: Non-alcoholic alternatives to beer
From: Wesley S
Date: 16 Jul 09 - 02:05 PM

Water is pretty nice - refreshing too. I'd suggest iced tea but I've heard it's pretty hard to find in England.

Subject: RE: BS: Non-alcoholic alternatives to beer
From: Little Hawk
Date: 16 Jul 09 - 02:07 PM

Ron, I think that may have been Shane McBride under an assumed name.... ;-) Certainly sounds like Shane, anyway.

There are any number of excellent non-alcoholic alternatives to beer! I can highly recommend the following:

Sex!
Ripe mangos!
Fresh coconut juice! (available in Vietnamese restaurants)
A walk in the park!
A nice hot bath!
Ontario maple syrup, eh?

Try any of these and you may never get the urge to touch beer again.

Subject: RE: BS: Non-alcoholic alternatives to beer
From: Wesley S
Date: 16 Jul 09 - 02:31 PM

A nice hot bath in maple syrup will be an experience you'll never forget. Refreshing too.

Subject: RE: BS: Non-alcoholic alternatives to beer
From: Girl Friday
Date: 16 Jul 09 - 03:40 PM

My other half has not drunk alcohol since last November. He favours lime and soda. Grapefruit is a no-no for heart attack victims. He also likes ginger beer/ale. For home drinking we like shandy. Co-op 2 litre bottle only 59 p. Nicer than Morrison's, and cheaper.

Subject: RE: BS: Non-alcoholic alternatives to beer
From: Sorcha
Date: 16 Jul 09 - 03:43 PM

Not too sweet lemonade. Lovely stuff.

Subject: RE: BS: Non-alcoholic alternatives to beer
From: Dave Sutherland
Date: 16 Jul 09 - 03:56 PM

The beverage of the moment (see Re-Imagined Village thread) Dandelion and Burdock!!

Subject: RE: BS: Non-alcoholic alternatives to beer
From: gnu
Date: 16 Jul 09 - 04:01 PM

We get cold pressed cranberry juice here... add some lemon juice and NO kidney or gall stones... and it tastes great. Cleans out the urinary tract like piss thru a race race horse.

Subject: RE: BS: Non-alcoholic alternatives to beer
From: Smokey.
Date: 16 Jul 09 - 04:29 PM

Tea?

Subject: RE: BS: Non-alcoholic alternatives to beer
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 16 Jul 09 - 05:07 PM

Dandelion and Burdock is a good suggestion. Looks a bit like Guinness too.

Subject: RE: BS: Non-alcoholic alternatives to beer
From: Ebbie
Date: 16 Jul 09 - 05:08 PM

Little Hawk, she says patiently. You ar not thinking. The house might object to a bath in a pub, warm or not. Same is true for sex.

Subject: RE: BS: Non-alcoholic alternatives to beer
From: Paul Burke
Date: 16 Jul 09 - 05:40 PM

There aren't any. Otherwise they'd be available and commercialised. But Fenton's ginger beer, dandelion and burdock etc. are at least not insulting.

Subject: RE: BS: Non-alcoholic alternatives to beer
From: Little Hawk
Date: 16 Jul 09 - 06:34 PM

Yes, I know, Ebbie....but I was just talking in more general terms. There are better things to do in life than drink beer, don't you think? Things that are a LOT more fun. In any case, there are some pubs emerging now in the 21st century which are quite broad-minded. The Vicar's Inn in Twillingsgate, for instance, has changed quite a bit since it was purchased by Winston Wellington-Jones. You have to go there after midnight, though, and you must be a member and present your card. That's when the REAL fun begins. Penelope Rutledge refuses to go there at all anymore. She's disgusted and outraged and says she will "never darken their door again". That tells you something.

Subject: RE: BS: Non-alcoholic alternatives to beer
From: Dorothy Parshall
Date: 16 Jul 09 - 11:20 PM

Never had a beer so do not need a substitute. Have had lots of fun; some might think too much but that is their lookout. Seems as though others need to ingest quantities of alcohol to have that much fun. I remember my fun, though.

Good spring water cannot be beat, imo. But the pub owner might like to serve sparkling water.

Subject: RE: BS: Non-alcoholic alternatives to beer
From: KEVINOAF
Date: 17 Jul 09 - 06:47 AM

there are none

Subject: RE: BS: Non-alcoholic alternatives to beer
From: Stringsinger
Date: 17 Jul 09 - 10:51 AM

there should be a rogues gallery of beer drinkers in which their bellies could be tape measured.

Subject: RE: BS: Non-alcoholic alternatives to beer
From: John J
Date: 17 Jul 09 - 01:42 PM

DECENT orange cordial & soda. Very refreshing and affordable at around 80p a pint in the Anchor last summer. Also, at 80p a pint, it's a nice earner for the pub.

JJ

Subject: RE: BS: Non-alcoholic alternatives to beer
From: GUEST,Rtim.no-cookie
Date: 17 Jul 09 - 06:44 PM

I seldom look at BS threads - but I could not resist this.
I think it is amusing that the makers of Bud & Bud Lite also make O'Douls non-alcoholic beer - AND IT IS BETTER THAN THEIR OTHER BEERS!!!
Tim Radford

Subject: RE: BS: Non-alcoholic alternatives to beer
From: The Sandman
Date: 17 Jul 09 - 08:18 PM

urine,no Iam not taking the piss.

Subject: RE: BS: Non-alcoholic alternatives to beer
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 18 Jul 09 - 08:42 AM

I mentioned shandies but the mention of other beverages reminded me of the others I have tried and liked - Dandelion and Burdock and Ginger Beer. I have usualy had shandies made with the usual lemonade but mix it with mild, when avaiable, bitter if not; lager for emergencies and, on the very odd occasion, found cider shandies very refreshing. BUT... here is where the others come in. Try Mild and Dandelion and Burdock or Bitter and Ginger Beer for something realy unusual. Barman looks at you funny though!

Cheers

DeG