I have been long fascinated by the Non-Alcoholic sector of craft beer. It seems so wide open. Then I taste an N/A beer and realize that it must be harder than thought ’cause they always taste off in one small way or another.
In one of my bursts of podcast binging, I heard about Athletic Brewing and for Christmas, I bought the IPA and Stout. Will my bad run continue?
Starting with the IPA, Run Wild, there is a pronounced orange and grapefruit aroma as you pop the can. This is quite hoppy with a bracing bitter finish. It has a watery quenching mouthfeel like a session IPA. As the beer warms up I get pine and grapefruit pith tastes.
All Out Stout starts off with a big pillowy espresso hued head. A bit like a cold brew coffee taste. It is a little thin with a mixture of tastes like licorice and cocoa beans. It is more a porter to me and a touch too sweet.
Overall though, these taste like beer. None of my quibbles are do to the usual N/A complaints of tasting like wort or having a weird secondary flavor. I would drink the hell out of the IPA, especially on a hot day. I guess the best recommendation is that I want to try more. Their Saison really intrigues me.
Interesting. Did you miss the alcohol? Would you rather drink Athletic cans than soda or iced tea, for example?
These were solid beers, alcohol or not. Didn’t miss the ABV at all.