Beer O'Clock: Red

There was no way that I could participate in Dry January this year. As of the publishing date of this post, I'm away, on vacation, and have already, in all likelihood, consumed more alcoholic beverages than I had had in the first part of this month.

But for those of you who are doing your best at abstaining from beer for this month and are looking for variety as January draws to a close, I've picked out a non-alcoholic beer that just might hold off any temptation for the real deal. Though, I have to admit, I'm not crazy about this one.

I've tried many booze-free beers from the Toronto brewers at Partake in the past. Their pale ale and stout are stellar non-alcoholic brews, and their IPA is definitely worth a try, too. I've even enjoyed their peach gose on a hot summer's day, and it's quenched my thirst.

Today, I'm going to try another style that I recently spied in my local Farm Boy grocery store. I'm not especially a big fan of Irish-style red ales but I've been known to have a few and have a respectful admiration of them. I can certainly review them with an objective mind and know what to expect in this style.

So let's get straight into it.

Red (0.3% ABV; 25 calories)
Partake Brewing
Toronto ON

Appearance: pours a deep copper-brown with a beige head that pours foamy but settles to a solid, creamy cap. The effervescence is lively at first and large bubbles cling to the sides of the glass, but after it has settled, minute pearls rise steadily to the surface.

Nose: I caught distinct vegetal aromas, like cooked green beans, backed by a hint of caramel. It was a strange combination of scents and I couldn't tell if I liked it or not.

Palate: the green beans seemed to continue in the mouth and this time, it married with a watery flavour of tea, almost like a weak Earl Grey. The finish is short and watery, at first, but successive sips leave an aftertaste of that tea flavour.

Overall impression: I have to admit that I found the vegetal aroma and flavour to be a bit off-putting. I'm a bit of a fussy eater when it comes to cooked vegetables and green beans rank fairly high on my 'will not eat' list. So you can imagine that I don't like tasting it in my beer.

There's something in this aroma profile that makes me think of those old McCain frozen mini pizzas every time I raise the glass to my mouth and breathe in through my nose.

Weird.

While I expect caramel notes in the nose, I also expect them to come through in the mouth and I just wasn't getting that. The vegetal notes and the tea flavour cover any caramel. I also found the brew to be more bitter and less malty than I would expect from a red.

And, with all non-alcoholic beer that Partake produces, there's a wateriness that lets you know there's no alcohol in the can.

I have to say that the fifth style that I've had from Partake is a bit disappointing for me. It doesn't capture the essence of an Irish red ale.

Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺

When I visited Partake's Web site, I noticed that they have a limited release of a hazy IPA, and I'm tempted to try it, though, because I left Canada the day after I wrote this post, I doubt that I'll have an opportunity to do so. But because I've had such good luck with their other brews, I can confidently recommend that you give it a try if you can. Let me know if you have had it and give me your opinion of it in the Comments section.