There’s nothing better than an ice cold beer. As Andy Dufresne says, “I think a man, working outdoors, feels more like a man, if he can have a bottle of suds.” I have no problem enjoying a pint or two and calling it an evening, but when the good times are rolling, I tend to adopt Tom Brady’s mindset: my favorite one is the next one. The regular consumption of alcohol has its costs, both physically and financially, so moderation is the key and blah blah blah. To help lessen the toll booze can take on mind, body and wallet, I’ve recently taken to making my “next one” a non-alcoholic beverage. Does it save me money? Not really. But kind of.  

Is non-alcoholic beer cheaper than alcoholic beer?

My assumption was that taking away what many would consider the key ingredient of this particular product would make the lesser version cheaper. Not exactly the case with beer.

Steady Drinker explains that the alcohol isn’t necessarily what we’re paying for. In general, the process is the same as brewing alcoholic beer, so the similar price points shouldn’t come as a surprise:

However, producing alcohol-free beer requires the same – if not more – expertise, ingredients and resources as regular beer. The lack of alcohol doesn’t make it an inferior product to alcoholic beer.

For instance, many alcohol-free beers are made by removing the alcohol after fermentation. This means the beer goes through the same brewing process as regular beer, with the added expense and effort of removing the alcohol while preserving the taste.

Other alcohol-free beers use special yeasts that produce less alcohol or a mix of premium ingredients that allow the brewer to mimic the aroma, taste and mouthfeel of regular-strength beer without the alcohol. These ingredients don’t come cheap.

The market for premium non-alcoholic beverages is still in its infancy, especially in the United States (N/A beers are more commonplace, and even on draught, in Europe). The Zero Proof argues that the reason non-alcoholic beer seems so expensive is, basically, because we’re not used to paying for it.

How am I saving money by drinking non-alcoholic beer?

So, if I’m not saving money on the purchase price, how is N/A beer still saving me money? Indirectly, in a lot of ways. I could point to some longer term health benefits that come from cutting down on alcohol and the savings on theoretical future medical expenses. But in the short term, mixing in some non-alcoholic beers simply encourages responsible behavior. And responsible behavior leads to responsible spending.

Typically, the more I drink, the more prone I am to generosity at the bar. Frugality goes out the window when there are rounds to be bought. In other words, I save money by not making regrettable drunk purchase decisions, which arguably deserved its own budget category in my 20s. My pocket book–and my waistline–can do without the 2 a.m. slice of pizza.

Non-alcoholic beer recommendations

Thanks to the emergence of the N/A market, it’s more and more common for even the diviest of dive bars to carry non-alcoholic offerings. The good times can keep rolling by ordering another ice cold beer–just hold the booze. After a couple full strength beers, you’ll hardly know the difference anyway. The grocery store, though, is where you’ll find the best selection.

Whole Foods generally earns its mock Whole Paycheck moniker, but has an incredible array of non-alcoholic beers, including offerings from The Athletic Brewing Company (which you can order online as well). My regular beer preference is for pilsners and lagers, but in the non-alcoholic realm, the hoppier the better. IPAs and Sessions are much more flavorful, and don’t come with the weird after taste that you’ll get from some of the lighter selections. From Athletic, Run Wild (IPA) and Free Wave (Hazy IPA) are the cream of the crop. Lagunitas’ IPNA and Hoppy Refresher, along Brooklyn Brewery’s Special Effects, are also solid options I’ve found at my local Whole Foods. Stella 0.0 is my current go to, and while I’m not a huge Heineken guy, Heineken 0.0 is drinkable among the lighter N/A crowd. Pro tip: the colder the better. I like to stick them in the freezer for 15 minutes before I imbibe for maximum enjoyment.

I’m no Beer Advocate snob, so take those recommendations with a grain of barley. The true answer to the question of my favorite N/A beer is simply: the next one!

The real cost savings from N/A beer

The biggest savings I’ve seen from opting for a few non-alcoholic beers has been time—the most valuable asset of all. In the relatively few instances that I drink a little more than I should, I’m reminded of a line from the Atmosphere song, Sunshine, which serves as somewhat of a hangover anthem: The sunlight hit me dead in the eye, like it’s mad that I gave half the day to last night.

There’s always too much to do and not enough time to do it in. Rarely is it worth the price of enjoyment to punt on a portion of the day following a boozy outing. I’ve concocted a fool-proof hangover cure: don’t drink so much. By mixing in some non-alcoholic brewskis, the sunlight hasn’t been so pissed off at me these days.

Cumulative non-alcoholic beer savings: a few hours, a few pounds, and a few bucks. I’ll take it.

Any N/A recommendations from the beer drinking crowd?