Best Dark NA Beers for Fall Vibes
Craft non-alcoholic beer is having a moment. Once upon a (recent) time, all you could find was O’Doul’s. Now, craft NA is everywhere. Here’s a look at some of the best non-alc dark brews (ports, stouts, seasonals) around for those crisp, cozy fall vibes.
Narrowing things down was a practically impossible task. Not even four to five years ago, our list would have been much, much shorter. And yes, O’Doul’s gets its fair share of grief, but that little beer that could, in fact, well, did. It was the only option available in the USA for almost 30 years until a small craft brewery in Connecticut launched in 2017. Athletic Brewing — maybe you’ve heard of it? Since then, NA beer is widely available across the country, ranging from large NA craft breweries like Athletic and mid-size ones like Wellbeing, RationAle, and Go Brewing to Big Alcohol providing options too, with NA brews from Budweiser, Coors, Lagunitas, and Sam Adams (just to name a few). Our neighbors up north in Canada are trailblazing too, with more and more Canadian NA brands (beer and otherwise) and if we travel across the pond, we’ll hit the NA epicenter. For those just dipping their toes into the adult non-alc world, the UK is really the heartbeat of no and low. Naturally, some British brands make their way to our list. But devoting time and space to NA in the UK is another blog post for another day.
So let’s take a look at these brews, sourced by yours truly and some friends in the NA community. These chosen few are a testament to just how far we’ve come with craft NA beer.
Ginger Espresso Beer-Tini, High Street Tonics
Go Brewing’s Street Cred Nitro Bold combines two of my favorite things: coffee + NA dark beer. Go Brewing out of Chicago is one to watch. I’m not the only one who’s obsessed.
Cheri Hammons and the High Street Tonics team chose this as their fave, and here’s why:
“We love Go Brewing’s Street Cred Nitro Bold. The smooth notes of espresso and cocoa make it a perfect fall sipper, and also make it a perfect ingredient in our well loved Ginger Espresso Beer-Tini.”
Ginger Espresso Beer-Tini:
1.5 oz Go Brewing Nitro Bold
1.5 oz Lyre’s coffee spirit
.5 oz High Street Tonics Ginger Turmeric Tonic
2 dropperfuls High Street Tonics Aromatic Bitters
Follow High Street Tonics on IG: @highstreettonics
Bravus Brewing Co.’s Oatmeal Dark got two votes from some pretty heavy hitters in the NA industry. Let’s see what they had to say about this toasty brew.
Douglas Watters, co-founder of Spirited Away (the USA’S first brick and mortar non-alcoholic bottle shop) and Dry Atlas, a non-alc industry and reviews-based website, says:
“Of the 16 stouts and 3 porters on Dry Atlas, I’m likely to grab a Bravus Oatmeal Stout. Like Guinness, it looks much heavier and more calorific than it actually is. A rich, velvety stout with notes of chocolate, coffee, and a hint of caramel—a comforting brew for cooler evenings. ”
Follow Douglas and Victoria Watters on IG: @spiritedaway.co & @dryatlas
Derek Brown, author of Mindful Mixology and co-founder of Mindful Drinking Fest (in addition to being the former proprietor of DC’s famed inclusive hospitality hotspot, Columbia Room) also raves about Bravus’ Oatmeal Dark:
“I love a good NA stout when it gets colder. This one is creamy, delicious goodness with notes of roasted coffee, caramel, and a slight sweetness. ”
Follow Derek Brown on IG: @positivedamageinc
Partake Brewing’s Oktoberfest is a Sober October dream and clocks in at only 30 calories to boot. Our Canadian friends are getting a lot right in the NA world these days, and Partake has been doing the damn thing for years now (maybe the first NA beer I ever saw at Total Wine and More).
I’m not the only one in love with this seasonal release. Tawny Lara, author of Dry Humping: A Guide to Dating, Releating, and Hooking Up Without the Booze votes for this brew as well.
“Partake Oktoberfest is freaking delish. Honestly, everything Partake makes is incredible. ”
Follow Tawny Lara on IG: @tawnymlara
Deschutes Brewery’s NA Black Butte Porter - and Untitled Art’s Chocolate Milk Dark Brew got an interesting combo vote. FYI, I’ve never heard of the former, let alone tried it, so please hold while I run to Deschutes’ website to order this bad boy (note: only ships to Oregon, Virginia, and DC).
Our combo vote comes from industry darlings Ian and Carly Blessing of All the Bitter.
“Honestly, we don’t drink much dark beer, but Deschuttes Black Butte Porter (non-alc) comes closer than just about anything to nailing the style. For a decadent treat we love to mix it 50/50 with Untitled Art’s non-alc Chocolate Milk Dark Brew.”
Follow ATB on IG: @allthebitter
MMM. I might have to try this combo and add some ATB chocolate mole bitters!
Athletic Brewing Co.’s Dark & Gourdy pumpkin ale is a natural fit for a fall roundup. Rumor has it the beer (which I’ve never tasted!?) has notes of chocolate, coffee, and obviously, pumpkin!
Olivia Sears, cofounder and CEO of BuzzCutt, a U.S.-based NA discovery app, loves this pumpkin ale.
“Athletic’s [Dark & Gourdy] is soooooo tasty. I was never a fan of fall flavor beers when I did drink, but there’s something about this non-alc one that hits different. It feels like the flavors are even more intentional. ”
Follow BuzzCutt on IG: @buzzcuttco
While we’re on the Athletic train, here are some of my own faves: Lodge Life, a blink and you’ll miss it release, this campfire s’mores in a can does not disappoint and All Out Stout, the year-round dark brew in Athletic’s portfolio. I absolutely love a stout any time of the year. I know it’s not just me. Right? Bueller?
Another combo vote here: Mash Gang’s Superstack, Lo Tide’s Check This Stout, and Untitled Art’s Chocolate Milk Dark Brew. I get it, I get it. It’s always impossible for me to narrow down faves, so I 💯 respect this submission. Also, we finally get some brews from the UK here (Mash Gang and Lo Tide).
Cristina Torres, founder/owner of the always bustling NA shop and social space, Bendición Bottle Shop, has good taste.
“My current fave fall brews are Mash Gang’s “Super Stack”, Low Tides “Check This Stout”, and Untitled Art’s “Chocolate Dark Brew”.”
Follow Bendición Bottle Shop on IG: @bendicionbottleshop
Speaking of Mash Gang, I finally got to taste the UK’s answer to liquid gold when I stopped at Generation NA in Lafayette, IN on my summer cross-country road trip. I fell in love with the low alcohol coffee stout and can’t wait to try Cristina’s pick as soon as I’m able. I mean, blueberry blackcurrant maple sour what!?!
Lo Tide’s Check this Stout out of Bath, UK gets another vote! I really do need to check this one stout, er, out. I mean, just look at that stylish can.
The team at Generation NA’s ears must have been ringing when Cristina at Bendición mentioned one of her faves. Rob Theodorow and his rockstar team are loving this dark brew:
“The honeycomb aroma up front really sets the tone for a unique and flavorful fall experience. 🍻 🍫 🍯 ”
Follow Generation NA on IG: @generationna
Atmos Brewing Co.’s Barrel-Aged NA Milk Dark gets its first vote on our list. But gosh darn it, I can’t find this one anywhere and that just makes me sad. Atmos, if you’re reading this, please send me some Barrel-Aged NA Dark please and thank you? 😇
Our friend Tyler McMahon of Instagram page @reducaholic is a fan of this dark NA sip:
“My current go-to dark is Atmos Barrel-Aged Dark, primarily because I like when darks take on more complex flavors and still stay NA. Good beer with many of the characteristics of a barrel aged dark, and I still have a couple cans left (Laura’s note: lucky!).”
Follow Tyler on IG: @reducaholic
War Chief Collection’s Handcrafted Hop Porter, Guinness Draught 0.0, Wellbeing Brewing’s Intrepid Traveler Coffee Cream Stout, and Eighteen Twenty Brewing Co.’s Stand Up & Stout are my remaining picks, knowing I can’t actually list every single dark NA beer I’ve ever loved — and ever will love.
PS: if stouts and porters aren’t your thing, check out this list of NA beer brands on ZPN. You’ll find lagers, pilseners, IPAs, hazy IPAs, sours, goses, shandys, weisses, and just about everything else. Love hops but allergic to gluten? Try hopped seltzers and teas — take a peek here.
PPS: Sam Bail of Third Place Bar in NYC thinks of a different type of autumnal beer:
“ My favorite fall beer is the Untitled Art Juicy IPA. It’s such an amazing hazy hoppy juicy gem, perfect for the golden fall weather. This was one of the first NA beers I tried when I stopped drinking and it made me go, “Yup, this is the way to go!””
Follow Third Place Bar on IG: @thirdplacebarnyc