"non-alcoholic" news and stories

As a bartender, I respect folks who are responsible enough to not imbibe alcohol when he or she is the designated driver. I respect folks even more who have conquered alcoholism but still want to share an evening out with friends that may be drinking. Which is why every respectable gathering should have non-alcoholic beverage options.

In order to be called "non alcoholic" under federal laws, a beverage can contain up to half a percent of alcohol by volume. Non-alcoholic beer probably tops out as the favorite non-drinkers drink. During Prohibition these "cereal beverages" became commonly known as "near beers," and they're how many local and regional breweries were able to stay in business.

Miller beer added Sharp's to its portfolio around 1989. Anheuser-Busch introduced O'Doul's in 1990. The success of O'Doul's led them to release an amber style in 1997. Soon everyone seemed to have a non-alcoholic beer in their portfolio.

Depending on your preferences, you probably found this title either deeply appealing or really disgusting.

If you're a dog, hopefully you felt the former, because this new product is designed for the furry set: Dog Beer. A company in Australia has concocted a brew specifically for Fluffy. It's non-alcoholic, but company owner Elise Schumacher claims it tastes just like normal beer. Apparently, she came up with the idea after she saw her own dogs, Louis and Vuitton, leaping up to catch drops of beer.

Some customers are paying up to five bucks per bottle for the stuff in Melbourne.

But it looks like Dog Beer wasn't the first to come up with this idea. A woman in the States makes Happy Tail Ale, specifically for canines - at only $1.50 a bottle.

Uh, and I know I don't have to tell you this, but dogs can't metabolize normal beer like we can - so please don't go trying to give your dogs a sip of your Sam Adams, okay?

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