“Wow . . . WOW! This is incredible!”
I wasn’t speaking to anyone. Just myself. I was sitting alone in a room, looking at the pint glass of NA beer I just tried.
“What?” asked my daughter, who had overheard me from the other room.
“Nothing. Just this non-alcoholic beer I just tried. It’s . . . amazing.”
“Oh,” she said, clearly unimpressed and with a hint of disgust for me in her voice. Such is life with a teenage daughter.
She wouldn’t understand. I was having a pivotal moment. It was my first time trying an NA beer from Washington-based brewer Self Care. I was drinking their Freak Flag IPA, and I was absolutely blown away. It was so delicious, and so spot-on like a high-quality regular craft beer, that I double-checked the alcohol content on the can. A few times. It was, in fact, <0.5. Non-alcoholic.
I’d been increasingly drinking craft NA beers for more than a year. I’d been really impressed by some of what I had, but there had also been a few misses. I still wasn’t sure where the NA scene was headed. Was it going to be dominated by one or two breweries who got it right, followed by a crowd of mediocre wannabes? Or are we on the cusp of a true creative NA craft beer revolution, much like American regular craft beer since the 1990s?
This is the beer that made me a believer.
Maybe it was a bit of insanity sparked by the deliciousness of this beer, but after trying Self Care’s Freak Flag IPA, I was euphoric and having visions of the future. The NA craft beer movement is definitely legit. It’s here to stay. Our future is filled with talented, independent NA craft brewers like Self Care making creative, delicious brews. And, if this is our future, I’m all in.
I poured the Freak Flag IPA into a pint glass. It was thick and hazy. It tasted smooth, with hints of fruitiness, but not overpoweringly sweet. It tasted like actual beer, not candy. In fact, it was the most beerlike NA I’ve had to date. It was nearly indistinguishable from regular beer. Often, with NAs, I sometimes find myself drinking them fast, like a soda. That was not the case with this IPA. Self Care’s Freak Flag drank like actual beer.
Self Care describes their Freak Flag IPA as their flagship . . . sort of. The site says they’re still going to play with the hop bill with each new batch because they like to mix things up and perfect their beers. This batch was Batch #4. It was brewed with Galaxy, Topaz, Mosaic and Citra hops (with Mosaic oil in the whirlpool and Citra oil in the bright tank).
I have to admit, given how much I loved this beer, the fact they’re still tinkering makes me a little concerned. But the other beers I’ve had from Self Care have also been exceptional. And other people I’ve talked with rave about Self Care.
I figure this brewery deserves my trust. And they deserve yours, too.
Learn more about Self Care at their website.
https://drinkselfcare.com/
