Why I'm Trying Non-Alcoholic Drinks Without Giving Up Alcohol

From my first beer in college, a Bud Light in my buddy's garage, to my wedding, where Ranch Waters were one of our signature drinks, I've always appreciated the social aspect of drinking. As someone who is naturally an introvert, having a drink can help in situations where you may not know many people. Sometimes it can even be a figurative lifeboat when you're inevitably asked by the host or server, "What will you have to drink?"

On the other side, when you're hosting a game night with some of your closest friends and the drinks are flowing, a joke can land a little harder or a conversation can open up and lead to a deeper connection. Drinking shouldn't be the reason we connect with people, but I'd be lying if I said it can't sometimes help.

The fact is, drinking tends to lend itself to social settings. We celebrate proposals, birthdays, weddings and births with drinks in hand. Should the occasion be especially memorable, we can recall exactly what we were drinking. I can vividly recount celebrating our daughter being born with Veuve Clicquot surrounded by our loved ones. Whether someone is passionate about IPAs, cocktails or wine or they like a little bit of everything, we seek out drinks and experiences we enjoy sharing with each other.

I confidently fall into that last group. I love a stout in the winter and IPAs in the spring. I revel in a Cabernet when my wife makes her homemade Italian meatballs, and pouring a few whiskeys with my friends while discussing the intricacies of life and parenthood makes my heart full.

So, as of now, I don't plan on giving up alcohol altogether.

But lately I've started wondering how often I actually want to drink it.

I didn't realize just how many non-alcoholic options had emerged over the last decade. In the summer of 2024, a few months before my daughter was born, one of my brothers-in-law had us over for some grilling on the back porch. He asked if I wanted to try an Athletic Run Wild IPA. To that point, the only non-alcoholic beer I'd ever heard of was O'Doul's, and I'll admit I was skeptical. I figured that since it was non-alcoholic, it probably wouldn't taste worth a damn.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

I was genuinely impressed by the taste. It didn't leave me feeling bloated, which beer tends to do for me, and as a bonus, the calorie count wasn't rough. Time passed and, in full transparency, I didn't give it much thought beyond, "I wouldn't be opposed to trying that again."

As my daughter has reached toddlerhood, I've noticed that I rarely drink unless my daughter has gone to bed or there is an occasion; a birthday party, lunch with our friends and their kids, or something like that. But I've missed the taste of a crisp beer. So, I recently picked up a few more non-alcoholic beers, including the Best Day Brewing variety pack and a Corona Non-Alcoholic while were out at dinner. I brought the variety pack to a hangout and was pleasantly surprised they were a hit and I didn't feel out of place for bringing and drinking something non-alcoholic.

That got me thinking.

Can someone who thoroughly enjoys beer, spirits and wine find non-alcoholic alternatives that are just as enjoyable or occasionally even better suited for the moment? Can I go to a birthday party, an evening out with friends or happy hour and consciously decide that, this time, I'd rather have the non-alcoholic option? And can I eventually build the perfect Half & Half; a six-pack where the non-alcoholic beers have actually earned their spots alongside some of my favorite alcoholic beers?

That's what ANewSip is going to find out.

I'll put alcoholic and non-alcoholic beers head-to-head. I'll do blind taste tests, rank variety packs and see how far $100 can actually go in the world of non-alcoholic drinks. Beers that impress me enough will earn the opportunity to challenge one of my favorites for a spot in the Half & Half.

And beer is only part of it.

I'll try non-alcoholic wines with food, whether that's cooking or baking. I'll experiment with non-alcoholic spirits and mocktails to see which can hold their own. And, I'll explore whatever else the non-alcoholic world throws my way.

I'm not a brewer, sommelier or mixologist. While I've enjoyed plenty over the years, I'm just a guy who enjoys a good drink and wants to answer a pretty simple question:

When is the non-alcoholic option actually worth choosing instead?

Maybe you already seek out non-alcoholic drinks. Maybe you've never tried one. Maybe, like me, you still enjoy alcohol on occasion, but you're curious about what else is out there and whether it's worth it.

Wherever you fall, I hope you'll follow along.

We're going to have ANewSip.