My Non Alcoholic Bev Picks

Several years ago, I began to evaluate my relationship with drinking and reduce my intake - with my full time job demands increasing and doing an evening MBA program, I needed to maximize my time on weekends to balance everything.

The first time I did Whole30 in 2019, I tried Kombucha and found a few flavors I loved, so began swapping that in a few times for weekend nights if I wanted something "fun" to drink. My first non-alcohol branded item I tried was Surely wine in 2023 - I enjoyed it! In 2024, when I became pregnant, I mostly just had sparkling water, but a few times while out with friends, it was nice to find N/A options available. Now, the market is flooded with lots of options which makes the swap so much easier.

I am still focused on my health but also now I am pumping, so honestly drinking can just be annoying to my schedule. Also, after spending 10 months alcohol free, you realize how nice it is to wake up 100% every morning, especially on the weekends.

A few tips I have found helpful for myself :

• choose to "opt out" - when it comes to work or some social events, I'll just "opt out" of an alcoholic drink to either have an NA option or just topo chico or something similar. Even using that language has made it easier in my mind and talking to others.

• plan activities with friends that are not centered around drinking - this was a big shift especially when I was pregnant. My husband and I loved to do a long run on a Saturday and by 3 or 4pm visit a local brewery. It is not that we don't do that anymore, we just look at other activities to plan.

• keep NA options on hand. See below my reviews of a few!

Here is a summary of some NA options I've tried, enjoyed, or decided to skip. (Scale is A through F).

• Sierra Nevada N/A Trail Pass Variety I found this variety pack at Costco, which was great because N/A options are often more expensive than some beers. The Hazy IPA and IPA are now my favorites to enjoy with dinner! I didn't love the Golden, but if you like a golden ale style beer you may enjoy it. I much prefer IPAs or lagers. The brewveza is perfect with a lime squeezed in!

  • Golden - C

  • Hazy IPA - A

  • IPA - A

  • Brewveza - A

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• Surely Wine I first saw this on another blog and ordered some options during a Dry January to try out. My favorite type of wine is Prosecco, so I was intrigued by the positive reviews of the brut. I really enjoy how dry and refreshing these taste, and they are only 15 or so calories per can. The one drawback is they are pricey, but typically I only have 1 can if I am having it. The Rose is perfect for Spring or Summer time daytime!

  • Brut - A

  • Rose Brut - A

  • Red Blend - F I had ordered this wine for Christmas when I was pregnant and was SO disappointed when I opened it. I emailed customer service thinking perhaps it was a bad batch and they sent me another one. Both were foamy and overly sweet, like worst NA wine I've ever tried.

1. 

2. 

• Athletic Brewing (these are pretty much available everywhere, including restaurants, which is a huge perk. I've had the Run Wild IPA, Free Wave Hazy IPA, Wit, and Ocktoberfest. I would give them all an "A" rating - they are all quality style beers. For the Wit, I'll add a splash of OJ to it. The Oktoberfest was good but didn't necessarily give me Marzen beer vibes.

• 

• Untitled Art Juicy IPA - B I see this brand when traveling and out to eat a bit more than some others. I tried the Juicy IPA, which is my favorite alcoholic beer variety, which may be an unfair comparison and reason I didn't give it an "A".

• Heineken 0.0 - B This one surprised me, maybe because I don't drink Heineken with alcohol, but found it was light and easy to sip on vacation when we were out watching football.

• Sam Adams Just the Haze - B This was the first NA beer I ever tried, I like it but it definitely "feels" heavier than some of the other NA options.

• Rightside IPA (local to Atlanta) - B This is brewed near me in Kennesaw, GA and female founded (she was pregnant and wanted options to enjoy)! It is a lighter IPA flavor with less depth than the Seirra Nevada options, but still good.

• Ceria IPA (local to Colorado) - A After a hike at Red Rocks, my friends and I stopped at Red Rock Brewery for a quick bite. I grabbed this NA option to enjoy with a pretzel and mustard. It may have been the environment, but it was one of the best NA beers I've had to date!

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• Oddbird Wine - C My husband and I went on a date night while I was pregnant and I was thrilled to see a white NA wine available! It was a bit sweet for my taste, but I appreciated having the option available. I haven't tried any of their other varietals.

Overall, I find having only a few drinks total a week (or none at all) very easy to maintain. I do love a glass of bubbles for a special occasion or a good glass of wine over dinner with my husband, but I don't feel the necessity to always reach for an alcoholic version of something. If you are looking to decrease your intake, or swapping to NA options for personal reasons, I hope you find these tips and reviews helpful!