More Beers for a Sober October

- By Marsha Bryant

I think I can finally stand me
Without a glass or a stein.
– Barton Sutter, “Sober Song”

Well, you know that a Sober October
For this beer reviewer’s a Noper.
Yet again—just for you—
I’ve imbibed more such brews.
Let me be your NA beer decoder.

You can still do your work with these beers,
Fill your glasses and raise them with cheers.
There are flavors galore,
So you might as well pour
One—or three! Here are some to revere.

1.

The Original Clausthaler’s glow
Is so golden. Tastes beery, not faux.
With some sweetness, it feels near
The crispness of Pilsner.
Complies with the Reinheitsgebot.

2.

The Atlética copper-hued brew
Is well balanced. Its flavor accrues
Like a Mexican lager-
Meets-amber-with-swagger.
There’s fine carbonation all through.

3.

The Black Butte NA from Deschutes
Is their porter beer’s sweeter offshoot.
If you’re craving the dark,
This delicious brew sparks
Frothy heads from malt-chocolaty roots.
 

Tasting Notes

Original Clausthaler. Binding-Brauerei, Frankfort, Germany. < 0.5% ABV

Pours pale, translucent gold with a beautiful, white frothy head. It also smells beery. With a tad of sweetness and some zip in the finish, this enjoyable brew tastes like a Kölsch-Pilsner mash-up.

Atlética. Athletic Brewing Co., Milford, CT. < 0.5% ABV
Pours a translucent, medium amber with an off-white, ephemeral head. The mouthfeel is light, and the taste has a refreshing sweetness with some tang in the finish. Mixing some wheat with the barley smooths it out, and the carbonation tingles down your tongue.

Black Butte Non-Alcoholic. Deschutes, Bend, OR. < 0.5% ABV
Pours out an opaque dark brown with an impressively frothy head for a near-beer. While its mouthfeel is thinner than the brewery’s flagship Porter, the taste holds some Porter flavor in its malt-chocolate drinkability. There’s just a hint of roasty coffee notes. (Shout-out to Daniel at C. B. Bottle Shoppe for recommending this brew.)

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.