Enjoying this decent NA offering from Athletic. BB 10/08/2026. Nice lacing, no off flavors, copper color as advertised, 60 calories. Recommended.
I’d like to try this one. Ale smith makes good beers and I think it’s easier to make NA stouts and porters.
Deschutes Black Butte NA. Canned on 11/14/2025. Fantastic head retention and soapy lacing. Aromas of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, nuttiness, brown bread/crust, herbal, grass, pepper, pine, dark fruit, yeast earthiness, and light char. Smells just like the normal beer. Taste follows with big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, nuttiness, brown bread/crust, herbal, grass, wood, peppercorn, pine, dark fruit, yeast earthiness, and light smoke/char. Light-medium pine, woody, roast, charred bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation and light-medium body; nice creamy/silky malt mouthfeel with lingering sticky hop and chalky roasted dryness. No cloying, acrid, astringency. A little thin, but flavorful and great for the NA style. Tastes very close to the regular porter on malt complexity with a nice amount of their house English yeast notes. I need to buy their beer more often, it's been a long time. I look forward to the Fresh Squeezed NA and Fresh Haze NA soon. Very impressive all around, and doesn't have the usual cardboard and astringent bitterness of NA beers I have had in the past. 4.25/4.25/4.25/3.75/4.25: 4.2/5 Cheers
New brewery from Canada for me. Sober Carpenter DDH Hazy IPA. BB 02/27/2027. Nice fluffy head retention and spotty lacing on the glass. Aromas and flavors of red grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, passion fruit, red apple, mango, melon, vanilla, citrus zest, light pepper/pine, wheat, white bread, herbal, floral, grass, and light yeast earthiness. Mild pine, herbal, spicy bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation and light-medium body; balanced grainy malt and sticky hop mouthfeel, light lingering resins and dryness with no hop astringency. Very smooth, soft, a bit crisp; very impressive for an NA beer. Feels thin for a hazy, but still has a great mouthfeel. Has the standard wheat/oats. The hops have a very mild stale/vegetal note, likely from the NA process, but I really liked the Lotus and Citra hop profile. Nicely vibrant, juicy, and lightly dank. 4/4/4/4/3.5: 3.9/5 Cheers
