My favorite hiking routine was sorely interrupted when I quit drinking alcohol. My ritual involved a weekly 4 to 8-mile hike in the North Cascades with a stop for lunch. And lunch always included a hoppy beer! The treat at the top kept me motivated to go up, and the beverage gave me a little buzz to distract me from my sore knees on the way down. So, it’s taken a bit of experimenting to find a worthy non-alcoholic substitute. And while Deschutes Fresh Squeezed Non-Alcoholic IPA doesn’t give me the same buzz, I am feeling good about my choice to do away with the alcohol, which is a high on its own.
I spent many years discovering the great craft beers of the Pacific NW and beyond. I pride myself as a hop-head, so I don’t say this lightly, but I rank Deschutes NA Fresh Squeezed IPA amongst my favorite beers (including alcohol and non-alcoholic beers). While I like to be hit with an aroma of hops (this one delivers with its combination of Citra and Mosaic), I still want my IPA to be smooth to drink and not taken aback by the overpowering hoppiness. Again, Deschutes delivers. Note that Deschutes brews this same style of beer with 6.4% ABV, so be sure to read the label when seeking the non-alcoholic version. This NA version has 83 calories per can and 45 IBUs. While their website doesn’t disclose the alcohol-fueled counterpart’s calories, they do denote that it charts 60 IBUs—an interesting comparison.
At the time of this post, Deschutes has three other non-alcoholic styles of beers, which I look forward to tasting. Deschutes Brewery has been a family-owned business in Bend, Oregon, on the Deschutes River since 1988. As a company, they have multiple programs to give back to conservation organizations. Thank you! And they’ve also got bragging rights for this Fresh Squeezed NA IPA as it took gold at the 2024 US Open Beer Championship for Non-Alcoholic IPAs. Cheers to that!
THE HAPPY TRAVELER – VINTAGE TRAVEL BARS: The Artist & Curator, Kim Parsley, lives near Seattle, Washington.
With an education in Interior Design, her career path has led her to fulfill many roles in interior architecture. Now retired, she leverages her design skills towards the curation of vintage travel bars as well as collecting and selling vintage barware.
Kim is also a contributor to multiple magazines, including The Sober Curator. She writes reviews and articles for the Happy Every Hour section, including non-alcoholic spirit reviews and recipe contributions.
When not in the studio or traveling, she and her husband spend many weekends off-the-grid hiking and experimenting with new cocktails at their cabin in the woods of the North Cascades.
HAPPY EVERY HOUR: Welcome to the hub for all things NA, featuring reviews of alcohol-free beers, ciders, wines, spirits, RTDs (ready-to-drink), NA recipes, and so much more from behind the bar. #becausedrunkneverlooksgood
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