Liquor-licensing regulations require bars, cafes and restaurants to not only provide but to promote non-alcoholic alternatives - but rarely does one find an alcohol-free beer on the beverage list.
This is probably because drinkable non-alcoholic (or "alcohol-free" with less than 0.5% alcohol) beers are hard to find.
The best way to produce a non-alcoholic beer is to filter the alcohol out of a full-strength brew - but that takes out much of the flavour, too, leaving a quite watery drink. Even with roasted malt or hops added to boost flavour, it is rarely satisfying.
Many people cannot have alcohol because of a medical condition or because of their medication. A reader who cannot drink alcoholic beverages returned recently from a trip to Alaska where he says almost every eatery had non-alcoholic beer - usually Heineken Buckler - on offer.
Buckler is not available in New Zealand and DB Breweries, which makes Heineken full-strength here under licence, has no intention of bringing it in.
That leaves only two widely-available brews: Clausthaler (0.4%), which is a quite drinkable malty brew, or Barbican (zero), which tastes like water poured over malt extract.
However, the internet is a source of other imported brews.
The Beerstore has a trio of 0.5% brews. Two are from German brewery Weihenstephaner.
Its Hefeweisser is a wheat beer with a long-lasting head, cloudy with yeast particles and with the typical hint of banana and cloves.
However, this is one of the sour varieties, which might not suit everyone.
The other, Original, is a lager style. It is effervescent, has a long-lasting head and nice malt and hop flavours. You could serve this to a visitor at home and they would not pick it as alcohol-free: it tastes the same as any 4% lager.
For those who prefer their beer malty and/or hoppy, there is Nanny State by Scottish brewer Brew Dog. This is a serious beer: where most run-of-the-mill beers might have a couple of different malts, this one is made from eight.
It is dark-coloured with a long-lasting head and full of roasted malt flavours and hop bitterness.
The label (quite accurately) says it is "insanely hopped".
They are expensive, however.
The Weihenstephaners are about $60 a dozen of 510ml bottles (equal to $36 a dozen of 330ml bottles), plus about $12 freight; Nanny State (310ml) about $72 a dozen.
Another online source is Devinehealth which has Clausthaler, Coopers Birell from Australia and Schlossgold Premier. The recent snow prevented their delivery in time to taste for this column but they will be evaluated for the next.
Emerson's successDunedin brewer Emerson's won a couple of trophies at this month's annual Brewer's Guild awards - but neither award-winning beer is available.
As a consolation, Grace Jones Porter (not entered) is back at the brewery for a second year.
Its annual Oreti Red (just sold out) and Black Op (brewed just for the awards) won gold medals and trophies. Bookbinder got a gold, RSB and Tabby Mild (both only for the awards) silvers, and London Porter bronze.
