No sleep til…Brooklyn Brewery has been on the alcoholic beer scene for many years. You may have heard of them or seen their famous “B” on the top of a tap. In the last couple of years, though, they got into the NA game. As time goes on, they have been developing more and more. Much like BrewDog, Mikkeller, and other craft breweries that have begun to make nonalcoholic options, Brooklyn Brewery is expected to bring their expertise and flavors to the table, so expectations are high.

How Does it Pour?

Brooklyn Brewery’s Special Effects IPA is the second in their nonalcoholic beer line. Upon first crack of the can, you can smell the hops erupting from inside, which in this hophead’s opinion, is always a good sign. The nonalcoholic IPA pours into the glass a surprisingly dark copper color, releasing the aroma of hops and creating a small but visible creamy head. Brooklyn Brewery must use a recipe similar to their alcoholic version of this IPA, as this may be the darkest copper I have seen in a nonalcoholic IPA.

How Does it Taste?

The next surprise comes in the tasting. Brooklyn Brewery starts off with a balanced mouth feel and flavor. The malt and hop ratio sits wonderfully on your tongue. The hops don’t kick in as hard until they hit the back of your throat where they live and thrive throughout the drinking experience. The overall taste and mouth feel are on par with many alcoholic breweries ’ flagship IPAs.

Brooklyn Brewery describes their Special Effects IPA to have a “bright hop aroma and crisp citrus flavors”. While I agree that it starts out with a hoppy aroma, I don’t get the citrus hit very much. Untappd gives this IPA 3 out of 5, and I think I am on the same page. As far as balanced flagship IPAs go, this is up there on par with anything else and is balanced with exactness and a liquid high five!

HOPPY EVERY HOUR (See what we did there?) NA Beers & 90s Nostalgia: Justin Lamb is dedicated to tasting great (and sometimes not so great) NA beers and showcasing his amazing collection of memorabilia from the ’90s. If you are or aspire to be an NA Beer snob, then you must check out the curated selection of reviews that Justin has been building over the last several months.