No, I'm not starting a Dry March.
For those of you who participated in Dry January and, come the third month of the year, have continued to stave off alcohol consumption, I tip my hat to you. You are doing wonderfully and should keep up the good work with my full support behind you.
I didn't abstain from alcohol in January or February because I was at an all-inclusive resort on the Mexican Riviera for the end of the first month and beginning of the second, and while the drinks are somewhat watered down, there was no resisting the sweet and refreshing cocktails.
With the start of March, I haven't given any thought to spending the month without an alcoholic beverage—my birthday is this weekend, after all, and I will likely raise a glass to my continued good health—but I have started the month with a brew that has no booze.
Last weekend, when I was in my neighbourhood LCBO, purchasing an assortment of beer for my father, who was celebrating his birthday, I spied a colourful can across the aisle from the stacks of Ontario craft beer, and my eyes told me that the beer was from one of my favourite breweries, Collective Arts, in Hamilton (again, another Southern Ontario brewery). Looking at the other cans and bottles around it, I realized that this colourful can was in the non-alcoholic beer section, and further reading the label, I discovered that this Collective Arts offering was also alcohol-free.
I picked up a couple of cans, thinking, why the hell not? I'm glad I added them to my shopping basket.
Let's take a closer look at the brew that has started my birthday month.
Collective Arts Brewing
Hamilton ON
Appearance: true to its name, it pours a hazy, pale straw with a foamy, white head that leaves a thin cap and changes to a tight lace. Effervescent bubbles cling to the glass for the most part of the ale going down in the glass as I drank it.
Nose: strong citrus notes, mostly lemon, but they're tempered with undertones of pineapple.
Palate: lemongrass and more citrus, a touch of lychee and a light, green tea, with well-balanced hops. It's not as watery as many non-alcoholic ales are but there is a paleness that comes through, briefly, in the finish. Overall, it's a very flavourful brew and is hard to distinguish as alcohol-free.
Overall impression: I could drink this ale all day (literally, as it wouldn't impair me). Collective Arts has brewed this beer as a traditional New England-style pale ale, using a unique yeast that, in their words, "brews a very low alcohol version of our classic hoppy beer." There are both Citra and Mosaic hops that are used in the making of this ale, which lends to the citrussy and tropical flavours. It's a great brew and one of the best non-alcoholic ales I've ever had.
Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺🍺🍺
There are precious few brews by Collective Arts that I haven't loved, and I would easily stock up on this offering for those days when I want a refreshing drink but don't want any booze. Give this Hazy Pale Ale a try.
Cheers!
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