Who likes near beer (besides me)?

The stuff Athletic has been cranking out is the best NA beer I've ever had (limited experience, granted).
It tastes good, and much closer to 'real' beer. But there is still a discernable difference.

 

I do. Prefer to call it beer though

Calling it malt beverage? Not so much...

 

How do you define near beer? I think the usual meaning is a low alcohol beer, but sometimes can also mean NA beer.

P.S. Welcome to the BA site.

 

Well, in the US, legally:

Again, legally:

 

Sure. For a long time it mostly tasted like skunky Grape Nuts, but NA beer has come a long way in the last decade. A lot of German breweries (Jever, Andechs, Ayinger, etc.) are putting out NA's that taste almost like the real thing. They always lean a little sweet, but that actually works for my tastes.

 

Hah! That's what I call it, at least what I tell my wife I'm drinking on my "dry" days. Not to lobby, but Clausthaler Dry Hopped is like drinking real beer. Minus the excitement.

 

Time for an update?

 

Nope

 

Not it.

 

I'd think an NAdrinker would like a defintion that disregards the level of alcohol content.

Me, I always liked the US pre-Pro legal definition:

The other main alcoholic beverages were:

Today, they'd have to add "Flavored Seltzerous liquors", of course.

 

And what of "hard fruit juice" (sic)? I mean, really...

 

I nearly like it, I've had some that are OK.

At some point I may need to give up alcohol for health reasons, but not sure I'd bother with near beer unless they could make a BBA-tasting version. Otherwise I'd stick with diet pop, coffee, and other water.

 

What do you think, @BigIronH and @Todd? Another bot posting?

 

Seems to be covered under the "vinous liquor" category from "Black's" via JessKidden. Fruit wines were a thing long before the 21st century. My grandfather ran a small grocery during prohibition. Over-ripe fruit went home to the basement, for fermentation to wine (strawberry, apple, pear, . . . ) . In the 60's he gave me his cast iron (with machined steel mechanism) capper, first for root beer, then the real thing. The capper still works well.

 

Huh. Fooled me on this one. Thanks

 

What they call "hard fruit juice" is not wine in any sense of the word. It seems to be a bastardization of seltzer and fruit juice (or fruit syrup). The cynic in me says it's an attempt to put a healthy spin on the flavored malt beverage. All I know is, this is taking up space that could be used for beer.

Seltzer's fifteen minutes ought to be just about up. It's time for a renaissance for Boone's Farm and Mad Dog and all those other wonderful things we used to (and sometimes still) drink. Oh, and get off my lawn.

 

IIRC there was only one flavor of Mad Dog back when I was a teenager (I knew a guy who knew a guy, etc.) and it was the high-octane fortified stuff. They've since cut the ABV and added all sorts of flavors. I never cared much for Boone's Farm, even as a kid. Even so, they're actual wines. I suppose Night Train Express is, too, although you'd never know it. I drain-poured the only one of these I ever bought. (It was on sale for three dollars. I couldn't resist such a deal. ) Good times, good times...