Sounds like they’re probably all contract brewed, then.
Didn’t Beavertown basically show its true colours as the Hed Kandi of London ‘crafty’ beer ages ago? Thought Heineken took the whole stake last year, but I’ve not had much time to pay attention.
Gagging to try Kernel Table Beer again, though. It’s been far too long.
After a relatively dry January (5 pints in total all month) I have decided to try and keep it going for another month. I overcame my fear of going to the pub and not drinking. I even managed a funeral being the only person in the whole room with a none alcoholic drink. Tonight will be the real test as I’m going to a club for the first time this year. Can I do it sober? Who knows, but I’ll be happy with myself if I can. The older you get the harder the drink hits and you have to ask yourself whether the depression and hangovers that come with a heavy night are really worth it
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feels good doesn’t it. I have to admit, i still like to get a bit wonky in a club environment - a nice bit of pollen and some shroomy chocolate tends to do the trick.
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You can totally do it. And thing is when everyone starts getting sloppy about 12 you get to feel all good and righteous and then have the added bonus of a wake up feeling great and not worrying about what you did wrong : )
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Good on ya. I had a stag do last Autumn and not drinking really wasn’t an option (I’m weak!!!) but took it as easy as I could particularly as I had to look after the Stag. The Friday night was heavy but stayed off it during the day on the Sat when everyone else was caning it again. I just don’t know how some people do it. I enjoy a cold one in the summer, one of life’s pleasures but tbh would rather have a cuppa in the winter, plus get dreadful hangovers. Good luck tonight.
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Be kind on yourself. Don’t give yourself a hard time if you feel uptight, bored or weird. Let yourself go home early if you want to - it gets easier with repetition. The worst thing that can happen is you’ll have an average evening and wake up feeling great.
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Drinking actual proper draft Guiness 0.0% from a keg
in O’Sullivans pub in Douglas, Cork - and it’s a beautiful thing.
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Nice domage on that head, enjoy mate 
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The first pub in Munster to get it by the barrel. Gamechanger!
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Tried the teetotal thing a few years ago, but couldn’t keep it going as I just like the taste of beer and the act of having one in a pub. But given the price of them in London now though, this is about all I can afford/justify. Was thinking to myself the other day that around Stoke Newington/Clapton, you rarely see drunk people now. Except for street drinkers…
Have really got on board with the mindful drinking thing though, and just find that two pints is my limit now (this is my tipping point when I go from enjoying a drink, to thinking about how shit I’m going to feel in the morning). I really like the feeling of being up bright and fresh on a Saturday and Sunday morning and doing things, especially in the summer. Just couldn’t do this if I had spent an evening in the boozer. Me and the wife used to be the "bottle of wine in front of the TV every evening " types, which was turning into "let’s open another."We got entrenched in this during pandemic lockdowns (along with many other people), 5pm became “open a bottle o’clock”. When my wife started to hit the menopause in a big way, she started to feel not just really bad after drinking, but also found that she didn’t particularly enjoy the taste of wine either. This is when I also decided to cut right down as a way of being supportive. I think, without either of us really noticing, we were heading towards problem drinking territory. These days, I can often keep bottles of Tribute (my favourite ale) in the fridge for weeks without reaching for them, there are several bottles of single malt in the cupboard from a trip to Speyside a few years ago that I rarely think about and, as a legacy of the wine bingeing years, a large and pretty full wine rack in the cellar that has bottles literally gathering dust. If we do open a bottle, between us it can take three nights to drink it.
Really like the look of the zero alcohol options mentioned on this thread though, and feel I want to give them a go.
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I gave up the booze completely nearly 4 years ago. Not an easy one to admit but I was alcoholic. Rarely to excess but I would drink after 6pm every single night without fail. And the moorish nature of one drink would always lead onto another. Anyway I decided to stop and give it a break, initially for a month but ended up being indefinite.
The funny thing about being 100% sober is that it makes you acutely aware how people, as a general, are dependent on alcohol. And although I miss the idea of the ‘high’ from alcohol, don’t miss any of the other stuff that comes with it.
In terms of zero alcohol drinks - my big favour (by far) is Big Drop, especially their pale ale and ‘paradiso citra ipa’. I honestly think it tastes better than 99% of beers out there (with or without alcohol). So worth checking out if you go down this path.
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It’s a good place to be, to be able to have a couple of beers and enjoy them without having to continue drinking for the day or night. That’s what I tell myself. I can have 2 or 3 any time of the day go home and not think of more drink.
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By far the finest NA wine I have tried. A real leap forward in taste, 100% naturally made and each 150ml glass has only 0.3g of sugar and 6 calories…
A stupendously good Alboriño
The downside? It appears to only be available in Ireland 
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Must check that out, very local spot for me.
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Solas dingle?
Kingdom 1795, Killorglin. My father-in-law used to own it in the 1970s. It’s changed ‘a bit’ 
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Ha ha definitely you couldn’t be left handed here in the 70s,…
I had a rude awakening Sat night. Pissed and fell off a bench backwards and the drop was about 1.5m, so 10 stitches on my head and an op yesterday to fix a fractured vertebrae. Thank god I’ve good insurance, the op was over £15k.
It was most definitely a warning, I turned 54 yesterday, time to stop pretending I’m still in my 20s
Edit: and I’m so embarrassed as it was all mates from work.
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I hear ya. Glad you have the insurance and are on the mend.
My wake-up call was in 2008. I was on a bender for two days and had three music gigs the following day. Somehow I showed up to all three but was summarily fired afterwards. I’ve never forgotten how awful it felt - physically, and for showing up blotto to paying jobs. They were easy gigs well within my capabilities and I got the axe. I still drink wine, but not much else.
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Anyone here tried this yet? I’m counting it as an alcohol free beer as it has hops in it- closest drink I’ve had that actually tastes like a real fruity ipa with none of that odd sweetness that other AF beers have. Soo good that it’s going to be my go to drink when I go to that particular bakery
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