NØMØ Hazy IPA
Crux Fermentation Project

had no idea this label was crux, its good, better than many, but nonalcoholic beer will just never be beer, no matter how its sliced, which is fine, it doesnt need to be, and i think my personal context was right on for this, like i had a bunch of beers all day, needed to eat, had a car, been trying to be healthier, ordered this with ambitious food, drove back to home base, safe and sound, full beer flavor, near full beer texture, and the truth is, with how much bad hazy ipa is out there these days, like truly wretched stuff, a ton of it, maybe its not that hard to stand out, or maybe being reduced by being nonalcoholic is actually a benefit to taste, which seems like the case with this one, a more than tolerable specimen. hazy straw colored, light and pale, not a murk bomb, mellow looking, high headed and lace everywhere in the glass, truly creamy and whipped residue on it, looks awesome actually. the nose is oxidation a little bit, wheat, maybe unmalted grain too, starch yeah, earthy, but lots of hops, maybe citra, that herbal lemon thing, simple but good, light vanilla, and the flavor follows, lemongrass and brown paper bag, not infallible, but truly adequate, uninteresting and even frustrating in moments, waiting for it to be an actual beer, assuming better at peak, will this sort of thing always suffer from that? maybe. light in a way hazy ipa rarely is, herbal and peppy for a flash, likes spicy food pretty well, which is a meaningful attribute, fine carbonation but still somehow texturally absent when compared to beer proper, which i guess these are all deeply plagued by, but like, steamed broccoli is a pairing and such, and also a flavor note, so it could be worse, which i guess is the modicum of passible, so yeah, another craft nonalcoholic take, in a way arent they all exactly the same thing? at least this one has feel...

Canned 12/12/23

This is the last of the non alcoholic mixed 4 pack I got from Tavour last month. Most of them have been damn solid so far, but this is the one I’m slightly worried about. It can br hard to get a NEIPA with no alcohol. I’d love to see it happen though, maybe I’ll get lucky with this one. Let’s dive right in

Pours a cloudy milky yellow with 3 fingers of loose white head that quickly fades to a thin cap and leaves minimal lacing

The nose actually shows great promise here, it’s tropical with a bite. I’m picking up on aromas of lemon zest, papaya, bready malt, grassy hops, cantaloupe, peach rings, and light weed

Oh wow, the bite is much more aggressive in taste, which is still pretty good but not what I’d want out of a NEIPA. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting lemon zest, crackery malt, black pepper, honey, kiwi, grassy hops, and lime zest. The swallow brings notes of lemon pith, grassy hops, white pepper, gooseberry, lime zest, light papaya, and pine

A light body pairs with moderate carbonation, resulting in a crisp beer. Finishes bone dry and refreshing

It’s fine but doesn’t really scratch the NEIPA itch

Can. White head. Fizzles quick. Cloudy pale golden yellow.

Very light, even for an NA. But only 30 calories, so it’s expected. Refreshing though. Hoppy and a bit of citrus. Grassy and earthy. Little bitterness in the finish.

Easy drinking. I prefer other brewery’s NA hazies, but I also like 3g and 30 cals.