Alcohol free beer sold at bars?

[about]

Hi, I have been a good few times to the festival, but I will be going and not drinking this year. Does anyone know if the bars sell alcohol-free beer? It's just something i would have never noticed before. Thanks for any help provided 

[ian the worm]

I don’t think the market is very big so it’s not widely sold. I’m AF and although I don’t drink 0% beers, I’ve not seen them around.

[about]

 I can't remember seeing it there the last time, but was not looking for it. Thanks for the reply, was worth a asking.  

[gfa]

3 hours ago, ian the worm said:

I don’t think the market is very big so it’s not widely sold. I’m AF and although I don’t drink 0% beers, I’ve not seen them around.

The market has grown massively since 2019 to be fair, maybe as far as doubled I would say - so hopefully the option becomes available for people

[Deaf Nobby Burton]

Most bars sell it, I think it’s called Carlsberg.  

[Leyrulion]

On 3/27/2022 at 4:27 PM, gfa said:

The market has grown massively since 2019 to be fair, maybe as far as doubled I would say - so hopefully the option becomes available for people

Yeah I see alcohol free beer everywhere these days, it's almost odd if you find a bar that doesn't have any to offer. 

I don't remember ever seeing it at a festival but I guess that will change soon. I wonder if they'd possibly sell it in the co-op?

[gfa]

12 minutes ago, Leyrulion said:

Yeah I see alcohol free beer everywhere these days, it's almost odd if you find a bar that doesn't have any to offer. 

I don't remember ever seeing it at a festival but I guess that will change soon. I wonder if they'd possibly sell it in the co-op?

Do they require a license to sell it? If the license is only used for alcohol free it might not be worth bothering is my only thinking? No idea how it works i’d guess the entire site might get licensed in one go ??

[al_coholic]

10 hours ago, gfa said:

Do they require a license to sell it? If the license is only used for alcohol free it might not be worth bothering is my only thinking? No idea how it works i’d guess the entire site might get licensed in one go ??

yes they would require a license. The vast majority of AF beers are de-alcoholised and therefore there is residual alcohol in them hence why most are labelled 0.05%. That's why if you buy some at the supermarket it still has to be authorised.

[clarkete]

On 3/29/2022 at 9:02 AM, al_coholic said:

yes they would require a license. The vast majority of AF beers are de-alcoholised and therefore there is residual alcohol in them hence why most are labelled 0.05%. That's why if you buy some at the supermarket it still has to be authorised.

I guess given your nick it's right that you should be an expert 

[Bucketsquad]

On 3/27/2022 at 4:27 PM, gfa said:

The market has grown massively since 2019 to be fair, maybe as far as doubled I would say - so hopefully the option becomes available for people

I think you are bang on here, there's so much more demand and choice for AF beers and spirits nowa days.

[Deaf Nobby Burton]

Whilst the market has grown massively since 2019, the demand at a festival is still likely to be relatively low compare to ‘real life’. I knocked booze on the head in October and December and I tried just about every non-alcoholic beer there is. It was great to have the choice, and I like having the choice in real life, but it’s just not relevant to me at a Festival. I wouldn’t expect there to be massive choice I simply because the reality is there just won’t be a huge demand for it.

[rivalschools.price]

On a related note, was on the alcohol free Guinness at a party last week as I was driving, can highly recommend.

[Bucketsquad]

10 hours ago, rivalschools.price said:

On a related note, was on the alcohol free Guinness at a party last week as I was driving, can highly recommend.

I've heard that's really nice and very close to the original.

[rivalschools.price]

1 hour ago, Bucketsquad said:

I've heard that's really nice and very close to the original.

Yes, certainly very close to a can of Guinness anyway.
Not sure how how the taste test would match up if you drank an alcoholic one side by side of the alcohol free one but certainly much nicer than spending the party drinking Diet Coke and J20

[Bucketsquad]

5 minutes ago, rivalschools.price said:

Yes, certainly very close to a can of Guinness anyway.
Not sure how how the taste test would match up if you drank an alcoholic one side by side of the alcohol free one but certainly much nicer than spending the party drinking Diet Coke and J20

I'm itching to have a try. I also really like Ghost Ship alcohol free, I've found the IPA's are nicer than the lagers as they have more of a taste about them. 

[Deaf Nobby Burton]

1 hour ago, Bucketsquad said:

I'm itching to have a try. I also really like Ghost Ship alcohol free, I've found the IPA's are nicer than the lagers as they have more of a taste about them. 

Are you me? That’s my exact opinion on them. When it comes to drinking normal beer I prefer a premium lager, I don’t much like IPAs as I don’t like the sweetness and the fruitiness (don’t like anything sweet, never take sugar in anything, hate sweet and sour etc) but when it comes to no alcoholic beers then the IPAs are much better for exactly that reason, they have a bit of flavour about them and taste much more like the real thing. As as per my post above when I spent a couple of months not drinking last year, I tried just about every non alcoholic beer and the Ghost Ship one was my favourite of the lot.

Edited April 1, 2022 by Deaf Nobby Burton

[Bucketsquad]

2 minutes ago, Deaf Nobby Burton said:

Are you me? That’s my exact opinion on them. When it comes to drinking normal beer I prefer a premium lager, I don’t much like IPAs as I don’t like the sweetness and the fruitiness (don’t like anything sweet, never take sugar in anything, hate sweet and sour etc) but when it comes to no alcoholic beers then the IPAs are much better for exactly that reason, they have a bit of flavour about them and taste much more like the real thing. As as per my post above when I spent a couple of months not drinking last year, I tried just about every non alcoholic beer and the Ghost Ship one was my favourite of the lot.

I think we might be the same person haha I stopped drinking over a year ago now but I used to love a premium lager and I'd never entertain a IPA or any beers for that matter, but I've found the alcohol free lagers fall into 2 category's they are either watery or they have a fruity taste both of which don't come close to the real thing. We tried the Gins which were nice until we clicked on that without the mixers they literally tasted of nothing haha.

[Deaf Nobby Burton]

3 minutes ago, Bucketsquad said:

I think we might be the same person haha I stopped drinking over a year ago now but I used to love a premium lager and I'd never entertain a IPA or any beers for that matter, but I've found the alcohol free lagers fall into 2 category's they are either watery or they have a fruity taste both of which don't come close to the real thing. We tried the Gins which were nice until we clicked on that without the mixers they literally tasted of nothing haha.

I’m a fast drinker when it comes to alcohol, but I tend to find I automatically pace myself when drinking a pint, but the odd thing I find with non alcoholic lagers is that I tended to treat them like soft drinks and just drink them in a few glugs. I think your body just knows when there is alcohol in something or not and it’s very difficult to fool it. The IPAs do a better job though. I agree about most of the lagers, none really stand out in my memory really, Lucky Saint was probably about the best of the bunch from the ones I tried, and then maybe the Heineken one.

[balti-pie]

the Erdinger grapefruit weissbier is the best AF i've tried - unfortunately though its only in glass bottles. Schofferhoffer is available in cans and is absolutely excellent, and doesnt need to be refrigerated to still be really good. 

i've been meaning to try the guinness 0.0 but havnt actually found it yet, annoyingly . . . i'm not completely alcohol free myself, i'll have a couple of beers but have absolutely no interest in being drunk any more so i am very moderate in my intake. Which suits me perfectly. i love table beers and low alcohol ones around 1-2%, and i unashamedly love a shandy as well - the drier and crisper the pilsner the better, so it gets enlivened by the citrus of the lemonade.  

This will be my first glastonbury where i'm not planning on drinking to excess, and im really looking forward to remembering lots more of it!