I was recently asked to review the three BERO Brewing’s NA beer styles. I had not heard of them before the request, so I was curious to find out where this brewery called home and their story. Well, it turns out this brewery is backed and founded by Tom Holland. Maybe you recognize that name immediately, but I did not. Yes, it’s the English actor Tom Holland, best known for his starring role in the Spider-Man franchise. What’s that got to do with beer? I stumbled upon a wonderful interview with Tom on the Rich Roll podcast.
In this dialogue, Tom discusses everything from fame to mental health and personal growth. He is open about his sobriety journey and has realized that sobriety doesn’t mean sacrificing the fun. Based on his experiences ordering non-alcoholic beers with his mates at the pub, Tom saw a gap in the market. He wanted to help remove the stigma of ordering an NA beer and provide something that tasted great as well. Tom is adamant that living sober, one will never say, “I wish I had a drink last night.” Never! I like this guy, and I love this beer!
The BERO brand currently produces an IPA, a wheat, and a pilsner. I started my tasting journey with the IPA as any true hophead would. Now, we need to give credit to the brewmaster here. After all, Grant Wood, in this case, is responsible for this wonderful creation. With a degree in food science and plenty of real-world experience brewing beers, Grant wanted to take a crack at creating a balanced NA beer. While there are a couple of different ways to develop these non-alcoholics, Grant wanted the simplest one. He chose a specific yeast (a maltose-negative yeast) that only eats glucose and not the malt sugars in the process. This only creates a small amount of alcohol and other flavor compounds. It sounds simple, but it’s all a tricky balance to get the right body and fermented flavors.
And cheers to Grant for finding the right art and science to create an outstanding IPA! It’s brewed in Northglenn, Colorado, and has 0.48% alcohol, 73 calories, and 15 grams of carbs. They chart the IBUs at 13, which surprised me as I expected the bitterness to rank higher. But numbers aside, I very much enjoyed this IPA.
Tom Holland & Rich Roll Interview
Tom Holland & Jay Shetty
Tom Holland on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Falon
BERO Brewing Delivery NYC
THE HAPPY TRAVELER – Vintage Travel Bars by Sober Curator Contributor Kim Parsley
HAPPY EVERY HOUR: NA Beer & Cider Reviews to tempt your tastebuds and wet your whistle – all non-alcoholic.
Resources Are Available
If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulties surrounding alcoholism, addiction, or mental illness, please reach out and ask for help. People everywhere can and want to help; you just have to know where to look. And continue to look until you find what works for you. Click here for a list of regional and national resources.
