I ditched alcohol back in December of 2018. Prior to that, I was a dedicated craft beer drinker, fully immersed in the craft scene, snatching up local limited releases, visiting tap rooms as often as possible, and posting beer photos to my social feeds. For a while after quitting, I wasn’t interested in non-alcoholic beer options. Then a friend posted a photo of an NA beer he was enjoying after playing tennis (more on that beer later). A few quick searches and clicks later, and I realized there was a growing craft non-alcoholic beer scene. I was hooked. Craft NA provides me with all of the things I enjoyed about craft beer. The ritual. The can art. The glassware. All of those things. And none of the consequences. I digress. This is the first of many posts featuring my favorite non-alcoholic beers.
If you’re familiar with Colorado cannabis, you might know CERIA Brewing Company from their THC-infused non-alcoholic beers (which I’ll review separately soon!). If you’re not familiar, here’s a little background. Keith Villa founded Blue Moon Brewing Company, he’s the creator of that world-famous Belgian White Belgian-Style Wheat Ale. After retiring from Blue Moon, Villa founded CERIA Brewing Company, and brought the first cannabis-infused beer to market in Colorado. The first THC beer CERIA offered was Grainwave, a non-alcoholic beer that mimics Blue Moon’s style and flavor profile, and is infused with 5mg of THC (perfect for microdosers like myself!). The brand followed up with Indiewave IPA, a true-to-style non-alcoholic India Pale Ale, infused with a 1:1 ratio of 10mg of THC and 10mg of CBD. Those cannabis-infused CERIA beers are available at dispensaries throughout Colorado. But let’s talk about these new NA beers from CERIA Brewing Company!
Now CERIA Brewing Company has added NA beers to the mix. The initial lineup of non-alcoholic beers includes Grainwave and Indiewave…
Indiewave West Coast India Pale Ale
Let’s start with Indiewave. India Pale Ale is undoubtedly the most popular style in the craft beer world. It makes sense that it’s also one of the more popular craft NA styles. I’ve tried just about every one of them. Indiewave immediately became my favorite. To me, it’s the one that most feels like a traditional West Coast IPA. It’s balanced, and has a real hop bite thanks to Cascade, Citra, and Amarillo, famous players in those popular traditional IPAs. More than any other NA IPA I’ve tried so far, Indiewave has that combination of balance and “real beer” taste that some other NA beers are lacking.
Details:
- Less than 0.5% ABV
- Hops: Cascade, Citra, Amarillo
- 99 calories
$12.99 | Buy CERIA Brewing Indiewave West Coast IPA Online
Available in the Denver metro at Total Wine.
Grainwave Belgian White-Style Ale
While I’ve never gone out of my way for Belgian White Ales, I like this beer. A lot. Grainwave captures that spicy Belgian White-Style flavor profile that its predecessor made famous. You could dress this beer up with an orange slice, but it’s not necessary. It tastes great on its own. If you’re a fan of Belgian beers, and want a non-alcoholic option, Grainwave is the one for you. I’ll be keeping this on hand in my fridge as much as possible.
Details:
- Less than 0.5% ABV
- 77 calories
$12.99 | Buy CERIA Brewing Company Grainwave Belgian White-Style Ale Online
Available in the Denver metro at Total Wine.
Enjoying a mid-ride CERIA Indiewave IPA at Hidden Mesa Park near Castle Rock, CO. Mitch Kline
Photos by Mitch Kline.