Alcohol free beer?

Recently it was my dad's 50th birthday and I wanted to get him something good . Usually I manage well buying gifts for people on big birthdays, a  few bottles of some very special beer or a good bottle of whisky. Easy. Unfortunately, this time, I could not do this. My dad has been teetotal for over five years now. So, what do I get? A watch he will never wear? A book he will never read? No, I did the sensible thing and stuck with beer, but alcohol free this time! I had seen him drinking the Becks alcohol free beer on a few occasions, and if this version mimicked its alcoholic brother it would not do. I found a site specialising in alcohol free beer and ordered a mixed case of 24 bottles. The case included some interesting beers including alcohol free versions of Bitburger, Jever and even a stout. I tasted a few and, well, they were alright - definitely better then the Becks . My dad was very happy with them.

All this made me think about alcohol as a flavor in beer and I realsised it was one that I liked a lot. Looking at my favorite beers (at the moment) it's rare that they are lower then 9%. Sierra Nevada Big foot, Rochfort 10 and BrewDog's Tokyo* are all good examples. This thought prompted me to buy an low alcohol craft beer to test this theory and it just so happened that my local craft beer shop had some BrewDog Nanny State, a 0.5% imperial mild. Upon pouring the beer I was met with a great floral aroma of intense hops, so far so good, this upped my expectations. The initial flavors were good with an unexpected hoppiness however the after taste was disappointing. It was watery and lacked that 'phumph' you get from other craft beers and I guess this is where the alcohol would normally step in. Ah well. I guess I wont becoming teetotal any time soon.  

Have you tried...Goose Island Pepe Nero?

Goose Island describe this beer as a 'Belgian style farmhouse ale brewed with peppercorns'. From the vintage series, at 6% it isn't as strong as other Belgian styled beers, but that didn't matter. On pouring it gave less of a head than expected. A very dark mahogony in colour, it gave typical Belgian aromas with a slight chestnut twist. Before tasting this beer I was little apprehensive as I was worried that they may of overdone it with the peppercorns. This was not the case. Quite rich with an initial roasted sweetness, it's not till the after taste that the peppercorns become apparent. The peppercorns give a subtle sharpness that I think works with this beer. With it not being too expensive (around £3 a bottle) and with me being on a student budget, I would definitely buy it again! If anyone else has tried it comment and tell me what you think.