Author: Justin Lamb

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, hailing from Chico, California, has been a trailblazer in the craft beer world since the 1980s. Known for their iconic Pale Ale and adventurous IPA offerings, Sierra Nevada has recently dipped a toe into the non-alcoholic beer world, much like a kid launching a Hot Wheels car off a homemade ramp and hoping for the best. With their new Trail Pass IPA, they’re revving up for a different kind of journey. This week, we are drinking Trail Pass IPA from Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. This golden, clear brew hits the scent center with a bold whiff…

Industrial Arts Brewing, based in Beacon, NY, is known for blending precision with passion to craft beers that appeal to both hop heads and malt mavens alike. Their lineup showcases a variety of well-balanced brews that often pay homage to the industrial roots of their Hudson Valley home. While their reputation for quality craftsmanship is well-earned, not every brew can hit the bullseye for every drinker—including this particular pour. This week, we are drinking Safety Glasses IPA from Industrial Arts Brewing. As an IPA, the expectation is for a crisp, hop-forward experience with perhaps a citrusy whisper or a piney…

Blue Moon Brewing, hailing from Golden, Colorado, has long been the gateway beer for many budding craft enthusiasts. Their Belgian White is a staple in bars and ballparks, often sporting a hefty orange wedge as its signature garnish. While Blue Moon has never been the most adventurous brewery, their decision to dip a toe into the non-alcoholic pool is interesting. Given their mass appeal, it’s only natural they’d offer a booze-free brew to appease the sober-curious crowd. But does it live up to the expectations of the OG Blue Moon loyalists? How Does It Pour? How Does It Smell? This…

Detroit may be known for muscle cars and Motown, but Eastern Market Brewing Company is making a case for adding non-alcoholic beer to Motor City’s legacy. Hailing from the heart of Michigan’s largest public market, Eastern Market Brewing Company thrives on innovation, offering a variety of craft creations for beer lovers of all kinds. While Michigan hasn’t quite hit the gas on the non-alcoholic scene, Eastern Market Brewing Company is throwing its hat in the ring, and this week, we’re taking a sip of their sour side. How Does It Pour? How Does It Smell? This week, we’re drinking Tangerine…

Hidden Path Brewing, based in Beverly, Massachusetts, operates as a subsidiary of Wandering Soul Beer, crafting non-traditional beverages that focus on hop-forward flavors. Among their offerings is a lineup of hop waters, a growing trend in the craft beer scene. With more breweries experimenting with hop-infused sparkling water, Hidden Path Brewing throws its hat into the ring with multiple variations, each showcasing a different hop blend. How Does It Pour? How Does It Smell? This week, we are drinking Sparkling Hop Water from Hidden Path Brewing. Unlike beer, hop water ditches the malt and alcohol, relying solely on hops for…

Let me start by welcoming this brew from Encinitas, California, and provide a disclaimer on this and the upcoming RationAle Brewing reviews. As a newer brewery, they have gone through some changes in their naming and recipe variations. I am drinking a style that has since changed its name and maybe its recipe, so I will try the newer version soon and report back on that, too. It’s similar to Athletic Brewing changing their Double IPA to their Hazy IPA. It’s still called Free Wave, but it’s a different name and arguably a different recipe. Let’s travel to the West…

We’re no strangers to the delectable delights that BrewDog offers in the NA space. Originally from across the pond, BrewDog is set up in Columbus, Ohio, and features one of the few bars where you can get draft NA beer. If you’re a fan of these reviews, this is not news to you, but if you’re new, then whoop-dee-doo! This week, we’re drinking Centennial Riot by BrewDog. Now, there are no initial markings of style on the can, and even a check on Untappd will give you some different ideas as to what you are drinking, so I didn’t know…

Truth be told, Nonny isn’t new to me, as my last video review was for a Nonny beer, but it still sits in the vault awaiting editing, so for now, let me introduce you to a friend from the north. Nonny Beer is out of Vancouver, Canada. They have a few different beers to their name and are excited to be a part of our foreign American customs of crushing NA beer like champs. With that in mind, let’s see what they have to offer us, shall we! Dark Lager from Nonny Beer. This week, we are drinking Dark Lager…

Well, there are not too many Florida references I enjoy, but this week, a brewery from outside Chicago takes us there, and I am here for it. However, before we get to the beer, let’s talk about the brewery. Go Brewing from Naperville, IL, came up out of nowhere and was all of a sudden the primary subject of friends and colleagues sending me pictures with the text “Have you tried this yet?” First, the answer was yes, but second, the question to the question was, “Which one?” As a relatively new brewery in the NA space, Go Brewing is…

Get excited and get spacey because this week, we are joined by our faithful friend from the freakiest coast. I’m talking about Best Day Brewing, a brewery that popped up out of nowhere one day with three kick-ass brews and has returned with a new galactic treat. I want to mention that I believe I previously credited Best Day Brewing to Waunakee, Wisconsin, but in truth, it seems they only distribute through the Midwest and actually find themselves firmly planted in California. That’s probably why their hops are so damn dank and fresh. Galaxy Ripple Imperial IPA from Best Day…

Whether you are already Sober AF, sober curious, or ready to dive into Dry January, this is the ultimate list of tasty treats for you to try during the 12 days of NA Beers. This action-packed timeline, shy of two weeks, will get you various flavors you never knew were possible from the non-alcoholic beer world. From barrel-aged stouts to milkshake IPAs, you will surely get a festive flavor punch right to your face hole (mouth)! (Please note this article was initially published in 2021. Information, links, and recommendations have since been updated.) The 12 NA Beers of Christmas: GRAVITAS…

We’re hoping to make a new friend this week with a new brewery from the land of 10,000 lakes. Lupulin Brewing is coming to us from Big Lake, Minnesota, and they are coming out of the gate strong with a couple of favorite features of mine, personally, but also with a flavor combo that hopefully sets the bar for the rest of the tasty treats we find from them as we go. This week, we are drinking NA CPB from Lupulin Brewing. You know I like big cans for my big hands, and this one is no exception as I…

Never have I felt so out of the loop as when I went into a bottle shop in my own state and found an entire shelf of different beers from a brewery I had never heard of. How long was I out? Enter Mash Gang. Mash Gang comes to us from across the pond, which may explain my lack of run-ins, but they come in heavy and hard with a large variety of NA beers, and to top it off, they are all mostly unique, flavorful, and fun. Look for more tasty trials from this UK brewery. This week, we…

We have bumped mugs with Southern Grist Brewing before when we tried Beacon, their juicy IPA. The beer wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t sticking out amongst a sea of NA IPAs. That said, the brewery’s location and the magic that comes from there must be mentioned again. We’re joined again this week by Waunakee, Wisconsin. I imagine this is the unofficial beer capital of the state because this is one of many breweries we have tried from that city, and we only review NA beers, so just imagine. This week, we are drinking Company Pils by Southern Grist Brewing. The…

With the cold weather coming, or maybe even already engulfing your local environment, it’s important to remember how much we can get a sense of warmth and a side of smiles with a yummy beverage. In addition, autumn brings with it some of the year’s favorite flavors, whether it’s pumpkin, chocolate, nutmeg, or just that classic roasted malt you have come to expect from your favorite brewery’s seasonal offering. With all that in mind, now is a great time to stock up on some of the best NA beers this season offers, and here they are! #10 – Ted Seger’s…

Sarah Alaimo is a Career Happiness Coach, Sobriety Advocate, and a sober wife and mother. She discusses growing up in her household as an older sister in Southern California. Sarah discusses starting therapy in high school for disordered eating and the lack of meaningful communication in her home when she was younger. She also discusses college, how the expectations of others were the first to point her in a career direction, and how that relationship ending coincided with the beginning of partying. Sarah then discusses her career in recruiting and how that lifestyle leaned into increased alcohol use. She then…

Dust off your glasses and bring your bricks back from Bremerton because this week, we have a brand-new brewery on Happy Every Hour. Welcome and salutations to Ration Ale (Rationale) Brewing. Hailing from California and full of that chill West Coast attitude, Rationale has a pretty relatable philosophy to us here at The Sober Curator. From their website: Culture may try to define the drinking rules, but we couldn’t care less.We make our own rules. And we live in the now.Because today is a damn good day, and we’ll crush it however we want. With a line of four brews,…

The sober and sober-curious are no strangers to the relationship between alcohol and obscure holidays. Whether the Spring season found you up at dawn with green beer on St. Patrick’s Day, or knee deep in a bottomless margarita on Cinco De Mayo, there was a time you may have thought the deliciousness of the celebration was over forever. I am here today to tell you that you can be sober and not boring. While St. Patrick’s Day gave us Guinness 0.0 and a selection of non-alcoholic Irish Red Ales, Cinco de Mayo proves to offer up even more. First up,…

In the summer of 2004, I left two restaurant jobs and moved across the country with my ex. We both grew up in Michigan. We were moving to sunny California, each for different reasons. Her Honda CR-V was packed full of all of her belongings, and even a piece of furniture I took apart and later reassembled. My belongings, or at least what I could fit into her car, were some clothes in a suitcase. We also packed a box of tampons with rolled joints and picked up a case of Charles Shaw (Two Buck Chuck for you Trader Joe’s…

As we ramp up into an age where we have a day or month to celebrate or raise awareness for just about anything (What are you doing for International Talk Like a Pirate Day? I celebrate privately), it’s no surprise that we have a Caffeine Awareness Month. The real surprise to many people may be the reason you’re reading about it on a site dedicated to sobriety. Certainly, those in recovery know how to celebrate caffeine, as coffee is the only thing more consistent at an AA meeting than denial, but why should we be aware of it?   Caffeine is…

Do you often find yourself drinking NA beer and wondering why there is no niche market specifically for metalheads who don’t drink? Well, wonder no more! Your headbanging prayers have been answered. KittiePig is a brand born from two heavy rock bands: Kittie and We Are Pigs. The goal is to fill a gap that they observed in those specific venues catering to the low-end roars and high-end guitars. This week, we are drinking Saska Berry Blonde by Kittie Pig. Expectations are high, as the marketing for this brew is one of the best things I have ever seen. When…

Pittsburgh gives us many great things to love, and not just hills and bridges! It also provides hip locales, delicious food, and finally: an NA beer. Two Frays Brewery in Pittsburgh has been hitting it and quitting it in Pittsburgh for seven years, and they have now included the sober community in their family of fun friends and furballs (their dogs, Zeus and Iris). The “You Do You” series of NA beers features everything from sours to porter IPAs, which is a combination that makes no sense, and I am excited to try, but that’s for another time. This week,…

Amy Liz Harrison is an author of two books, mother of eight children, and inspiration to sober folks everywhere. She discusses growing up in a highly religious household and how some of those rules and restrictions led to her undoing later in life. Amy also talks about the “mommy wine” culture and how easy it can be to fall into a bad habit. She then discusses getting sober after raising four kids only to have four more kids as a sober mom and the difficult conversations that came with an apology to the first four. Amy also discusses her two…

In this insightful conversation, Justin Lamb, the host of the Friend Request Podcast and Sober Curator of the Happy Every Hour NA Beers & 90s Column, sits down with Philip Brandes, the Founder of Bravus Brewing. The two kick off their discussion by catching up on each other’s lives and recent achievements. Justin expresses his excitement over seeing Philip’s name in press releases related to Gravitas, a topic they plan to delve into later in the conversation. They then shift gears to talk about Philip’s unconventional entry into the beer industry. With no prior experience in the beer space before…

Tawny Lara is a sober bisexual writer and author of the book Dry Humping: A Guide to Dating, Relating, and Hooking Up Without the Booze. She discusses growing up with separated parents and living back and forth between Texas and California. Tawny also talks about using drugs to self-medicate and the years she spent working in the toxicity of the restaurant industry. She then discusses how she took 10 years to complete a bachelor’s degree and ended up very thankful for the insight she was able to gain from that prolonged decision. Tawny then talks about the intricacies of writing…

Kava is a name you may have seen before on The Sober Curator when I wrote a scathing review of the ritualistic practices of drinking kava, and how they triggered the same rituals I have always associated with alcohol: drink a lot in a short amount of time to gain a desired effect. With some separation from that initial meeting with kava, I have decided to try some of the new blended kava beverages that have begun to inundate the non-alcoholic alternative marketplace. These beverages come in many forms and with varying levels of potency, so let’s hop in and…

It should be noted that many people look forward to the automatic weight loss that comes from quitting drinking. Of course, those who have quit will tell you about the sugar cravings your body has for a while to replace that alcohol, and then, if you’re like me, you get into non-alcoholic craft beer, and you realize that the weight will never leave, and you decide to live with it and love yourself. Well, good news for those who want more! Partake, from Canada, offers a wide variety of beers, and many that we have featured, including this week’s pick,…

You may remember my sour relationship with Rescue Club if you have been following along. They aren’t bad, per se, but their flavors were not filling my flute tool with many bold or exciting things. You can imagine my expectations when I saw their latest seasonal release on my local NA website. I am a sucker for second and third chances, and I love NA beer, so I decided to give this little gem a try. Alright, Rescue Club, the ball is in your court… This week, I’m drinking Oktoberfest by Rescue Club – another wonderful installment in craft NA…

August of 2023 began with a series of notifications rolling in on the morning of the fourth. Everyone in my NA beer groups was abuzz with news that Two Roots Brewing Co. was closing its doors. A quick check of my email and Facebook pages confirmed the sad news that Two Roots was shutting down. This was a layered piece of bad news because, like many people across the country, I loved Two Roots’ beers, but in addition to that, this was my only home state NA brewery and a place I frequented to get NA beer on draft. Considering…

After countless debates about where to go on our annual summer vacation, my wife and I decided on Asheville, North Carolina. We each had our reasons for choosing it as an option. My wife wanted to check out the mountains and the Biltmore estate. I wanted to see what all the hubbub was about after having numerous hippie friends live there or pass through and speak to it as an artist’s city. With our flights booked (connecting in Atlanta because the Asheville airport is tiny), we were off for a summer vacation in the Appalachian. I booked a hotel right…