This year will be my third Christmas sober. When I quit drinking back in 2019, I was certain there were some versions of beer I would never see again. One of those is a bourbon barrel-aged stout. Certainly, there would be no way to barrel-age a non-alcoholic beer. After all, those barrel-aged beers were 10-16% alcohol, with legends of some even higher. Then, that first fateful sober Christmas in 2019, an announcement came to my email from Bravus Brewing. Introducing Gravitas, a barrel-aged maple stout. The promise of barrel-aged flavor from the leader in NA stouts? I had to have it. I ordered my two-bottle limit and paid the extravagant $30/bottle and in a few weeks, right before Christmas day, it arrived.
Well, that was in 2019, and since then, it’s something that happens every year. Last year, it was Gravitas II, and I logged onto Bravus Brewing’s website and once again got my two-bottle limit. So I was just as excited about this year, which brings us to this delightfully timed Christmas Eve review of Bravus Brewing’s Gravitas (3rd Generation).
First, we must admire the bottle. At 25.4oz, Bravus Brewing has created the largest beer you can get in the NA world. Each year, the bottle is a little different, but always black. Sometimes completely matte, but sometimes, like this year, it’s a matte black label on a nearly black bottle. Each bottle is labeled by hand and extra care is put into the packaging, as well. The foil around the lid has a small tab to remove it, though this year’s batch may have put the tab a bit too low (better get a knife ready). Then, you have to open it with a bottle opener, which is a pretty rare thing these days, especially with NA beer. Bravo, Bravus Brewing!
How Does It Pour?
Before you even pour it, the beer gives out notes of cherry that you cannot miss. Bravus Brewing made a point to not include maple in this year’s batch and it got me excited for the potential of more oak and bourbon notes. The cherry was a nice surprise and burst out even more as I poured the dark brown stout into a tulip glass. The cherry was suddenly accompanied by vanilla, but I noticed something else, as well: there was not much head on here. In fact, it looked a little flat. With hopes still high, I continued.
How Does It Taste?
At first taste, those cherry and vanilla notes hit strong. If it was just a cherry vanilla stout, I would be satisfied, but I was waiting for the bourbon. Bravus Brewing added in cacao nibs that hit with subtlety on the back of your tongue, and just as I was giving up on the bourbon flavor, it came back up. I tasted the bourbon from the back of my throat, as if it was travelling from my stomach back up to remind me. The flavors were good, though definitely not as in your face as previous years. My only real objection this year: It was flat. Well, pretty much.
While there is not a score on Untappd yet for this year’s batch of Gravitas, previous years’ scores range from 4 to 5 out of 5. This is truly a game changing beer for the non-alcoholic world and it’s actually kind of frustrating that Bravus Brewing doesn’t do this more often. With these capabilities and the fact that this sells out in 48 hours every year, it is truly a wonder. Other breweries could take note, as well. I would love to see a barrel-aged stout from Athletic or WellBeing.
Remember, while you cannot get Gravitas anymore, Bravus Brewing offers a lot of great beers and you can save 10% off of your next order by using code FRIENDREQUEST at check out!
#ADDTOCART BRAVUS BREWING
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.
RECOVERY PODCASTLAND: Want more Justin in your life? We don’t blame you! Check out his podcast Friend Request Justin has in-depth interviews with people he follows on social media, as well as his own social media followers. Friend Request dives deeper than the likes and comments. With each episode, Justin tries to create a more meaningful conversation about each individual he’s connected with. Justin ties each interview together with the commonalities and struggles that not only are extremely relatable but also fall across the entire spectrum of the human experience.
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