This non-alcoholic trend has reached even the most OG of American craft brewers! Oregon's beloved Deschutes has created a non-alcoholic (well, minimal at least) version of its incredibly popular IPA, Fresh Squeezed.

And so we simply have to put them toe-to-toe and see how the Non-Alcoholic version holds up to the classic!

Deschutes, which rose up amidst the 1990's American IPA boom, has become a staple in the craft beer scene, having set the reference for a range of classic styles from IPA's to Porter's and Stout's, many of which have topped any list of all time great's.

But first let's talk alittle bit about this Non-Alcoholic (or NA) trend - it's big, that's for sure! Big enough that numerous major brewers have heeded the call. And why would anyone want Non-Alcoholic beer you might ask, well much of it is personal to do with one's consumption - it could range from wanting to have all of the flavours without the effects of alcohol, or simply to cut back on alcohol consumption altogether. Yet, one of the biggest misconceptions is that a Non-Alcoholic beer is made much in the way of a soda or a mocktail, where the ingredients and its flavours are simply assembled and then served - that's not the case at all!

In fact, Non-Alcoholic beer goes through fermentation just as well! There are then three broad methods used to turn that otherwise standard alcoholic beer non-alcoholic - 1. De-alcoholization (Involves heating the beer under pressure or passing it through a membrane, basically stripping out the alcohol, however the heat used may affect the flavour), 2. Alternative Fermentation (Less common as it involves using specially made yeast that also makes it more difficult to recreate the same flavours), and 3. Dilution (Adding water until the alcohol concentration dips below 0.5% ABV). Most breweries keep it a secret how they achieve their Non-Alcoholic brews, and many apply multiply methods in varying degrees at different stages of the brewing process.

And so heading back to Deschutes, let's cover our base and talk about the standard Fresh Squeezed IPA which will serve as our benchmark - remember the goal is for the Non-Alcoholic version to taste as similar to the standard IPA as possible! 

The Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA is a cult classic, and is made with 2 Row malt, Munich malt and Crystal malt, along with Citra and Mosaic hops, brewed to 6.4% ABV. As for the Deschutes Fresh Squeezed Non-Alcoholic IPA, it seems the brewery has gone with a proprietary de-alcoholization method that removes alcohol produced in the brewing process and allows the beer to fully ferment with a little alcohol remaining.

Time for the taste test showdown! Let's go!

Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA, 6.4% ABV - Review

Tasting Notes

Colour: Amber

Aroma: Leads with big juicy apricots, scoops of honey, with a light breadiness coming through as well. It feels rich and fuller in aroma, with a light sourness of fermenting dough that wafts about.

Taste: Really smooth here, it's honeyed with more juicy fruits of fully ripe apricots and pineapples, along with a light slick of diesel and day-old cut grass. It leans just slightly sweet, with not much bitterness at all - it's very well-balanced in that sense, just a mellow bit of honey. It's got good richness, it's medium-bodied, feels fuller in flavour with a good maltiness too.

Finish: A kiss of floral and vegetal hoppiness. It gets alittle more dry and bitter here, stood up to with a bit of honey. It's lightly carbonated, with some thin notes of cut grass and diesel in the aftertaste.

My Thoughts 

This is altogether a very well-balanced East Coast style IPA - it leads with big juicy fruits that are really juicy on the nose, with basically no hint of hoppiness, and then on the palate we get a mix of the fruits along with some honey, and more of that hoppiness comng through in the form of diesel and cut grass. On the palate it's neither too sweet nor all that bitter, and into the finish the hoppiness comes through more prominently with just a slight nippy bitterness but also showcases a more floral side to the hops.

Overall, it's got a great body, good freshness, feels fuller in flavour, really juicy and bold, with great textures. 

Deschutes Fresh Squeezed Non-Alcoholic IPA, <0.5% ABV - Review

Tasting Notes

Colour: Amber

Aroma: Definitely feels cleaner here, more wheat coming through as well, along with some wheat biscuits. It has this neutral isotonic quality that's fills up much of the nose. This is then coloured by some fruit cordial - peach and oranges, assorted fruit punch.

Taste: Again, it is cleaner here. It does deliver brighter fruits, with more tinned peaches and apricots. It's not particularly malty but there is more honey. Medium-bodied and not quite as rich, although it is still showing some moderate richness on the whole. It comes through sweeter, with no hoppiness whatsoever. Finally we're back to some of that assorted fruit punch cordial.

Finish: Clean finish, the fruit punch cordial makes it through to the end, as does some light notes of peaches and a light foamy sourness, with a touch of wheat.

My Thoughts

The NA Fresh Squeezed version is rather interesting. Instead of potentially coming off as being less bold or flatter than the standard version, it almost feels entirely different!

The good news is that the fruits are definitely more vibrant here, although at times coming in a rather eclectic form of fruit punch cordial. The not so good news is that it definitely doesn't feel as rich or as malty as the standard version - although it is by no means thin, it's just closer to medium-bodied and moderate richness. It also interestingly sports no hoppiness whatsoever! 

On the whole, I will say it is a very enjoyable drink, even if it kind of feels different - it stands on its own and you definitely don't feel like you're missing out on much. 

The Bottom Line

For starters, it was great to revisit an American cult classic, the Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA, which never fails to remind me of how it is such a sterling example of a well-balanced, benchmark East Coast IPA. It's got good richness, good maltiness, good body, juicy fruits and some hoppiness coming through into the end, evenly matched between sweet and bitter.

Now, the Deschutes Fresh Squeezed Non-Alcoholic IPA was really interesting - more vibrant fruits, less maltiness and slightly less richness, no hoppiness at all, with a very peculiar taste of fruit punch cordial. It was nevertheless very enjoyable, but did feel completely different from the standard version.

Success? More like a mixed bag - it's really impressive the NA version which I did find very tasty and felt like it could stand on its own as a solid beverage that I'd go for. That said, it doesn't seem to deliver the same identity and flavours as the standard version, which kind of feels like it hasn't quite proven itself to be a like-for-like replica sans the alcohol.

That said, do try it for yourself, I'm sure you will find yourself some interesting takes.

Kanpai!

@111hotpot