I feel so lucky because at least two or three times a month, I have something to celebrate. A birthday at work, an engagement of a friend, a holiday toast. As people would say, "What better for a toast than a glass of bubbly?!" To which I say, "BEER!" The worst feeling is deciding if you should get three bottles of crappy champagne or one bottle of nice champagne. Well, no more my friends.
A few other great things about subbing out beer for champagne:
Less sugar. Guess what, less sugar leads to less of a hangover. So you can celebrate tonight and not regret it tomorrow.
Plenty of bubbles. All of these beers are highly carbonated and some of them even come with a cork. I know you don't want to miss out on that cork pop.
It's cheap. A top-of-the-line beer is going to run you $9-$20 aka the same price as an ok bottle of champagne.
Get your buzz on. If you're looking to party and you're worried beer won't get you there, don't fret! All of these beers have abv comparable to that of champagne.
It's out of the ordinary. Most people haven't tried the high-quality, golden, bubbly champagne-like beers that exist out in the world. If you bring along a sparkling beer, not only will everyone enjoy what they're drinking, they'll also get to try something new!
Some of my favorite champagne substitutes:
Duvel (Belgian Golden Strong)
Beautiful beer with tons of bubbles and widely available. I popped one right after getting engaged.DueS (Brut Des Flanders)
Yep, it's called "champagne beer" and comes with champagne flutes in some stores, so it's a pretty spot on substitute.Tripel Karmalite (Belgian Tripel)
A brilliant golden beer with a rocky white head and the scent of a floral bouquet with a few pine cones...TELL ME you don't want to welcome the new year with this?!Saison Brett (Brettanomyces Fermented Saison)
Are you a little adventurous? This beer has familiar crisp apple and light pear flavors that are accented with Brett's famous "sweat horse blanket" funk.Tank 7 (Farmhouse Saison)
My favorite "starter beer" for those that confidently proclaim, "I just don't like beer." It is a total crowd pleaser, perfect for a toast. Sweet, highly-carbonated with a dry clean finish...cheers!
