About drinking and its place in my life.

(But it actually started with my husband.)

Five years ago, my husband, Bjork, decided almost on the spot to give up drinking.

In 2018, at a holiday dinner with friends, as the waiter took our drink orders, he leaned toward me and whispered, “I think I’m going to be sober for a year.” I was shocked. This may seem sudden and unexpected, but there is some weight behind it. He was thinking about his health, his nightly routine, and our family—mainly our then one-year-old daughter.

I had my doubts, but this decision on the spot, in fact, turned into not drinking for a year. One year turned into two years, and two years turned into five years. Now here I am writing this article.

I’ve never made any grand statements about my drinking like he did, but one unintended consequence of Bjork not drinking anymore was that I also started drinking less. I now drink socially and go out to dinner with friends a few times a month, but the biggest change for us is that we no longer have alcohol in the house. Honestly, this change feels great for our family.

The hardest part of this decision, and one of the things I miss most about having a “drink” at home, is being able to mark a moment as special. A special dinner is one thing, but what about drinks? The drinks are a little extra, a little frivolous, but make it feel real—whether it’s a birthday, a holiday, or even just celebrating together after get off work on a Tuesday night.

It may seem obvious, but what I’ve learned is that a drink doesn’t necessarily need alcohol to create a special moment. Luckily for all of us who want to drink less, we live in an age where non-alcoholic (NA) beverages are becoming more and more popular…what should I say? OK. Like it, it tastes good. There are lots of really exciting options to create that same “this is special” moment you get from a cocktail or a glass of wine.

So, with a love for special moments and five years of experience tasting North American beers, here is a list of our favorite North American beers.

I poured them all out so you could see the color and clarity better, and photographed them with my old Ikea beer mug. enjoy!