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I brew, you brew, hopefully we don't spew: The Beer Thread

Dracula

Plastic Vampire
(He/His)
Wow, and I thought Arkansas blue laws were bad (here, you can't buy alcohol on Sundays, and we have a spattering of dry counties, where there's no alcohol sales at all).
 

Violentvixen

(She/Her)
A promotional beer probably isn't good, right?

But I kind of want it anyway.

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Patrick

Magic-User
(He/Him)
I think I've had their IPA. My friend took a break from drinking for a few months and tried out a bunch of NA beers. It was pretty good, if I remember correctly.
 

Violentvixen

(She/Her)
Yeah, Athletic seems to be dominating the non-alcoholic sphere right now, and people seem to especially enjoy the small online-only batches. Seems like a lot of people really dislike Bravus so I'll be avoiding that.

This beer advocate NA tasting thread was really helpful.

Edit: I ended up trying the non-alcoholic marketplace BetterRhodes since they had multiple brands and a few different mystery box things. I am not ashamed to admit that I decided to try the NA brewery Busty Lush entirely because I think the name is funny. I got a referral code from them (10% off your order) but it includes my name so PM me if you want to try since I'd rather not post it.
 
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Paul le Fou

24/7 lofi hip hop man to study/relax to
(He)
I used VV's referral code and got three sample sixpacks of NA beer from BetterRhodes, myself (the Ales, the IPAs, and the dark beers). I've only had 6 total so I have a ways to go, but so far my favorite has been Bravus brewing - their peanut butter dark beer and their IPA were both almost good enough that I forgot I was drinking NA. Their oatmeal stout was OK but still tasted like NA beer.

What is that taste that NA beer seems to share in common? It's like, a thinness. Or kinda like the taste of seltzer/carbonated water, a hint of that cardboardy taste? Anyway, my holy grail is to find an NA beer that doesn't really have that. The two I mentioned above have been the best so far, along with Untitled Art's hazy IPA. Right now I'm really hoping to find a good NA amber ale/marzen-style NA beer.

Athletic was mentioned above - I got some of theirs in my samplers but I've only tried the Upside Dawn golden ale so far. Unremarkable. Unimpressed.

I've been looking for good NA beers for a while now mainly for the obvious reason - drink less alcohol. My consumption got, not quite out-of-control, but definitely beyond a healthy level, during the pandemic. Even if I drink a normal beer and NA after that, or even every-other if we're at like a long event or something, I can make some serious headway that my liver will thank me for. A secondary reason is so that I have more general beverage options. I don't drink soda and avoid sugary beverages (I don't even like most sodas anymore, but I love root beer, ginger beer, sujeonggwa and more), so usually I go for things like green or barley tea. Cucumber/mint water or cold-brewed (decaf) coffee. But having another thing I can grab to enjoy as a beverage and not have to worry about being an (even worse) alcoholic is nice too, especially when I get a craving for some good good suds. And it's not like NA beer is healthy but it's definitely lower-calorie and lower-sugar/carb than regular beer or most other soft drinks.
 

Patrick

Magic-User
(He/Him)
Last weekend I was at a friends house, and we split an imperial IPA, and then each had an Athletic Run Wild IPA. Maybe it was because it was following an imperial IPA, but it was again pretty good.
 

Paul le Fou

24/7 lofi hip hop man to study/relax to
(He)
...Huh! That does sound interesting. Not quite my style, but interesting. I actually just had Wellbeing's normal wheat beer last night (though I've actually had that before. It's not my favorite, but it's pretty dang good for NA).

But actually, one of the other reasons I'm interested in NA beer was from when I heard that the German Olympic teams drink it all the time, it's their sports drink of choice over gatorade etc. And the idea of being at a HEMA event and cracking open a beer between matches instead of drinking gatorade is a funny and very appealing one to me. One with extra electrolytes could be all the more interesting (and effective?) for that. It's what plants crave, after all
 

Violentvixen

(She/Her)
But actually, one of the other reasons I'm interested in NA beer was from when I heard that the German Olympic teams drink it all the time, it's their sports drink of choice over gatorade etc. And the idea of being at a HEMA event and cracking open a beer between matches instead of drinking gatorade is a funny and very appealing one to me. One with extra electrolytes could be all the more interesting (and effective?) for that. It's what plants crave, after all
Interesting! One thing that I learned while researching this is that Spain has a pretty big NA beer culture. I haven't seen any of them in the US, but I'm especially bummed that I can't track down this tostada beer as it sounds absolutely amazing.
 

Violentvixen

(She/Her)
I used VV's referral code and got three sample sixpacks of NA beer from BetterRhodes, myself (the Ales, the IPAs, and the dark beers). I've only had 6 total so I have a ways to go, but so far my favorite has been Bravus brewing - their peanut butter dark beer and their IPA were both almost good enough that I forgot I was drinking NA. Their oatmeal stout was OK but still tasted like NA beer.

So after trying a few more I think Bravus may have canning, distribution or quality control issues. I also had a can of the oatmeal stout you noted above and hoo boy it was not okay. I had @Lumber Baron take a sip of it and said it tasted like soy sauce which is a perfect description. But between your note and the fact that it won a silver at GABF I'm certain we got a bad one.

I tried their amber last night and it was weirdly sweet, almost like a fermented fruit? I again looked through untappd and most people don't note sweet at all and instead describe a classic amber. But a few do note the sweetness I did and hated the beer. Drain pour.

I noted earlier in the thread that this brewery seemed really divisive for people, and now I'm wondering if there's more inconsistencies than with other breweries? Dunno. I think I have one more of their beers in the variety pack I haven't tried yet, and I do want to find that peanut butter stout again but this has made me pretty wary of trying their stuff.

Anyway, I hadn't thought to check out the GABF results before, and in addition to Bravus and Athletic (as an aside I had yet another person recommend Athletic to me this week) Two Roots Brewing has won several medals for NA beers, I'll have to check them out too.

As of next week I should be off all the medications that have prevented me from drinking alcohol, but I'm still on crutches and a fall risk so will be keeping it up for a while. I'm enjoying researching and finding new things.
 

Paul le Fou

24/7 lofi hip hop man to study/relax to
(He)
Huh, how strange... I'll have to keep an eye out for that. I only have a few left from my recent box but I haven't looked into a second one yet, or doing one of the subscriptions, or going straight to one brewery or another, or anything. I do keep meaning to go by the local Total Wine & More or BevMo and see what they have in stock, because phew, shipping from these places is steep.
 

Violentvixen

(She/Her)
phew, shipping from these places is steep.
Oh yeah, I'm definitely not keeping this up once I find a few I like and can find locally. But that's the tough part here, there is only one store that consistently seems to have single cans of NA beers and the stock is very random. Every other store only has six packs and that adds up quick. Also sadly the majority of NA beers just aren't that great and I'd be really annoyed at having to drink 5 more of a lot of the ones I've tried so far.
 

Paul le Fou

24/7 lofi hip hop man to study/relax to
(He)
Exactly. I'll be happy to buy sixpacks once I have one or two I know I can consistently count on, but until then... I just recently threw away the last 3 cans from an order of two sixpacks I realized I'd bought at least 3 years ago, maybe more.
 

Violentvixen

(She/Her)
Alright, I think I've reached the end of of my NA beer exploration phase. Two variety packs from Better Rhodes and a bunch of random singles from a grocery store in town. I'll definitely keep trying new NA singles I see but won't be dropping the money for any more variety packs. I would have liked to try more from Athletic since people talk it up so much but I only got one single in a variety pack and I don't want to buy 6-packs.

Overall there's so much more available than there used to be and several gems, but good NA beers that are really beer-like are hard to find. Dark NA beers are extremely lacking, which was a bummer for me as I much prefer dark beer. The texture is just... wrong and they make up for a lack of flavour by dialing up the roast/smoke/burnt. But I was pleasantly surprised at how many of the NA IPAs I liked since I normally don't like IPAs at all.

Finally, I learned there's an unfortunate and spiteful movement to constantly downvote NA beers on Untappd. This is a bummer so I wouldn't judge NA beers by number on there and would instead focus on people's comments.

Anyway, here's my list:

NA beers I will keep buying even when I can drink alcohol again
Deschutes Irish Stout - this seems to be seasonal and the name is changing to "Irish Style Dark" but hands down the best NA dark beer
Three Magnets/Self Care Scherler Easiest Lager - Light and refreshing and I'm highly amused by their honestly on the website that this is just a shitty American Lager. Sometimes that's all I want, and if I can get that same experience without alcohol hooray!
Wellbeing Victory Wheat - I fucking love this beer, I'd describe it as being like a radler. Definitely a summer beer but perfect for a hot day.
Big Drop Coba Maya - This was so good! I'd bring a six pack of this to a BBQ no question.
Gruvi Golden Lager - This won the beer cup in 2022 and is well deserved. Another one I'd bring to a BBQ to share with friends.

Good, but not good enough to drink if normal beers are an option
Big Drop Paradiso IPA - I don't like IPAs but recognize that this was spot on.
Three Magnets/Self Care Scoot Scoot - There was a bit too strong of a sweet/honey aftertaste for me but good overall. Also I really like the can art.
Schneider Alkoholfrei (TAP03) - Again, a weird sweet/honey aftertaste. This beer had the best head of all the NA beers I had though which was satisfying.
Busty Lush She's Divine Oatmeal Dark - Just a touch too watery but still a good dark beer substitute.
Clausthaler original - Their website claims they're the first NA beer which is neat if true. It's good but like many other NA beers felt a bit watered down.
Brewdog Elvis AF- I don't like IPAs or grapefruit yet this combo worked really well and I liked this beer. Definitely a summer beer.
Wellbeing Heavenly Body Golden Wheat- Just a solid wheat beer substitute.
Partake Peach Gose (must add lime/lemon juice) - Tasted like a peach seltzer. I saw a ton of comments on Untappd about how much a bit of lemon or lime juice improved this and holy crap it does! Not very beer-like though.
Bravus Blood Orange IPA- I love citrus rind flavour, if you don't this may not be for you.
Bravus Peanut Butter Stout - Super good, but not very beer like. I want to try it in a float next time.

Finished the can but don't want another
Hitachino Nest Yuzu Ginger Non Ale - This was not like a beer at all and I didn't get any yuzu. More like carbonated ginger tea? @Lumber Baron really liked it and I'd have it again but it is definitely not a beer.
Athletic First Ride - I love malt, I love dark beer and I love dark coffee but the combo didn't work here. I was really bummed. Too much smoke maybe?
Big Drop Galactic Extra Dark - Another dark NA beer that hits the roasted flavour way too hard.

Drain pours
Partake Dark - Somehow combined watery and burnt.
Bravus Blonde - Like a bunch of honey sticks dumped in some seltzer.
Grüvi IPA - Watery and all the IPA flavours I don't like
Bravus Amber Ale - I noted earlier in the thread that Bravus quality seems to be really inconsistent, and this might have been a bad can.
Bravus Oatmeal Dark - Again, something was wrong with this can. This tasted like soy sauce.
Sober Carpenter Irish Red Ale - I love reds but they're so rare, and this was a huge disappointment. Like liquid smoke in seltzer.
 

Violentvixen

(She/Her)
Have I mentioned Japas Cervejaria on here? I found them through one of the virtual beer fests and then started finding them locally. It's a Japanese-Brazilian women-owned brewery and I have loved everything I've had from them. I can't find it on their website but they had a yuzu Caipirinha sour that blew my mind.

Tonight I tried their Imperial Stout for the first time. Just a touch of persimmon in there and dangerously smooth, very good.

 

Kirin

Summon for hire
(he/him)
Yeah that all sounds great. Unfortunately I don’t think I’ve ever seen their stuff over here on the east coast.

Edit: looked them up, apparently they distribute in Brazil, NY, Mass... and Oregon. You luck out VV!
 

Kirin

Summon for hire
(he/him)
I'm going off alcohol temporarily for Reasons, so I've been reading back through this thread for N/A beer recs. Thanks to all who posted, but if you've made any new discoveries since last year or have any further suggestions, please share! The stuff on shelves nearby is limited, so all I've really tried so far is Athletic's All Out Dark which is... fine. Took a moment for me to get used to it and I don't think I'd really call it a stout, but it's better than nothing when I'm feeling like a dark beer. I might try ordering some things off the Better Rhodes site mentioned above, though people's comments about shipping costs are making me preemptively wince a bit.
 
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