Beer of the Week: Juicy Crisp

From the Beer Writer: Some people refer to non-alcoholic suds as “near beer,” and Kearny Mesa-based Two Roots Brewing goes as far as to scribe it across the label of its newest offering. I have a term I’ve used far more often than not to describe N/A beer over the years: garbage. To be fair, I’ve also thrown out terms like “undrinkable” and “nowhere near beer”, but I digress. Today’s post isn’t about bagging on this subsect of the beer kingdom. It’s actually about praising the aforementioned Two Roots for their work in elevating this category, particularly in the case of this week’s featured beer, Juicy Crisp, an alcohol-free hazy IPA. Most N/A beers first transmit their inferiority via their bouquets, but with a nose of mango, pineapple and papaya, this could pass for an everyday New England-style IPA. While the beer’s body is too thin to keep up the charade, grassy, piney, citrus and lemon balm notes make for a hoppy offering far better than its dealcoholized contemporaries. And that lighter texture is forgivable given a 12-ounce can of Juicy Crisp brings with it just 20 calories and five carbs. Life is a series of trade-offs, but with this N/A IPA, one doesn’t have to give up nearly as much as they would with similar guilt- (and flavor-)free beers.

From the Brewer: “Juicy Crisp alcohol-free IPA is a low-calorie and 0% ABV (alcohol-by-volume) version of a modern IPA. It is designed to bring maximum hoppy and fruity character along with low sweetness, a crisp drinking experience and zero guilt. The aroma is extremely complex. Cantaloupes, nectarines, eucalyptus and orange blossom jump out of the glass along with pungent tropical guava, mango and papaya as well as fresh, citrusy hoppiness. The flavor fresh-citrusy hoppy with a touch of nutty malt character and some rose-petal-like floral notes. The mouthfeel is ultra-dry with a fizzy, mouth-filling carbonation; insanely drinkable! This beer finishes with a round, soft bitterness on the tongue and lingering citrus-zest flavors, grapefruit in particular. Juicy Crisp is made with two-row, flaked oats, malted wheat and honey malt; Mosaic, Amarillo, Cashmere and Comet hops; plus Grapefruit and Orange oils.”—Kevin Barnes, Executive Vice President of Brewing Operations, Two Roots Brewing