by Liam Ford
Two B.C. breweries are facing the elephant in the craft-beer room head-on. With their latest non-alcoholic releases, East Van's Strange Fellows and Port Moody's Moody Ales are meeting the demands of a growing demographic.
Strange Fellows' latest effort — a sequel to their NEVERtheLESS Pale Ale (and similarly adorned with a playful pachyderm on the can) — is NEVERtheLESS IPA. The brewery calls it a classic hazy IPA, but it reminded me more of a West Coast variety in presentation and taste.Think Driftwood's infamous Fat Tug, minus the headache-inducing high ABV. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if both beers were brewed with similar hop bill. NEVERtheLESS IPA smacks you across the nose and tongue with a hefty dose of C hops, and the addition of lactose makes up (a little) for the lack of body that comes from removing alcohol. The can boasts "fruity" flavours, and the website suggests standard hazy IPA aromas of pineapple and stone fruit alongside pine and citrus, but it was the latter two that shone through for me.
Heading east of East Van, the Brewers Row stalwarts at Moody Ales have released a non-alcoholic Tropical Pale Ale that claims to bring the tropics to any season. Packaged in an eye-catching copper can, the Tropical Pale Ale styles itself as West Coast meets Southern Hemisphere with a blend of Citra, Galaxy, and Mosaic hops that give warm aromas of mango and papaya, offering a tantalizing taste of what's to come. Moody Ales will definitely find a market, and not only among the weekend warriors who make it to the farthest brewery from the SkyTrain and need something that'll slake their thirst without putting them over the edge.
Both brews are available now at Bevees in Port Coquitlam, home of Greater Vancouver's largest selection of booze-free beverages.
2748 Lougheed Hwy. Unit 203, Port Coquitlam
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