Have you tried to get a taxi home from a night out recently?
If you’re lucky enough to live within reasonable walking distance of your chosen venue that night, the best you could hope for is to break the 10,000 steps mark on that FitBit you got for Christmas as you finally give up the ghost after trying to phone every taxi firm in existence or log on to a slow-as-treacle app.
If overpriced pints and a paucity of decent drinking options wasn’t enough to put you off going out, then embarking on a trip home that would make Frodo Baggins wince might just put the tin hat on things.
Being able to enjoy a few beers and drive home has been rendered a no-no by a poor selection of non-alcoholic options, but that is something that is changing rapidly from just a few years ago.
Whether the taxi shortage is down to combination of Brexit and Covid, that period has coincided with an explosion in alcohol-free options.
No longer is it about trying to let on that an insipid lager tastes just like the real thing. From IPAs to red ales, pales to stouts, just about every style of beer is available in alcohol-free form.
There are even breweries that specialise in brewing beer which leaves you with a clear head (well, at least one that isn’t quite as fuzzy as before you drank it).
Big Drop is an Ipswich-based brewery which makes alcohol-free beer with the tag line ‘Beer so good, you won’t miss the alcohol’.
I put this claim to the test at the weekend as I watched Man United lose the FA Cup final within 13 seconds when something harder might have been called for.
First up was a pale ale called Pine Trail. I must add the caveat at this stage that ‘alcohol-free’ refers to a beer which has an alcohol content of no greater than 0.5 per cent.
Pine Trail pours a clear golden colour in the glass with a thin white head.
There are some peachy aromas although the initial taste you get on the palate is a more citrus and lemony vibe.
Those stone fruit flavours do come through eventually though, contributing to a well-rounded taste experience and there’s a even a little piney and bitter finish.
The mouthfeel is quite thin, although this is quite a refreshing and light ale.
Paradiso is a Citra IPA which pours a straw colour in the glass and, as you would expect, has a citrus aroma and flavour throughout.
The lack of alcohol gives it an almost lemonade feel, but like Pine Trails, it is a tasty and refreshing beer.
Did I miss the alcohol? Well, a little bit. However Ilkay Gundogan smashing one into the back of the United net just as I was getting comfortable on the sofa may have something to do with that...
