I've heard that Athletic is good, but I haven't tried it. Hard disagree about Heineken NA.

Ehh that's just hyperbole and how people talk when they feel like they've been made out to be dumb but are actually validated. Honestly not a huge deal. Obviously, I try not to do that, but most other people do, so I'm used to it.

I understand a lot of where a lot of these people are coming from though. I used to not like stuff and think that was just the way it is, but then you get a good version of that thing and your worldview shifts on what is possible. I think there's a percent of people who do understand a thing, truly, and have compounded disinterests or whatever. Arfid exists, baggage around a thing exists, trauma, etc. So at that point, you gotta kinda just accept that people are weird and difficult, and if you really want to share something nice with people to change their minds, you have to make a show of it or just share something that can bridge the gap for people in hopes it isn't just not gonna work.

I dated this person a while back who said they didn't like coffee, and I got some really really nice espresso from a nice place - super smooth, no burnt taste, very mildly bitter, not very sour, quite sweet, etc. I got them to try, and the face they made was both funny but also sad because it was quite clear they wanted to spit it out. I felt pretty bad, having put something into somebody's mouth they didn't like, so apologized and we talked about it. Turned out, they had arfid and were just a hyper sensitive gremlin and really really liked me, so went WAYYY above and beyond trying something they've never tried before in good faith. It was a pretty positive experience for the both of us and got us talking about all kinds of stuff.

But yeah, people are strange and different and interesting, and, while some people exaggerate their distaste for a thing, on the internet, of all places, I wouldn't take it personally. And if you have a chance to get a cute little autistic grimlin to taste coffee on a date, then sure go for it. Maybe they'll like it, maybe they won't.

I dunno. Thanks for reading my inebriated incoherent rambling at 6am.

Tldr: I'm used to it.

Sounds like one of those new-fangled places to me!

The problem sounds like you're either buying mint root beer or caramel mouthwash.

I can understand not liking root beer, but that comparison is unhinged.

Do what I do do. Blame the Italians. I used to not be a fan but when I was in Italy the only water I could find was fizzy water and it was adapt or die. After a couple of days I was a convert. "Flavors" just add variety I could drink it carbonated plain all day every day.

I had to get some preground recently as I ran out of my regular stuff, totally get why people don't like coffee if that's all they have access to. It was both weak and (to me) burnt (even though it claimed to be a medium roast). Lots of larger places over roast their coffee and it shows, no wonder people use a pile of sugar at places like Starbucks.

If you can find some lighter roast stuff from a smaller roaster (or coffee shop that roasts their own), give that a try. Coffee can totally be like tea in that it has a wide variety of flavours depending on origin and processing. I like more fruit forward or floral coffees (which unsurprisingly I also like in tea).

it's just ethanol. water and ethanol.

let me introduce you to Prosecco or Lambrusco.

I’m partial to Best Day, but Athletic is more widely distributed. Not all of their styles are good though — Oktoberfest tastes like wort.

It used to be delicious - now it's artificially flavored. They broke all sodas over the years including my fav cream soda by cheaping it out to the 9th degree.

Real ginger ale, not that shit they sell at grocery stores.

Also spruce beer, which I've never seen outside Quebec.

Yeah the Oktoberfest fest beer they have is terrible, for sure. The Dunkel is decent though.

And some of the other members stuff can be pretty hit or miss. But the standard stuff in stores is generally solid. The Mexican copper one is probably the best imo.

Heineken 0.0 is not something I’d seek out but it’s widespread enough to be at work events and stuff. It’s fine.

There are better options in grocery stores, so I’d never buy it myself. But I’ve tried a lot of NA beers and there are much worse options.

That’s just the thing with NA though. You have to know which are good, which are fine, and which are disgusting. Unfortunately there’s a wide range in quality - much wider than normal beer.

Moxie tastes like unsweetened Dr. Pepper and cough syrup, but in a good way.

There is no singular taste to alcoholic drinks though.

There is to me. It's the taste of alcohol and I hate it

Seems like you only had bad or strong kombucha?

Foamy dog vomit is a band name I would claim.

Tastes like the cough syrup I got when I was a kid. The cough syrup that got me drunk.

Agreed.

There's a lot of bad champagnes because the name only represents it origin and a certain production process but it's not an indication of quality.

Apart from that there are teriibly sweet champagnes too but mostly people serve brut/dry versions that tend to be on the sour side.
I've had champagne that just tasted like grapejuice.

100% agree.

Once tasted a 20-year bourbon that was so good, it ruined decent stuff like Woodford for a week for me. If I only knew what decent stuff was like, I wouldn't have any idea how great something can really get.

Not really, because the process of getting this ethanol can not yield perfect results. I don't know about other countries but in Russia the actual alcohol used in vodka is tiered like this (worst to best, mostly by impure contents): "Высшей очистки" (of highest purification, not really in use as of today, and refers to the process used in USSR times), "Basis", "Extra", "Lux", and "Alpha".

Alpha-grade alcohol is also defined to be produced only from wheat, whereas other ones might be made from potato. This achieves lower methanol content in the product.

Still tastes like crap though, no matter the cost. Vodka is a ritual: you need a good company and a table full of different kinds of food to enjoy it.

I suppose that about 1% of the inhabitants of our planet has a certain intolerance to gluten. Probably even more because a lot of people have such a light intolerance they write it off as something else.

Last year a lot of Belgian brewers have entered the game and it seems that they're expertise results in some great non(low)-alcoholic beers. As for why you would want a beer without alcohol. It's pretty refreshing.

Yeah, exact same experience. First time I tasted root beer that was my exact response, much to the confusion of Americans. XD

Mouthwash over here isn't defaulted to mint flavour. You'd have to specifically buy mint flavoured mouth wash for that.

Or to put it in a way an American understands; our mouthwash tastes like your root beer.

It's OK to be wrong.

Beer. I hate beer.

Oh, I like other alcohols. A nice cider. Some wine. A cocktail. But not beer.

And people have tried making me drink so many kinds of beer, from cheap store brands to "No, this isn't like other beer. It's expensive artisinal beer made in the local region that tastes like a whole fruit basket!". No, it still tastes like beer.

Vodka is the most flavourless boring alcohol out of all the alcohols.

Wrong how? I just like Swedish style bitters. I make them myself at home. Malort is like the light version.

Isn't yogurt the best way to get probiotics?

Yeah, coffee just tastes like sad. There are some situations the flavour of coffee can be beneficial, like some sort of mocha ice cream. But generally coffee is... You drink it because you have to.

It was a joke, clearly a subjective thing. You can't actually be wrong about this. But really, it's OK that you are.

This is me, except there was one time I was invited to a brewery and drank a dark beer. It was really good, but unfortunately I don't drink alcohol much and I didn't remember what it was. Turns out many years later and beer still tastes so nasty I wouldn't even drink it to get drunk. I still try a dark brew every once in a while, but end up never finishing it because it's so bad.

Makes me wonder if it was something else, like a cider and I forgot.

Tequila. It tastes like doing a vodka body shot off a sweaty unwashed taint. No idea how people enjoy it.

This. Every time I say I don't like beer, a thousand people come up to tell me I didn't try "the right one".

Well, I did. From all corners of the world, including Belgium and Czech Republic (sometimes by physically being there and drinking it in places of origin). It tastes and smells like stale piss, why the fuck would anyone put that in their mouth? (Except to shut down folks who otherwise nag you to try it).

I'm OK!

Ok.

While there are tasty things that are not water, water is seriously and systematically underestimated.

Yes, it has a taste, y'all just destroyed your senses with hyper-sweetened, or sour, or bitter drinks. Depending on the source, water can be mildly sweet, slightly salty and rocky, or anything else. It compliments every possible meal as it doesn't interfere with it, and it can be actually refreshing. A glass of cold pure water can invigorate, freshen, and give you strength to carry on. If it has the right salt content, it can also feel extremely light in a way no other drink can. It's very satisfying.

Super hard agree.

Alcohol absolutely reeks, it is toxic and it knocks out your brain at the same time. What a beautiful idea to bring it to every gathering and drink it socially, while also often actively pressuring others to drink!

FFS, I can't believe I had to scroll this far down to find Moxie. It is the canonical "tastes awful but somehow people claim to love it" drink. If you can't find it where you are, just look up Moxie first reactions on YouTube and use your imagination.

Lol no, but I did fall down the stairs as a lad

There is. Alcohol itself has a horrible taste, and for me personally it starts to show prominently after about 4% mark.

9-12% (wines, champagne) taste horribly because of it, and anything stronger is guaranteed to make me go clean my mouth ASAP.

40%+ is just plain torture.

Nah it's just a speedrun to getting drunk. Barely anything is gonna deliver the same amount of alcohol for the money.

Could be. The only one I tried so far is A&W Root beer.

Cola's

Big ol glass of brown, nasty liquid.

ITT person still believing we didn't have "a good one".

Personally and professionally, I have gone through tasting the world's best and finest (but also craft and rare) in beer, wines, and numerous other alcoholic drinks, for example.

They all absolutely stink and I hate them. Everyone who tried to convince me otherwise (and trust me, I've had a lot of "you just didn't try THIS" moments that I had to settle once and for all by trying this horrible something) failed miserably, because you can't pour me some piss and convince me it's good, no matter the eloquence.

P.S. ironically the absolute hatred for these things is what sometimes landed me on this professionally. I'm a sniper detector of several wine and beer components, because they all taste horrible and make me feel bad, much before anyone else notices anything. Nowadays, I get to decline such offers, but I had to do it for the money, yes.

I am going to likely get downvoted to hell for this but Dr Pepper. It tastes like Raid (the bug killer spray, the way it smells is how DP tastes).

Wine. No, you’re drinking grapes that are past their expiration and smell awful. I’m not crazy!

Clever marketing and being in the right place at the right time