Ah! A question that is near and dear to my heart. I'm deeply involved in the homebrew/beer community where I live. I work events, partner with other homebrewers to work on flavour profiles, work and attend beer pairing dinners, cook with brew, blahblahblah. My life is very beercentric. So.. I'm in it unless I quit it.
What I did was literally go cold for two months. No brew at_all. I did miss it especially on days when it was warm and a cold really hoppy IPA would have been amazingly tasty. If I was going to drink it was whiskey or vodka - but kept that at a serious minimum, about a total of 4oz a week during this time frame, sometimes none. I actually chose bars that had bad beer on tap just so there was no temptation, especially if something exceptional was available. After the two months were up, I added brew back in only as an occasional 1/2 pour or a 2oz taste and not a full pint. I feel good and don't need more than that. Whiskey and vodka are still my main go-to's.. especially Rye's. Rittenhouse or Templeton? Yes!
If anyone is interested, I can suggest a few gluten free brews that are actually quite decent: Estrella Daura - fruity, light, nicely effervescent, New Planet Off Grid Pale Ale - a bit sweet but still has a nice bitter hoppy finish, Sprecher Shakparo - tasty, nice and clean, very lambic like but not sweet. Good luck and cheers!
PS: I didn't stop the beer for Paleo, it was more of a reset to my body, physically I wasn't feeling that great with my pints. I definitely feel better when I don't have too much brew so my tastes are satisfactory and I appreciate what I'm drinking more than ever. Current favourite: Lambrucha, a sour/wild ale combo of tart lambic with kombucha, a low ABV that goes down frighteningly easy. Egads, tastycakes.
