Fall Necessities, Part II

I posted a while back about my brain associating "Fall" with (1) college football, (2) chili, and (3) beer.  I had found a pretty good solution to the chili issue before but was still searching for that perfect replacement for beer in my fall routine.

Well, friends, after lots of strenuous research, I think I have some answers!

Option 1:  Cider

Turns out hard ciders are naturally gluten free so they are a natural choice.  Plus they are pretty popular right now so it's not terribly difficult to find a cider option just about anywhere you go.  But (there's always a but, isn't there), ciders are generally loaded with sugar.

Angry Orchard and Woodchuck both have something like 32g of sugar per bottle.  Might as well drink a Coke.

Strongbow Cider only has 9g per bottle, giving it a drier, more ale like taste and making it the most acceptable beer replacement I have found thus far.  That said, it is still sweeter than beer and sweet things usually mean hangovers for me.

Option 2:  Gluten Free Beer

There are a surprising number of gluten free beers out there.  I was even more surprised to find that some of the bigger liquor stores right here in Lawrence carry multiple gluten free options.

I tried New Planet's Pale Ale first.  It was ok.  Not really very pale ale-y I thought, but it was drinkable.  Don't know that I'd recommend to a Pale Ale fan.

I also tried New Grist's Pilsner style.  It was pretty tasty.  Definitely no worse than Bud Light or Miller Lite or Coors or whatever other Pilsners you would normally drink. 

I found a list of recommendations put together by Men's Fitness and most are available here so we'll just call this my list of beers to try.

Option 3:  Wine

Wine is always a nice option when you need a drink, but lets be honest here, wine and college football do not mix so well.  And it's hard to tailgate with wine.

Option 4:  Liquor

Most liquors are Paleo approved (not Gin) and this works out great if you're a liquor drinker.  I'm not really, especially when you consider that most mixers - soda, fruit juice - are completely non-Paleo.  But if you're willing to fudge on the mixers part, there is no dispute that a mimosa, screwdriver or bloody mary is a pretty excellent addition to any morning tailgate.


Now if only my team could find a way to pull things together, I might be able to fully enjoy Fall!