I’ve had a really fun time exploring the NA sector due to medical treatment and doing no alcohol for the last few months, mostly because the approach to it seems to vary wildly by producer. I’ve tried about 30 different ones so far and have been running an ongoing list of what I feel they offer in sort of a weird ranking system but because the approach is so divergent it’s hard to delineate quality vs. intent in some cases. But yeah the Guinness one gets a lot right, especially with the traditional mouthfeel (yes I know people hate that descriptor but it makes more sense than perceptive viscosity).
This sector is becoming increasingly visible on my radar. I want to cut down the amount of alcohol I take in. I've been able to fully cut out 2 days a week and would like to do more. So finding good replacements will be helpful. I just had Untitled Art's Italian Pilsner and it is fantastic. Gone are the days of shitty tasting NA beers. There are good ones out there. I think the biggest hurdle is shedding that stigma surrounding NA beers already that they aren't good tasting. And just finding the ones that you like. If you have any good recs please do send them my way!
I actually purchased some Athletic through the UWD site (I think you get a kickback) and got a “surprise sampler” which included an Irish dry red called Emerald Cliffs that was probably the one I’ve had that had the least amount of perceptible difference between the style and real thing. Bravus has their pastry stout which is also really nice and not too sweet (it has some lactose and vanilla in it) and is tasty when it warms up… think you can get it at total wine. Lagunitas IPnA is the best utility one… but my favorite has probably been BrewDog’s Hoppy Golden or GoBrewing’s Prophets Hazy. Both are stellar. I’ve tried a lot of the true 0.0 ones but those mostly just taste like hop seltzers- not saying that can’t be refreshing or tasty, but they don’t taste like beer.
I’ve had a really fun time exploring the NA sector due to medical treatment and doing no alcohol for the last few months, mostly because the approach to it seems to vary wildly by producer. I’ve tried about 30 different ones so far and have been running an ongoing list of what I feel they offer in sort of a weird ranking system but because the approach is so divergent it’s hard to delineate quality vs. intent in some cases. But yeah the Guinness one gets a lot right, especially with the traditional mouthfeel (yes I know people hate that descriptor but it makes more sense than perceptive viscosity).
This sector is becoming increasingly visible on my radar. I want to cut down the amount of alcohol I take in. I've been able to fully cut out 2 days a week and would like to do more. So finding good replacements will be helpful. I just had Untitled Art's Italian Pilsner and it is fantastic. Gone are the days of shitty tasting NA beers. There are good ones out there. I think the biggest hurdle is shedding that stigma surrounding NA beers already that they aren't good tasting. And just finding the ones that you like. If you have any good recs please do send them my way!
I actually purchased some Athletic through the UWD site (I think you get a kickback) and got a “surprise sampler” which included an Irish dry red called Emerald Cliffs that was probably the one I’ve had that had the least amount of perceptible difference between the style and real thing. Bravus has their pastry stout which is also really nice and not too sweet (it has some lactose and vanilla in it) and is tasty when it warms up… think you can get it at total wine. Lagunitas IPnA is the best utility one… but my favorite has probably been BrewDog’s Hoppy Golden or GoBrewing’s Prophets Hazy. Both are stellar. I’ve tried a lot of the true 0.0 ones but those mostly just taste like hop seltzers- not saying that can’t be refreshing or tasty, but they don’t taste like beer.
Oh and Athletics Run Wild (which is sort of a standard west coast IPA) is really solid too and I can buy it at Publix which is bonkers.