When non-alcoholic beers in the craft spectrum started to come out, there seemed to be a split between those who went for a clear variant and those who went for hazy. Bach were first out with their All Day IPA, which was clear. Garage Project followed with Tiny, which was hazy. Sawmill went clear with a pale ale, Good George went hazy, Epic clear, Sprig & Fern hazy, Deep Creek clear, Brothers hazy … etcetera. Then Bach made a hazy version of All Day, which to me seemed like the pinnacle of the genre. It is very good. State of Play had a clear beer and then a hazy, Nectaron Unfiltered, which is excellent. Before you know it, Bach were back with a clear beer, All Day Pilsner and that made me rethink my opinion that hazies were the best medium for non-alcoholic beers because of the extra mouthfeel they deliver. At this point my head was spinning — and then Garage Project came out with another variant on Tiny Anytime XPA, a clear beer. And now, with this on the back of the Bach non-alc pilsner, I’m certain that clear is the way to go: this is superb. It’s clean and fresh, pours with a loose but large head that dissipates slowly (unlike many other hazies that lack the proteins to keep a shapely head), and most of all it tastes like beer. Perhaps the high point is the lingering aftertaste of gently-tuned hops. Honestly, I feel I can now call myself an expert in this non-alc field — I’ve tried so many from around the world — and this is one of the very best.
