A Capital Letter: Why I’m switching to non-alcoholic beer

Georgina Campbell on lagers, hazy IPAs and the move to non-alcoholic beers. Photo / Supplied

Opinion:

I’m a self-confessed craft beer snob from Wellington who has no interest in anything resembling a lager, but recently I have discovered the delights of non-alcoholic beer.

The alcohol content of even just one craft beer is usually quite high and can put you in a daze on a hot afternoon. This is kind of annoying when I’m craving the refreshing taste of a beer and also wanting to get back to the garden or whatever I’m doing afterwards.

On a more serious note, my decision to switch has also been influenced by a wider conversation around how much we’re drinking and a generational change I can see taking shape.

I first tasted beer when I was a kid and we were allowed a shandy as a special treat - essentially a glass of lemonade with a dash of beer.

By the time I reached my late teens my choice of beer was a Corona because I liked the sour twist from the little bit of lemon wedged in the top.

But beer didn’t really feature in my life. I was far more interested in those awful sugary RDTs when I was at university.

Everything changed when I moved back to Wellington in my early twenties and attended my first-ever Beervana.

The event is held at Sky Stadium every year and stalls from different breweries are set up around the concourse. This year there were more than 400 beers, ciders and cocktails to try.

It was very noncommittal and perfect for a craft beer newbie. You could just pay for a taster rather than a whole pint.

Sours were my gateway into the craft beer world.

A lot of them were berry flavoured, which meant they had a lovely deep red colour to them and they tasted like summer.

Beervana is held at Sky Stadium and stalls from different breweries are set up around the concourse. Photo / Supplied

In the years following, beers like the classic Panhead Supercharger started emerging in Courtenay Place bars.

I slowly moved away from the sours and on to the pale ales, which morphed into my love of hazy beers a couple of years ago.

And so I had reached the point where I was bewildered should a bar not have a hazy on tap.

There’s something about the juicy, golden, tropical, refreshing fizziness that really tickles my fancy.

For me, beer is best enjoyed after an afternoon in the garden, at the beach, or with lunch on a sunny day.

But the thing about craft beer is it often has a high alcohol content.

Once a bartender asked me whether I planned on driving home when I unwittingly ordered a beer that had about 10 per cent alcohol content. The walk home along Lambton Quay was admittedly as hazy as the beer I had drunk.

I can honestly say I drink beer because I love the taste of it, rather than for the effects of alcohol.

So when I discovered craft beer breweries had started making non-alcoholic beer, I was thrilled. My favourite ones at the moment are Garage Project’s Tiny (which is regularly sold out at the supermarket) and Good George’s Virtual Reality. Both are hazy IPAs.

Garage Project's Tiny hazy IPA is a great drop. Photo / Rebecca Zephyr Thomas

I cracked open a few cans at Christmas functions this year. It felt exactly like drinking a beer except my mind was sharp the whole night and I drove home afterwards and saved $25 on an Uber.

Then there’s the conversation that’s starting in my circle of friends about how much we’re drinking.

My friends are mostly in their early thirties (I enjoy reminding them I am still 29). A lot of people who are older than us drink in a way that I’ve grown up with, which is regularly and probably too much.

What I’ve noticed is people who are younger than us don’t drink as much. In my early twenties, I would have taken a bottle of wine to a BYO, but I’ve seen a lot of people who now share a bottle or just buy a glass.

I doubt as many people in that younger generation will end up having a glass of wine or two with a weeknight dinner, for example.

In my industry, high-profile journalists like Patrick Gower and Guyon Espiner have publicly shared their stories about giving up drinking.

So, for the first time in my life, I have stopped and thought about how much I am drinking.

To be clear, I’m not giving up alcoholic beer altogether, I’m not going sober, and I still sometimes drink more than I should. I indulged in wine over Christmas and I enjoyed myself.

I’m just making some small changes, like choosing alcohol-free beer when it’s available, and that feels good.

Some things will never change though - I’m still a craft beer snob.

• Senior Wellington journalist Georgina Campbell’s fortnightly column looks closely at issues in the capital.