5 of the Best Non-Alcoholic Stouts and Dark Beers for St. Patrick’s Day
It’s almost St. Patrick’s Day and that means reaching for a dark or stout beer. If you’re living a life with less alcohol, I’ve got you covered in my latest guest post for Some Good Clean Fun: a list of five of the best non-alcoholic stouts to add to your cart this year, and demonstrating there really is something for everyone!
Why are stouts such a big deal in Ireland?
The origin story* of what we now know as a stout beer takes us on a few twists and turns before landing in Ireland. We begin this lesson in un-drunk history in the UK, traveling back several hundred years to the Middle Ages. Then, “stout” meant “strong” (as in a higher ABV) and the word could apply to any color or type of beer: you could ask for a dark stout or a pale one, like an ale. Their common thread? Both would get you tipsy, and fast. Stouts were popular with olde English porters (i.e., the guys who transported all sorts of stuff by foot) because they were cheap, took longer to spoil, were mostly unaffected by heat, and were strong. So popular were they with porters that stouts took on a whole new name: porter stout. Large amounts were being imported into Ireland; so some guy named Arthur Guinness became a brewer (and maybe you’ve heard of him?). And while iIn England, people preferred sweeter milk stouts, but in Ireland, they tended to be brewed dryer and less sweet. Fast forward many years, and this is what is now known as the Irish stout.
What is a non-alcoholic stout?
A non-alcoholic stout is a dark, full-bodied beer that has been brewed to contain 0.5% ABV or less. It retains the rich, roasted malt flavors of coffee, chocolate, and caramel found in traditional stouts.
How is alcohol-removed from stout beers?
When making non-alcoholic stout, brewers either adjust the mash temperature to keep alcohol levels very low in the tank, or remove the alcohol after brewing through methods like vacuum distillation or filtration. Since alcohol adds body, many breweries adjust the recipe with specialty malts or add nitrogen carbonation to maintain a smooth and creamy texture. The result is a dark beer that delivers the depth and character of a classic stout without the alcohol.
And now, here are four non-alcoholic stouts and a dark beer you should try for this St. Patrick’s Day.
Best if you just want a classic Guinness without the alcohol
Remember that guy, Arthur Guinness? I think he was onto something. When you think of Irish beer, and especially stouts, Guinness immediately comes to mind. What I love about Guinness 0.0 (FYI - I’ve never actually had the leaded version) is how smooth of a pour it is, and we can thank the can’s nitro contraption for that. It’s been five minutes since I poured the beer into my pint glass and I’m here to report that there is still a foamy head! The power of nitro! The color is a gorgeous dark brown with a cream-colored head. On tasting, there’s some sweetness tempered by the bitterness, which is par for the course when talking about an Irish stout. Malty, toasty and roasty, this brew is both a splurge and a nutritional steal, clocking in at only 60 calories for the whole can. Thank you, Arthur!