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, we’re drinking You Do You Hazy by Two Frays Brewery. As the name implies, this brew is a hazy New England IPA (NEIPA). The expectation is always a healthy dose of citrus and tropical flavors mixing with some light hop blends. This healthy brew also comes in a 16oz can, and you know me: I need the big cans for my big hands!
How Does Two Frays Pour?
Upon cracking the can, the tropical aromas flow out and, as if marketing for blind people, they remind you of what the label says, and you know you’re getting into a hazy or a tropical IPA. The scent grows and mixes quickly with the hops when you pour this brew into the glass. Two Frays finds a healthy balance in their scent profile and then they pull out all the strings and give us a first for NA beer: actual haze! RED ALERT! Two Frays Brewery has done what no other NA brewery has seemed to be able to master so far. They have captured that thick golden look you expect from a high-octane hazy IPA. Whatever the opposite of crystal clear is; that’s what they have done.
How Does Two Frays Taste?
When you finally bring this unfiltered beast from Two Frays Brewery to your two lips factory, you get that beautifully balanced NEIPA flavor, complete with the thick mouthfeel of the unfiltered goodness. This flavor has been similar in other hazy IPAs in the NA space, but this mouthfeel is unmatched by any other NA beer. They really managed to capture the haze you come to expect ever since M43 Hazy IPA set the standard nearly a decade ago. This is the bees’ knees.
Untappd gives You Do You Hazy from Two Frays Brewery a nothing out of nothing. I don’t know if I got a rare batch because I was in Pittsburgh, but this is the only one of their series that is unrated on Untappd! I, personally, give this brew a 4 out of 5, maybe even a 4.3. They really hit it out of the park with the mouthfeel in a way I thought wasn’t possible in the NA space. I’m very excited to try the rest of their NA brews from this series!
HAPPY EVERY HOUR – NA BEERS & 90s: Sober Curator Justin Lamb is dedicated to tasting great (and sometimes not so great) NA beers and showcasing his amazing collection of memorabilia from the ’80s & ’90s. His beer mug is full, there’s just no booze in it. TRIGGER WARNING: People in early sobriety may want to proceed with caution. Always read labels. Please hydrate responsibly … because drunk never looks good.
NA BEER REVIEWS BY CATEGORY:
Double click your way to any category section of reviews listed here –
AMBER * BLONDE * BROWN * CREAM ALE * IPA
KOLSCH * LAGER * PALE ALE * PILSNER * PORTER
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.
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.
