Drinking from the Miracle Tree

MODSUB#86

Wotcha!

Today I’m raising a glass to my Dad who’s had a rough few months but celebrates his 86th birthday today. Have a good one mate.

Enjoy some good drinks this week.

Cheers,

Myles

In this week’s edition:

NAN
New NA Drink News

FUNCTIONAL SODA
Ringa - Lemon + Ginger, Elderberry + Lavender Lemondade

BEER
Halfway Crooks Beer - Brevet Pils

Read time: 7 minutes 04 seconds

NAN
New Non-Alcoholic Drink News

NORTH AMERICA

• BEER: The beginning of the month saw the release of two brews from Hedlum Brewing: Grapefruit Love and Lemon Lime Beats bring a whole new set of flavors to their Golden-Style Brew. (Link)

• FUNCTIONAL: New York State’s oHHo have new flavor, White Peach and Lemon (yum!) out now. (Link)

• BEER: Five chefs collaborated on Athletic Brewing’s new Aftershift to benefit the Southern Smoke Foundation. (Link)

• SPRITZ: Hot off the press, Spritz Del Conte have just announced a brand spanking new Vermouth Spritz. (Link)

WORLDWIDE

• SPIRITS: Guess who’s just released another sensational collaboration? Botivo has teamed up with none other than Yotam Ottolenghi for new limited release. (Link)

• BEER: Let’s rewind to January and the release of Theakston’s Nowt Peculier, the NA version of the much loved Old Peculier. (Link)

• WINE: Casillero del Diablo Zero from Chile’s Viña Concha y Toro will be launching in the UK. (Link)

From our sponsor:

We are excited to be holding the 2nd Annual International Non Alcoholic Competition. 

Only real trade buyers judging by Category & Price. Top Winners will be profiled on our ProfessorMediaGroup sites.

Thank you for supporting our sponors who in turn support this newsletter.

FUNCTIONAL SODA

The ModSub thoughts: Ringa was started in 2022 by Stephanie McGregor, a beverage industry veteran with over two decades of experience. She left college and joined Red Bull right as the drink was being introduced to the U.S. So yeah, a while back.

Fast forward 20 or so years, and Stephanie found herself at a career crossroads. She headed to Baja, Mexico, for some soul-searching. If she’d been doing this in December 1999, she might have bumped into me doing the same thing—but that’s a story for another time.

While in Baja, she was introduced to Moringa Oleifera, a tree native to Northern India but also found in Central and South America and parts of the Caribbean. Virtually every part of the tree has been used in traditional herbal medicine for thousands of years—even the seeds can purify water.

The health benefits of moringa are mind-boggling in both length and breadth. It’s an excellent source of vitamins and minerals, rich in antioxidants, and known to reduce inflammation and blood sugar levels. It’s also a complete plant protein, containing all nine essential amino acids.

Learning about its remarkable benefits—and the plant’s sustainability, thanks to its rapid growth and drought tolerance—Stephanie felt compelled to bring moringa north of the border. With her industry know-how and newfound inspiration, she began experimenting with recipes.

To the moringa leaves, she added raw apple cider vinegar and agave inulin (a prebiotic fiber found in plant roots), both known for their gut health benefits. She rounded out the formula with real organic juices and botanical extracts. The result? Ringa—a kombucha-like drink with even more health benefits and zero added sugar.

The Elderberry + Lavender Lemonade is especially intriguing. Both the berry and herb could easily overpower the other, but they don't. The flavor, which could have been overly bold, is expertly balanced. The earthy, mildly tart dark berry leads, with lavender making a gentle appearance toward the end. Ringa’s website suggests this drink could be a red wine substitute, and I can see how that could work for the open-minded.

The Lemon + Ginger, like the Elderberry, is subtler than expected. Less is more here—Ringa doesn’t try too hard to win you over by amping up the flavor, as some other drinks do. It has a distinctly homemade feel, in all the best ways. The apple cider vinegar comes through a bit more in this one, but just enough to complement the two main ingredients. It’s really quite lovely.

Word about Ringa is starting to spread, and the drinks are now available in several states. Try them if you find them locally—or head to their online store.

Bonus: If you have a bottle of The Pathfinder lying around, save a little Lemon + Ginger for Cheeky & Dry’s fabulous “Ringa in the New Year” cocktail.

How does Ringa describe their Lemon + Ginger: The light, bright and refreshing combo of LEMON + GINGER provides just light, bright yet zesty zing your taste buds have been craving. By combining the benefits of acetic acid from apple cider vinegar and prebiotic fiber from organic agave inulin with the amino acids, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals found in naturally adaptogenic, nootropic, and nutrient dense moringa; this refreshing sparkler contains vitamin C, potassium, and 3g of fiber with ZERO grams of added sugar, NO sugar alternatives (like stevia, allulose, or monk fruit), sugar alcohols, or natural flavors.  Perfect sipped straight from the can or used as a mindful mixer. (Think ginger beer without the sugar).

How does Ringa describe their Elderflower + Lavender Lemonade: Part tart ELDERBERRY plus luscious LAVENDER and LEMON pair perfectly on your palate. By combining the benefits of acetic acid from organic apple cider vinegar and prebiotic fiber of organic agave inulin with the amino acids, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals found in naturally adaptogenic, nootropic, and nutrient dense moringa leaves; - this is the calming and subtle sip you've been craving and contains 3g of fiber, potassium and ZERO grams of added sugar, no sugar alternatives (like stevia, allulose, or monk fruit) and no sugar alcohols or natural flavors.  Perfect sipped straight from the can, use as a mindful mixer, or swirl in your favorite wine glass. (Think Bordeaux style). 

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BEER

The ModSub thoughts: A few months back, I swapped a box of beers with my pal Jon Eggleton of N/ATION Collaborative fame. He sent me a selection of beers and RTDs from Georgia and the surrounding states, and I returned the gesture with a selection from Oregon. As I’ve worked my way through the box, one beer has been a real standout—Brevet Pils from Halfway Crooks Beer.

The Atlanta brewery was founded by Andrew Bainbridge, a career engineer and longtime home brewer, and Joran Van Ginderachter. The latter, a native Belgian, studied brewing in Brussels. A four-month internship at New Belgium Brewery in Colorado cemented his love for American craft beer, and it wasn’t long before he landed a job at Three Taverns Brewery in Decatur. There, he met Bainbridge, and the two became fast friends.

It wasn’t until Georgia passed a bill in 2017 allowing breweries to sell directly to consumers that the pair decided to pursue the idea of opening their own brewery. They were soon joined by a third partner, Tim Kilic, who had left medicine to run operations at Three Taverns and liked what he saw in the new venture.

With the partnership solidified, they found a location in the Summerhill neighborhood of Atlanta. Despite multiple setbacks—including construction delays and challenges sourcing brewing equipment—they finally opened their brewery in 2019.

Halfway Crooks Beer, the name they chose, was inspired by a line from the ’90s hip-hop classic Shook Ones, Pt. II by Mobb Deep. In their minds, they were all in on this project—there were no halfway measures. By all accounts, the trio has since created a community hub where locals can enjoy their now-famed catalogue of Pilsners, along with brews inspired by Ginderachter’s Belgian roots.

So why am I telling you all of this? Well, back in October of last year, the brewers turned their skills toward producing their first NA beer—and as they say down their way, it’s an absolute peach. (Though I’ll be quick to add: it tastes nothing like one.)

An initially mild, bready flavor is quickly overrun by lemon and a tart hit of tango mandarin that carries you through the mid-range. The citrus lingers, while a tame—though by no means underwhelming—bitterness sees the first gulp to its conclusion. I say gulp because this is a very, and I mean very, gulpable beer.

It’s probably a good thing this brewery is 2,595 miles away. Based on this phenomenal German-style Pilsner, I might otherwise be found down the pub every night. Which, I guess, is exactly what the founders of Halfway Crooks were aiming for.

—

You’ll notice there’s no “BUY” button above. That’s because, despite Georgia’s 2017 reforms allowing breweries to sell directly to customers, you still can’t buy beer online—regardless of whether it contains alcohol. Which is astonishing in 2025. Oh well.

The brewery kindly let me know you can find Brevet Pils at select outlets in Georgia and North Carolina, as well as locations in NYC and D.C.

If you’re in any of those areas, I strongly suggest you go find some.

How does Halfway Crooks Beer describe Brevet Pils: Ah, the SportLife! A Pageant of human determination. Endurance! A noble spectacle of man and machine. Aromas of subtle fennel, oyster crackers, lemon, and moderate tangerine guide on a journey forward watching the clock tick, camaraderie, and a touch of “Je ne sais quoi.”

COMMENTS
Share Your Thoughts

Let’s get the conversation going. HIT THE “COMMENT” BUTTON ⬇️ and share your thoughts.

Here’s some suggestions:

1. 🍺 Do you still get nostalgic for the classic beers of your past? What beer would you like to see an NA version of?

2. 🌿 Are you intrigued by the health benefits of moringa?

3. 🍺 Is there an NA beer you’ve come across lately that you’d recommend to others?

This comment button takes you to the web version of this newsletter post. Scroll down to the bottom of the post to find the comments section. Thanks!

READS
Last Week’s Edition + Other Reads

An interesting interview with Milan Martin from Free Spirits. You may remember I wrote a piece about The Spirit of Tequila from Free Spirits a couple of weeks back.