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.
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:
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:
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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:
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:
Follow Third Place Bar on IG: @thirdplacebarnyc
There you have it. This was no easy feat, but someone had to do it. Happy fall sippin’, y’all. 🍻 🍂
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AWAKE: Awakening the Senses in Colorado
Update: As of February 2023, AWAKE in Denver, CO is no longer open. This blog by our guest writer will continue to live on as a tribute to Colorado’s first non-alcoholic social space and bottle shop.
When bon vivants decide to go dry or cut back, alcohol is just a small part of what they miss. More often, it’s that communal feeling of sharing a moment with friends or a loved one over a cocktail. Very few restaurants and bars have sophisticated non-alcoholic menus that sufficiently recreate that experience.
Awake Denver fills this void. Established in 2021 by Billy & Christy Wynne, their mission is to provide a “safe, socially-conscious space that aims to inspire peace, joy, and justice-making” in the Denver area. Awake’s regular donations to charities reflect that commitment.
It’s not easy to be a venue that has the right vibe at any given time of day but Awake manages to pull this off. A coffeehouse in the morning, a place to meet for brunch on weekends, a lunch spot during the week, and hosting fun, often socially-conscious evening gatherings all feel at home in this cozy space in the Jefferson Park neighborhood.
On a beautiful spring day recently, we headed to Awake for Sunday brunch and live music. I started with their signature Bloody Mary—deliciously seasoned and crafted. My husband sampled from their wide variety of beers. Everything from basic Heineken 0.0 to Lagunitas IPNA to Grüvi’s dark stout is represented here for beer-lovers.
What got me most excited were the bubbles! Along with a decent wine list, the menu features sparkling wines from Grüvi, Noughty, and SOVI. I couldn’t resist creating my own flight to sample.
For those who lean more toward crafted cocktails, their menu changes seasonally while also providing classics such as Awake 75, Old Fashioneds, and Margaritas.
The food menu is rather limited, especially for vegans. We had a burrito, hummus, and almonds. All were fine, though clearly are not the focus of the menu.
If I were to add anything to this space, it would be to up the warmth factor with a few more couches and plants. The space can feel austere at times.
The service is always incredible. You can instantly tell when someone is happy to see you when walked in. Even short-staffed, David and Megan made us feel welcome.
The most magical thing about Awake happened once my husband and I were settled and the drinks came. We toasted, took a sip, and let out an audible “ahhh” — just like old times. Those who have gone sober or are considering doing so often think these moments are gone forever. Thanks to the burgeoning NA scene, they not only live on, but are more beautiful and memorable than before.
Summer hours
Monday: 7am-12pm
Tuesday: 7am-12pm
Wednesday: 7am-10pm
Thursday: 7am-10pm
Friday: 7am-10pm
Saturday: 8am-10pm
Sunday: 8am-8pm
2240 N Clay Street, Unit 100, Denver, Colorado 80211
(Across the street from Jefferson Park near Empower Field)
Elizabeth Ross Hubbell is a freelance writer and yogi passionate about living a plant-based, alcohol-free life. In addition to co-authoring several books on instruction, she has contributed to Sober Curator, Vegan Life Mag, Tiny Buddha, Center for Nutrition Studies, and Alcohol Change UK. She resides in Denver, Colorado.
Website: erhubbell.journoportfolio.com