Beers for a Sober October

- By Marsha Bryant

I hear you’re having a sober October?
That option, for me, is a Noper.
But for you I’ve pursued
An assortment of brews
So your boozeless pursuits can be proper.

1.
Translucent, refreshing, and light
Is this Upside Dawn Golden. So bright-
ly concocted it zips
As it passes your lips
With a fizz on your tongue that delights.

2.
Just the Haze is a near beer that’s fruity,
With citrusy sweetness and beauti-
ful deep yellow hue.
And the hops that come through
Give some heft to this thirst-quenching brewski.

3.
Sober Carpenter’s ale, Irish Red,
Has a frothy and beige-colored head.
It’s malt-forward. A trace
Of the coffee notes grace
This beer’s taste, so mild sweetness won’t spread.

4.
Unfermented, this NA Black Ale
Where the sweet side of malty prevails.
It’s akin to a Malta
And surely will alter
What drinking a beer can entail.

Tasting Notes
Upside Dawn Golden, Athletic Brewing Co., Milford, CT. < 0.5% ABV.
Pours pale translucent gold with nice fizziness and a thin, white head. This brew has the mouthfeel and crushability of a lager, and more taste than corporate lagers. The oats enhance its smoothness.

Just the Haze NA IPA, Samuel Adams, Boston MA. < 0.5% ABV.
Fully carbonated, this brew pours citrine yellow with more head and a fuller mouthfeel than most NA beers. The taste tilts toward an orangey sweetness in the finish, but the hop line keeps the beer from being too juicy. Citra and Mosaic hops play well with the citrusy flavor.

Irish Red, Sober Carpenter, Montreal, Quebec, CA. < 0.5% ABV.
Pours reddish mahogany with a beige, frothy head. A very refreshing dark beer that features its roasted malts with just a hint of coffee so the flavor isn’t too sweet. This NA really feels like a beer, tilting toward a light brown ale.

NA Black Ale, Hairless Dog Brewing Co., Minneapolis, MN. 0.0% ABV.
Smells almost as sweet as molasses, pouring dark brown with a tan, frothy head. If you’ve brewed beer, you’ll pick up a worty taste in the malty sweetness. No roasty or coffee flavors (or hoppiness), but there’s a smooth finish with faint chocolaty notes.
 

MARSHA BRYANT writes about literature, culture, and craft beer. Her recent essays appear in The Bloomsbury Handbook to Sylvia Plath, the online journal Humanities, and the textbook Impact of Materials on Society. Marsha teaches at the University of Florida. Her Untappd handle is LimerickLady.