An alcohol free journey - detour in Cardiff

 

For me, and many others, I've been on a journey. We're probably all at different places along many different journeys actually - but tonight I'm talking about a journey with alcohol free beer. I say tonight because I'm sat watching the Euros sipping one of my favourite findings on this journey; Brune-DMC from Lowtide Brewing Co. While I'm explaining stuff I should probably add a disclaimer to 'alcohol free'. For me I use this term as anything that is around 0.5 and below. I know for others this is unhelpful, as they are after truly alcohol free - but it's things like this that lead me to use this phrase 'journey'. We are all at different places and are looking for different things along the way. No two journey's will be the same.

So, where am I going with all this. Well. With lockdown's easing, pubs re-opening and the sun shining a few of us have decided to car pool on our journey for an evening in Cardiff. Instigated by @AFBeerExplorer, a few of the wonderful folks on twitter are joining us to sample some alcohol free beers on tap in Cardiff. For most of us, it will be the first time we've met. We will be writting up another blog post after the day. For now I'm going leave you with some things about the journey's of those joining for the Cardiff adventure this weekend. It's a bit of an interview style this, with quotes from a few of us attending throughout. I hope you enjoy and it can inspire you for the next steps in your own journey. 

How long have you been drinking alcohol free beers?

"Coming up to a year as a regular thing. I've had a few before when driving but nothing regular." - for a few people I've seen online this is a common thing. Whether it was people reviewing their drinking habits, struggling with other things and alcohol causing a problem or just wanting a change - the way the pandemic has affected our lives has led to many people thinking differently. This isn't limited to alcohol free beer either, but you're not here for that.

And for others it's been a little longer - "I've been sober since February 2019." 

Do you drink alcoholic drinks as well as alcohol free?

"Yes. Occasionally I will still have an alcoholic beer or two."

"Nope. Only alcohol free beer for me"

What led you to deciding to drink alcohol free beers?

"I own a business, and during [the first] lockdown I needed to be clear headed in order to keep the business going. Combined with my interest in being healthier, it just felt the right time to give up alcohol."

"Too much alcohol was affecting my behaviour towards other people and straining relationships with friends. I also found myself drinking a lot during evenings at the start of [the first] lockdown, which was having an affect on my performance at work."

"I used to love beer, I had my fair share of heavy nights at Uni but other than that rarely drank more than a few beers a week. Despite this I was finding that one beer in the week would leave me feeling rough around the edges - and it wasn't worth it. So I just decided to try to find something that I could enjoy but that wouldn't leaving me feeling like this."

Have you been drinking with friends who are drinking alcoholic drinks? How did you find it?

"Strangely satisfying. I was concerned it would take the fun out of socialising, but actually I am far more engaged with people than I was drinking. Once they go past a certain point though I'm happy to leave them to it!"

"I've meet with a few friends recently and had a drink. It hasn't been a big deal at all, but I would say that they continue to offer me alcoholic drinks. I don't know if it's just being kind, forgetful or not thinking. Some times I have found it hard to say no, but generally it's not a big deal."

"I've not met up with anyone in person yet, just on zoom calls. There's no pressure over zoom."

Are your friends interested in the alcohol free beers you have been drinking?

"Definitely. I do talk about it quite a bit and I think when people hear how many different alcohol free beers I've had over the last year they start to think 'wow, I didn't realise there were so many'. I have spoken to a number of work friends about it as well and provided some recommendations to at least 5 different friends now. I know that most of them have made more than one order from online retailers - as well as finding things in supermarkets that they have enjoyed."

"Not really. A few have shown some interest but not enough to really try anything."

So there you have it. Some different opinions from a few people on their journey so far into alcohol free beer. I know that for me, and for Tim (@AFBeerExplorer), one of the biggest enjoyments has been to see the fantastic variety of alcohol free beers available now. Tim has recently tried his 200th different alcohol free beer, and I am close behind on more than 175 - and  know of others on Twitter who have had more than 500 different alcohol free beers (including the odd 'hard soda'). You're probably here about you are already on some kind of alcohol free voyage, but if you are yet to start I would encourage you to make the step. Not because I want to be preachy and think everyone should give up alcohol - I don't think that at all - but because it doesn't have to be taboo. There doesn't have to be a stigma around it. There are some great beers out there that are tasty, enjoyable and won't leave you with a sore head. I urge you not to turn your nose up at these fantastic beers JUST because they don't have any alcohol in them. You might be surprised. 

Thanks for reading. Give me a follow @HoppyAF if you want to chat more about alcohol free beers. Cheers.