Beer O'Clock: Emerald Stout

I'm not gonna lie: July was tough.

I've done a couple of Dry Julys in the past but this one seemed harder. It was hotter than usual. I went to a brewery with a buddy. I spent times on patios and in pubs, and visited friends at cottages.

And I did all of that without having any alcoholic beverages.

I think what made this Dry July so tough was that just before the start of the month, I visited a brewery and purchased a case of beer. I also had other beer in my basement fridge, in addition to several cans of non-alcoholic beer.

Every time I went to my beer fridge, I had to look at all of these tempting cans of true-brew. In past years where I've challenged myself to a Dry July, my fridge was emptied of real beer and I only kept a few cans of non-alcoholic beer.

For the most part, I drank sparkling water, lemonade, or the odd soda. But I really started craving one of those cans of beer in my fridge.

On my last weekend of July, DW and I were invited to a cottage, and I started giving some thought to what I'd want to drink while we relaxed with our friends. I had a couple of cans of a non-alcoholic lager but I was already tired of it and wanted something new.

While DW and I picked up other supplies at our neighbourhood Farm Boy, I made my way down the aisle of alcoholic drinks. Farm Boy made their own selection of NA cocktails but I wasn't in the mood for a mock paloma, mojito, or Moscow mule.

But to my surprise, in this aisle of regular beer, Farm Boy also made their own IPA and pale ale. I'll review the IPA, which I picked up but haven't yet tried, in an upcoming post.

What really caught my attention was that the shelf also had some NA brews from one of my favourite Ontario breweries, Collective Arts. They had their Hazy Pale Ale, which I've already reviewed, an IPA, and a stout.

My eyes focused on the stout and I proceeded to take half of them off the shelf.

I brought several up to the cottage and have been finishing up my Dry July with them. Let's take a closer look.

Emerald Stout (0.4% ABV)
Collective Arts Brewing
Hamilton ON

Appearance: pours a dark walnut with a foamy, beige head that quickly settles to a fine lace.

Nose: dark-roast coffee and cigar

Palate: smoky cedar immediately hits the taste buds, followed up with espresso and cocoa powder. The finish is dry, with a medium body, though a bit watery at the very end, but it had me eager for my next sip.

Overall impression: if I had been poured a glass of this stout without being shown the label, I would have sworn this was a regular stout. Emerald Stout is awesome.

Beer O'Clock rating: 🍺🍺🍺

I've said this many times before: Collective Arts never puts out a bad brew and this non-alcoholic stout is no exception. Had I discovered Emerald Stout at the start of July, I would have made it my go-to bevvy.

It's way better than Guinness 0.

You can find Emerald Stout at your friendly neighbourhood LCBO and at fine grocery stores, like Farm Boy.

Cheers!