I often wonder how to rate or judge non-alcoholic beers and then communicate in a way that people who are looking for NA options can understand. Realistically, the depth of the field isn't the best and there is a wild chasm between great and good, even more so between mid and bad. I guess it's a young(ish) industry that will need some time to really find its legs, if it can be profitable enough to force quality to the forefront and not just an add on to entice the DD to stick around so everyone can have a few more Pints before heading home with a six pack or two. Even some of the breweries that are entirely focused on making NA beers can have terrible products side by side with some really fine offerings. The lack of quality control, coupled with an uneducated and/or desperate consumer base has made for a rush to market for a lot of things and an acceptance of that's just how things are...but I think there is a real opportunity as we move forward in the Sober and Sober adjacent community if we call out poorly conceived, off style and badly executed pints and raise awareness and help promote good, on point stuff.
There has always been an element to talking about craft beer on social media that doesn't want to rock the boat. They don't want to criticize a bad beer, they don't want to be seen as not part of helping to grow the community and promote local businesses. While all taste is truly subjective, off flavours and just plain bad beer is pretty evident when you find it. I'm not talking about a style you don't personally like, I'm talking about things that don't come as advertised on the can or that are riddled with off flavours and imperfections. Brewing beer is art plus science and a dedication to consistency and a commitment to only releasing a quality product. Accepting any less is not helping to grow anything, it only allows bad actors and bad faith to become ingrained in the industry and makes anyone who's dipping their toe in the water to see what all the fuss has been about feel like it's not worth the time or money spent to switch over from macros. I've seen great and innovative breweries fall by the wayside and loose their mojo, all the while being praised for making beer that should never have left the bright tanks. It can be disheartening at the best of times, but at least there are so many options available that avoiding shitty beer can be done with a little research and wise spending.
The problem that has arisen as I've now crossed over to the other side of the ABV is that the options are severely limited at a local level and a lot of folks are not going to order beer online for delivery without being able to be assured that what they're getting is good and well, drinkable. What we find in most stores and the local LCBO's is limited by a ridiculous amount of macro sameness. It seems to be similar no matter which part of our monopoly riddled, oligarch driven grocery sector you shop at, familiar, big brand names pop up again and again. There are some good ones to be found in the Non-alcoholic section of the drinks aisle, but the rotation and selection remains very static, without fail the same things and usually only in 4 or 6 packs, from place to place.
The largest deterrent to growth in this industry, however, remains the issue of taste, perhaps the biggest roadblock for so many people who may be open to jumping on the sober(ish) bandwagon as we find the years adding up and the beers piling on. There is little control or accountability for poor quality, bad tasting beers and for far too many brewers, the public's low expectations have allowed a lot of them to release sub par products because that is what they can get away with. As with everything I've encountered in my decade of talking about craft beer, education and worthy products are the key to growing any segment of the community. We've seen the rise of the Hazy IPA side by side with barrel focused, funk beers and Lager only breweries delivering amazing things. Despite some consternation, the truth is there has never been a better selection of styles in the LCBO and while the IPA tends to still be the focus of a lot of people, there truly is something for everyone if you look around. This is partially true for non-alcoholic brews as well, although on a far smaller and less available scale. Breweries like Harmon's, Perth, Bellwoods, Big Spruce, Nickel Brook, One for the Road and Left Field (just to name a few) have delivered some truly amazing things, lagers, sours and stouts to yes, even IPAs. They bring things that still taste and feel like real beer for those of us who have chosen or have had chosen for us a sober lifestyle (or a semi-sober one, who am I to judge). I know a lot of folks think that if you can't or won't drink beer then you should just drink something else, but when I find really well made NA offerings, it warms my (slightly broken but recovering) heart that I don't have to give up on the things I enjoy entirely. I know without the alcohol, many people wouldn't drink, but what I've found over the last 5 months and 120 plus non-alcoholic beers and ciders is that I don't need it as much as I thought I did and I've found some incredible, go-to pints that leave me feeling whole again.
But what we cannot and should not accept is less than good products. We need to be more vigilant and demanding when it comes to NA beers. Do not accept that they can't be as full and flavourful as their regular strength counterparts or that it is inherent that off or weird flavours are just acceptable. I've tasted so many good things, I know it is possible to do. But there is a huge gap in our knowledge, a chasm of culture that we are trying to bridge with experimentation and learning. The only way we can see the kind of growth necessary to sustain and inspire breweries to deliver quality non-alcoholic options is to reward the ones doing it and spread the word about inadequate or poor tasting releases that shouldn't see the light of day. Just because someone okayed a beer to be sent out does not mean we have to accept it. Your dollars speak volumes about what you are wiling to accept. At any time that is true, and even more so in the current economic and political climate.
I'll continue my crusade and exploration. I'll continue to advocate for better options and better quality in non-alcoholic beers, spirits and mixed drinks. I'll promise to always be honest, as I have always been, about what's in my glass every day. I'll seek out everything I can get my hands on and share it with you, the good, the bad and the ugly. I know for a lot of people, switching to NA products isn't always an easy choice, but we should hope that it can be made easier by showcasing and spreading the word about what to buy and what to avoid.
It's been a wild ride and it's just getting started.
See y'all out there.
Sober (mostly),
Polk
April 7th, 2025
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