Non-Alcoholic (ABV < 0.5%) Beers (2023)

I'm curious, what's the 'best by' date on the can? Every Athletic beer that I've had has been around 8 months old and I've stayed away from that brand because I can't find it relatively fresh.

 

This one was "packed" on 11/07/2022 according to the can, but I bought it cold from the walk in at my favorite place. Doesn't seem to be hurt at 2-1/2 months, but not sure I'd bite on 8 months...

 

I bought the sixer today. I've already forgotten the name but will review shortly. Cheers!

 

X-posting from NBW

Sam Adams - Gold Rush (odd name, all things being even)



First note is it's a while since a poured it and the head is still hanging around, steady carb. It's a pale amber and is fairly lively.

Nose is sweet malt, maybe noble hops, some earl grey. You know, I bought this purely on Just The haze being a great beer. I'm quite impressed by Sam Adam's take on NA beers. This is quite tasty. Hearkens back to a classic sort of pub ale, like a cream ale, but more hop character than that. I'm not getting any off flavors, if you hate NA beers, please don't go buy this based on my review. I don't have an issue drinking them and they're always in my rotation (especially after activity).

Standouts here are a lively mouthfeel. Decent amount of floral, herbal bitterness from a well balanced hop bill throughout, definitely German. It's easy drinking and isn't going to set the world on fire, I think an excellent counterpoint to JTH, perhaps their take on that Kolsch beer they made but for NA. Sam wicked easy now? Or something.

Anyway, cheers!

 

I seen some cans of west coast ipa by untitled art with date of june 6 are these to old?

 

Probably because of the higher price that Untitled Art charges for their NA beers, not many people have reported on the beers that they have tried. I've tried two of their beers and both were excellent as respects NA beers, so this brewery seems to know how to brew the NA style. One that I tried was the Chocolate Milk Stout that I think was around 6 months old, and the other was the Italian Pilsner which was around two months old. Since the stout isn't a hoppy style, the age isn't so important, and the mildly-hoppy pilsner was in good shape.

I'm of the opinion that NA beers age quickly and decline in taste more rapidly than standard beers without very much alcohol to preserve their peak taste, so use caution. Read the reviews here https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/47802/ to see if the age of the beers that are reviewed is mentioned for the one that you're considering. If you don't balk at the higher price of the UA beers and see reasonable reviews, go for it. But if you do it, please report back with your evaluation so that the rest of us can learn from your experience regarding this beer and brewery.

 

Good evening
More 0 stuff for me this weekend

Budweiser Zero

12oz bottle Best Before 18MAR23 poured into a vintage bow tie glass at fridge temp 0.0% ABV, 50 calories, 0g sugar per label. The beer pours brilliantly bright golden yellow with nearly white head. The head is fizzy and fleeting with no head or lacing visible 3 minutes after the pour. 5/5 looks like Bud. The aroma is very faint, not unpleasant just a hint of cereal grain and lager yeast. The taste is more of the same very little to zero malt presence and just a hint of bitterness. There might be a hint of beechwood that I'm getting, but it could 100% be in my head. Mouthfeel is thin bodied with above average carbonation and a dry finish. Overall, good compared to domestic NA offerings, but below Heineken & Stella to my taste.

Cheers all!

 

Been enjoying this the most of all the N/A so far.


Enjoy

 

Guinness 0 - This has been getting good reviews so I'm giving it a shot. Very Guinness-y and nice and creamy and if it weren't for the thinner, a bit lighter mouth feel I would be hard-pressed to tell the difference.

The can shows the following:

60 calories
13.5g carbs
1.1g protein
0g fat

But this is for a 12 oz serving so for this 14.9 oz can it is:

74.5 calories
16.76g carbs
1.37g protein

Very reasonable and I'm enjoying this quite a bit. Budmo!

 

If you see Hop Refresher in cans I believe that’s new packaging for them. The ones I saw today were packaged in January I believe.

Some of the bigger stores have huge Dry January displays so you might find it fresh there.

 

Cans that I saw were 22 September if I’m reading them correct. I keep looking when I see them, the grocery I shop at does not have N/A that I see. WF is the only place I have seen the Lagunitas.

Thanks


Enjoy

 

Ah ok, thanks for the reply. Guess it's not the same everywhere.

I had never seen the cans before, so I assumed those were newer.

 

I had only seen the bottles prior to December and never thought to buy them. I saw cans and the price point is much better, not sure when cans arrived. I am getting to the point that I might just try the older cans and see what they taste like.




Enjoy

 

I hear ya. I also wish these were in a fridge more often. They're almost always out on a warm shelf.

 

I was near the WF today and went in to grab an old pack. It was in the fridge. Will let you know how it is when I open one.

Enjoy

 

I opened a can that I think is dated 22 September 2022. Hate it. It’s very sweet even with no sugars in it. There are natural flavors and that could be the culprit. I prefer the NAIPA much more and the SN hop water way more.

The more I drink this the more it taste like a bad soda, I don’t drink soda or baby sweet drinks at all.

I’m guessing that Lagunitas was not going for a beer flavored drink here even with brewers yeast as part of the ingredients.

Enjoy


[/url]quick image upload

 

Santa Clausthaler This beer wasn't in the 2022 NA thread, and since I picked it up from the bargain basket, I'll add it here with my review so that it's available to read this coming Christmas.

Gorgeous dark-honey color and clear as can be (although it's not very clear in the pic). Fruity/cinnamon-y taste that masks the malt aroma without overpowering it, and the taste follows. (From the label, it's a blend of malt beverage and a cranberry drink that has cinnamon added.) The only fault with this beer is the aroma is not very appetizing. Relative to other NA beers, this one should rate around 4.25 but my BA review came out with a 4.07 rating.

 

Well it turns out I was at the beginning of head cold and didn't realize how much it was affecting my taste and smell. Coming out of it now and the second All Out I had was comparatively better. I still wouldn't call it good, but as @jkblr said, it is definitely serviceable. I'm hoping it improves slightly as my senses continue to return.

They don't have one. Just a packaged date on the can and box. I'm really a bit surprised by how old their beer appears to be with how much they produce (27th largest craft brewer and 36th overall in 2021 according to the Brewers Association). As I mentioned in my previous post, my order directly from the brewery in CT was already 3 months old. I'll need to check the dates the next time I head to my local.

 

Another positive of NA beers:

Why nonalcoholic beer beats regular beer after exercise

For performance, recovery and overall health, nonalcoholic beer is a better choice than regular beer or even a sports drink

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/01/25/exercise-beer-nonalcoholic-healthy/

 

I'm not a big fan of eating crow, but sometimes one must. I'm coming around on these Athletic brews. All out is growing on me and I tried Cerveza Atletica today and was pleasantly surprised. I'll have to do a side-by-side or sequential drink of the two sometime to confirm, but I may prefer it to All Out, which I was not expecting.

Are they good beers? I'd still have to say no on that one. Good NA beers? I don't have the experience to know. Good at scratching the beer itch to keep my consumption within my doctor's recommendation? Absolutely.