Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
As the beers of winter get warmer, one sometimes needs a break and the appropriately named Clausthaler fits that N/A bill.
“Santa Clausthaler features a crisp and well-balanced taste of Clausthaler Original premium non-alcoholic beer blended with flavors of cranberry and cinnamon.”
We go to Germany for what could be called a Christmas Radler from Clausthaler…
It is their normal beer spiked with cranberry juice. Perfect for holiday parties where not everyone is drinking.
Each year beer pundits (myself included) like to delude themselves that this is the year of the pilsner/light lager. Each those styles do fine but never really break out of their ordained orbit. What I think will leap this year is the N/A beer. No alcohol. So, when I see some, I will review them.
Hence Dry Hopped Clausthaler that I found at Trader Joe’s.
This N/A beer pours dark orange to brown color. Very unfiltered. 2017 World Beer Award winner with Cascade hops. Smells and tastes predominantly like wort. Some pine notes. Less than .5 in abv mouthfeel and texture is a little wetter than usual.and lots of carbonation. some grapefruit bitterness here. Probably the closest to alcohol beer that I have had.
Clausthaler must have read my blog. I have bemoaned the gluten-free and non-alcoholic options that seem to have refused to hop over any flavors that are off-putting to regular craft beer drinkers with dry hopping.
Now if I can find a bottle to try, I will review how the mighty Cascade hop makes N-A taste.
