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De-alcoholized beer
May. 2nd, 2012 10:14 pmFor fetus-related reasons, we've had a bunch more de-alcoholized beer around the house than usual. I have found a pretty good (if silly and unintuitive) rule for picking de-alcoholized beer so far: drink de-alcoholized beer whose name starts with 'B'.
First up: Bitburger Drive. It's a German lager-y de-alcoholized beer from a company that makes a lager-y full-strenght beer. It's got delicate floral hoppiness and tastes like a German beer should, or for Ottawa beer drinkers of a few years ago, like the now-defunct Stewart's Session Ale.
Next: O'Doul's. Made by the folks that brought us Bud. No hops, sort of sweet. Comes in blonde and red versions. Can sort of fill the niche filled by beer in a meal, but not really beer and doesn't taste like it. If you can't put alcohol in beer, the only way to make it taste like beer as far as I can tell involves generous doses of hops, and O'Doul's is timid to absent in this department.
Surprisingly (except by my newfound rule), Labatt Bleue de-alcoholized actually tastes pretty much like regular Bleue — the same sort of spiciness, maybe a little sweeter and a touch toward Molson Ex, but starts with B and is definitely quite drinkable.
Last, there is Beck's. Made by Germans, but tastes more like Grolsch. Less subtle and delicate than Bitbuger, maybe better with strong-tasting food, but definitely highly beer-like, and available at our local discount supermarket, unlike Bitburger.
I have been drinking actual beer lately as well, but the world needed to know my newfound de-alcoholized beer selection rule and see these four little capsule reviews (and my Mum expressed some enthusiasm about reading them), so there they are!
First up: Bitburger Drive. It's a German lager-y de-alcoholized beer from a company that makes a lager-y full-strenght beer. It's got delicate floral hoppiness and tastes like a German beer should, or for Ottawa beer drinkers of a few years ago, like the now-defunct Stewart's Session Ale.
Next: O'Doul's. Made by the folks that brought us Bud. No hops, sort of sweet. Comes in blonde and red versions. Can sort of fill the niche filled by beer in a meal, but not really beer and doesn't taste like it. If you can't put alcohol in beer, the only way to make it taste like beer as far as I can tell involves generous doses of hops, and O'Doul's is timid to absent in this department.
Surprisingly (except by my newfound rule), Labatt Bleue de-alcoholized actually tastes pretty much like regular Bleue — the same sort of spiciness, maybe a little sweeter and a touch toward Molson Ex, but starts with B and is definitely quite drinkable.
Last, there is Beck's. Made by Germans, but tastes more like Grolsch. Less subtle and delicate than Bitbuger, maybe better with strong-tasting food, but definitely highly beer-like, and available at our local discount supermarket, unlike Bitburger.
I have been drinking actual beer lately as well, but the world needed to know my newfound de-alcoholized beer selection rule and see these four little capsule reviews (and my Mum expressed some enthusiasm about reading them), so there they are!
