I thought it wouldn’t come to this. Maybe things would have gone differently with some different life decisions. But unfortunately life has a way of rearing it’s ugly head when one least expects it. This past week I tasted the Devil’s Elixir.

Alcohol Free, Sugar Free, Calorie Free – a non-alcohol beer so devoid of earthly delights that it makes me question what the purpose of life really is. Why drink beer if not for the intoxication? That was always my feeling. And after partaking in Suntory’s “All Free” variety the other day, my opinion hasn’t really changed.

That being said, this particular funless imbibement wasn’t awful. The taste was surprisingly bearable, and with a side of kaki no tane  I managed to get through the experience.

Here in Japan, the near beer market is huge. There are entire supermarket sections devoted to it, and it seems to be trending upward. You can easily order non-alcohol brews in izakaya and bars. This might be do to the ubiquitous drinking parties that are obligatory in corporate Japan. So non-drinkers, who often have to slog through long drinking sessions, can at least look the part.