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Sober October: New Non-Alcoholic Beers to Try This Month

Yes, NAs still count as “real beer.”

two beer cans on concrete backdropPhoto by Jack Seemer for Gear Patrol

By Jack Seemer

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Forget everything you thought you new about non-alcoholic beer. A new-wave of NAs are innovative, unexpected and downright delicious, with options aplenty from brewers big and small.

And they’re not just for the fully sober crowd, either. Moderate drinking is quietly taking over the US, as beer lovers across the country trade in their full-throttle DIPAs for suds that won’t knock them out.

The result? A double-digit uptick in NA sales since the beginning of the year.

In that time, there have been scores of new additions to the space, with the styles ranging from juicy IPAs to crisp and quaffable pilsners.

If that sounds like your jam, these are the new releases to try during Sober October — or any other time you just want to cut back without reaching for a soda.

For even greater options, check out our main guide to non-alcoholic beers, where the Gear Patrol team tested dozens of NAs to determine the absolute best ones on the shelf.

Juicy IPA

Flavors of orange and passionfruit define this dupe of Deschutes’s Fresh Squeezed IPA, which borrows the same hop (Citra, Mosaic) and malt (2 Row, Munich, Crystal) profiles as the original. The bitterness comes down ever so slightly, sitting at 45 vs 60 IBUs.

Blonde Ale

Firestone Walker’s sub-brand, 805, is something of a California secret. However, distribution is quietly expanding … as are the offerings.

8Zero5 is a non-alcoholic take on the flagship blonde ale, developed over the course of two years by Firestone Walker brewmaster Matt Brynildson. For now, you can only find it in California, Arizona and Nevada.

Pilsner

From Pat Corcoran, the drinks vet behind No Fine Print Wine (and the former manager of Chance the Rapper), comes an entirely new brand, where NAs are the sole focus.

Years is a pilsner, contract-brewed in collaboration with Pilot Project Brewing. It contains just four ingredients: barley, hops, yeast and water, the latter of which comes by way of Lake Michigan.

Certified Organic

Kernza Golden Brew may be the second Deshutes beer on the list, but it’s a first for the beer industry. This light blonde ale, brewed in partnership with Patagonia Provisions, is the first certified organic non-alcoholic craft beer in the US.

It’s also brewed using Kernza, a perennial grain known to “improve soil health, minimize erosion, preserve biodiversity and protect waterways,” the brewery says.

Festbier

Athletic Brewing is one of the fastest growing breweries in the country, with sales surging from coast to coast. Like Years, it only makes NAs, however, its roster spans different styles from IPAs to light lagers.

This limited-edition release is the brewery’s take on a German festbier, the beer of Oktoberfest. It has smooth body and malty backbone, thanks to its combination of Vienna and Munich malts. Hallertau Mittelfruh hops also give it slightly bready aromatics. Prost!

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