March 28, 2026 - AF Beer

Watch Party Drinks That Won't Give You a Hangover

Here is a pattern I used to live on repeat.

Big match on a Tuesday night. Mates come over or I go to theirs. We buy a load of beer. We watch the match. We drink too much because it goes to extra time and someone opens another round. We get loud. We get sloppy. We say something about the ref that we regret.

Then Wednesday morning happens. The alarm goes off and you feel like you have been hit by a lorry. You are foggy all day. You skip the gym. You eat rubbish. Thursday you are still not right. By Friday you have recovered just in time to do it all again at the weekend.

It took me an embarrassingly long time to realise that this cycle was optional. That you could watch the match, have a brilliant time, drink all evening and wake up feeling completely normal. The answer is so obvious it is almost annoying - just drink stuff without alcohol in it.

But "just drink water" is terrible advice and everyone knows it. You want something in your hand. You want the ritual. You want the taste. You want to feel like you are part of the event, not sitting it out.

So here is everything I have found that works. AF beer, AF spirits, AF cocktails - all tested during actual watch parties for football, rugby and F1. No hangover. No compromise on the experience.

Why AF Beer Is the Star

I am going to be upfront. AF beer is the best watch party drink and it is not close. Here is why.

It is sessionable. A football match is 90 minutes plus. Rugby is 80 minutes plus half-time analysis where everyone argues. F1 is two hours if you include the build-up and cooldown laps. You need a drink you can have three or four of without feeling stuffed. Beer does that. A cocktail does not - you are full after two.

It is social. Everyone understands beer. You crack one open, you hand one to your mate, you clink cans when your team scores. Try doing that with a mocktail in a coupe glass. It does not work. Beer fits the setting.

It is easy. No mixing, no ice, no garnish, no blender. Open can. Drink. Watch football. That is it.

AF spirits and cocktails have their place and I will get to those. But for the core watch party drink, beer wins every time.

Best AF Beers for Watch Parties

IMPOSSIBREW Triple Hopped IPA - The Best Overall

I keep coming back to this one. The Triple Hopped IPA is my number one watch party beer for one specific reason that goes beyond taste.

It has L-theanine and ashwagandha in it. These are plant-based ingredients that actually affect how you feel. L-theanine promotes calm focus - it is the same compound in green tea that keeps monks alert during meditation. Ashwagandha is an adaptogen that helps with stress.

What does that feel like during a match? Relaxed but sharp. You are into the game, you are following every pass, but you are not climbing the walls when the ref makes a bad call. It is like the good version of being slightly tipsy - loose, social, enjoying yourself - without the bad version where you get sloppy and argumentative.

IMPOSSIBREW calls this their Social Blend. I call it the only beer that makes me feel something other than just not-drunk. There is a real difference between removing alcohol and adding something positive. IMPOSSIBREW does both.

Taste-wise it is a proper IPA. Bold hops. Good bitterness. Full body. It does not feel like a compromise beer. It feels like a beer you would choose even if you were drinking alcohol.

Athletic Brewing Run Wild IPA - The Reliable One

Athletic is American, widely available and consistently good. The Run Wild IPA is the beer I keep in the fridge as a default. It is not as interesting as IMPOSSIBREW - no functional ingredients, no "feeling" beyond taste. But the taste is solid. Hoppy, balanced, easy to session.

Good for mixed groups where some people might be picky. Nobody dislikes Athletic Brewing. That is its superpower.

Lucky Saint Unfiltered Lager - For the Lager Crowd

Not everyone wants an IPA on match day. Some people just want a lager. And Lucky Saint is the best AF lager in the UK right now. Smooth, hazy, refreshing. It tastes like actual beer, not like someone diluted a beer with sparkling water.

I have done a detailed Lucky Saint vs IMPOSSIBREW comparison if you want the full breakdown. Different beers for different moods.

Heineken 0.0 - The Bulk Buy

If you are hosting a big watch party - 10 people, knockout stage, the full works - you need volume. Heineken 0.0 is cheap, available everywhere and acceptable to basically everyone. It is not going to win any awards but it will not let you down either.

I always have a case of Heineken 0.0 as backup. It is the safety net beer.

AF Spirits - When You Want Something Different

AF spirits have got much better recently. Here is what I have tried.

Seedlip is the big name. They do three varieties - Spice 94, Garden 108 and Grove 42. Mixed with tonic water they make a decent non-alcoholic G&T alternative. I would not call it a direct replacement for gin. It is its own thing. But it works at a watch party if someone prefers spirits to beer.

Lyre's do a whole range of AF spirit replacements - rum, whisky, gin, amaretto, you name it. The quality varies. The AF gin is decent. The AF whisky is not great if you are a whisky drinker. Worth experimenting with but set expectations accordingly.

CleanCo is another UK brand doing AF spirits. Their Clean G (AF gin) is probably the best non-alcoholic gin I have tried. Proper juniper flavour. Good botanicals. With Fever-Tree tonic and a slice of cucumber it is genuinely enjoyable.

The problem with AF spirits at watch parties is the faff. You need mixers, ice, glasses. Someone has to play bartender. At halftime when everyone wants a drink at once, nobody wants to be mixing G&Ts. This is why beer wins.

AF Cocktails - The Pre-Game Option

If you have got time before kickoff and you want to make an effort, AF cocktails can be brilliant. Here are three that actually work.

AF Espresso Martini: Cold brew coffee, Lyre's AF coffee liqueur, simple syrup, ice. Shake hard. This is absurdly good and gives you a caffeine kick for a late match. The 10pm World Cup kickoffs are calling for this one.

AF Margarita: Lime juice, agave syrup, Seedlip Grove 42, salt rim. It is not a real margarita. But it is cold, tangy and festive. Good for the build-up to a match if you want to create an atmosphere.

AF Negroni: Lyre's AF bitter, Lyre's AF rosso, Seedlip Spice 94, orange peel. This one divides people. If you like Negronis you will appreciate the attempt. If you do not like Negronis you will not suddenly start.

Honest opinion though? Make a jug of something before the match starts and leave it on the side for people to help themselves. Do not try to mix individual cocktails during play. You will miss every goal.

If you are mainly interested in the AF beer route (which I recommend), you can grab IMPOSSIBREW with a tenner off your first order here. Genuinely the best watch party beer I have found.

Sport-by-Sport Guide

Football

90 minutes is the perfect length for AF beer. Three beers through the match, maybe a fourth during the post-match analysis. IMPOSSIBREW Triple Hopped IPA is my default. The functional ingredients keep you locked in for the full 90.

For the 2026 World Cup specifically, the late UK kickoffs make AF beer almost essential. You cannot be hungover every morning for five weeks straight. Well you can. But you should not.

Rugby

Rugby drinking has a different culture. Heavier. More pints per match. The Six Nations in particular seems designed to test your liver.

AF beer works even better here because the temptation to overdo it is stronger. Start with IMPOSSIBREW and stick with it. The L-theanine actually helps because rugby matches are intense - the tackles, the scrums, the 78th-minute tries. You want to be emotionally engaged but not a mess.

I found that switching to Lucky Saint at halftime works well. IPA first half for intensity. Lager second half when you are settling in. Bit of variety keeps it interesting.

F1

F1 is a different beast to football and rugby. Races are usually on Sunday afternoons. They last about two hours. The vibe is more relaxed - you are commentating on strategy and tyre wear, not screaming at a referee.

AF lager is my pick for F1. IMPOSSIBREW Enhanced Lager or Peroni 0.0. Something light and clean that you can sip slowly. F1 does not demand the same intensity as football. It rewards patience. Match your drink to the pace.

The exception is the last five laps when everything gets chaotic. Then you want something to grip. But that is more of an emotional need than a beer choice.

Cricket

I was not going to include cricket but then I remembered that a Test match lasts five days and a day of cricket runs from 11am to 6pm. If you tried to drink regular beer through an entire day of cricket you would be unconscious by tea.

AF beer was made for cricket. Specifically light lagers. Lucky Saint. IMPOSSIBREW Enhanced Lager. Something you can have six of across a full day's play without feeling heavy. The Ashes in Australia might be a different story with the time zones but for home Tests - AF beer and cricket are a perfect match.

The Real Secret

Here is the thing nobody tells you about switching to AF drinks at watch parties. It is not a sacrifice. After the first match or two, you stop thinking about what you are not drinking and start noticing what you are gaining.

You remember the goals. All of them. In detail. You remember the conversations. You remember the funny moment that happened at halftime. You do not have that sinking feeling at 2am when you know tomorrow is going to hurt.

And the people around you? Some of them will ask about what you are drinking. Not in a judgmental way. In a curious way. Because you are having the same amount of fun as them and you look completely fine at midnight while they are slurring.

That is the real pitch for AF watch party drinks. It is not about health or calories or any of that. It is about being present for the things you chose to show up for. You planned the watch party. You invited people over. You care about this match. Why would you then make yourself too drunk to enjoy it properly?

My Watch Party Setup

Quick practical list for anyone hosting.

Chill everything properly. I cannot stress this enough. Warm AF beer is significantly worse than cold AF beer. Get it in the fridge the night before or throw it in an ice bucket an hour before kickoff.

Get Sorted

The World Cup starts in June. The Premier League is wrapping up. F1 is in full swing. There is no shortage of sport to watch this summer. Do yourself a favour and stock up on AF beer before the next big match.

If you want to try IMPOSSIBREW - honestly the best AF beer I have found for watching sport because of the functional ingredients - here is a link for a tenner off your first order. The Triple Hopped IPA is the one to start with. You will feel the difference during your first match.

Watch everything. Remember everything. Feel fine the next morning.

Related: Best AF Beers for World Cup 2026 · Ultimate Summer AF Beer Guide · Lucky Saint vs IMPOSSIBREW · Try IMPOSSIBREW