Listen to the Women

MODSUB#95

Wotcha!

This has been the craziest week at work in three or four years, which means I’ve had very little time to spend on this week’s edition. So, I could only manage one drink recommendation—but it’s a cracker. Plus, there are some great new drink launches to check out.

Enjoy some great drinks this week.

Cheers, Myles

In this week’s edition:

NAN
New NA Drink News

FUNCTIONAL SODA
Lucky Frog - Repose

MODSUB MAILBAG
Domestic Favorites and LA Taprooms

Read time: 4 minutes 39 seconds

NAN
New Non-Alcoholic Drink News

NORTH AMERICA

• FUNCTIONAL: Over in Chicago, Hopewell Brewing’s Choom have just launched EZ Tea—an infused lemon iced tea. (Link)

• COCKTAIL: There’s a new flavor drop from Blind Tiger around the corner, with Grapefruit Fizz dropping next month. (Link)

• BEER: Huge news for fans of Shiner Bock, mybeerbuzz.com is reporting the Texas brewery is working on an NA version of the their flagship beer. (Link)

• WINE: France’s Maison Saint Aix will be bringing its new Beau Viva to the U.S. this summer in an exclusive partnership with The Zero Proof. (Link)

• BEER: Sag Harbor’s fabulously named, Kidd Squid Brewing Co., has just launched their first NA beer, Nautee. (Link)

WORLDWIDE

• WINE: There’s news from Germany that Henkell Freixenet is getting ready to launch a new 0.0% sparkling wine. (Link)

• BEER: Over in the UK, Mash Gang have added Glug to their line of non-alc beers. (Link)

• SPIRITS: Meanwhile Mash Gang’s newish parent company, DioniLife, have released two new non-alc spirits, La Borosa (Tequila) and Pavari 17 (Aperitif). (Link)

FUNCTIONAL SODA

ModSub’s thoughts: In all industries, there are players both big and small. The big players have their role and the hope is they leave enough room for the small ones to have their seat at the table. The non-alcoholic industry at this point in it’s relatively nascent lifespan, has its big players, but their contribution, on the whole, has been mostly unremarkable and with a playing-it-safe ethos, leaning on replication rather than innovation. Which is why so many of the small players remain the backbone of this movement. 

Lucky Frog Beverages is one of them. Hailing from Rochester, NY the thus far onesku beverage company launched in December of last year. The brainchild of Kyle Waldron, who moved north from New Jersey, a decade early, the drink was conceived and canned within a mere 7 months. Pretty impressive for someone who had no experience in the beverage industry. While still regionally distributed for the moment, though online sales look like they may be up and running shortly, the “social tonic” has been quite the hit on a local level. 

In an interview with Rochester’s News 8, he attributed the success to “listening to the women in his life”. Waldron worked with his girlfriend on Repose’s recipe and good friend, Sara Larsen came up with the fabulous branding, and later became a co-owner of the beverage company 

From the eye-catching can design to the bright zingy flavour inside to the general vibe of the brand—this is supposed to be fun. The combination of plum, pomelo and cardamon had me stopped in my tracks trying to figure out those three flavors were going to jive. Unlike grapefruits that can pull an involuntary face shudder out of you even putting up your strongest fight against  the IBUs, pomelos bring a little more sweetness and less bitterness to the mix.

With citrus as the backbone of Repose, the pomelo and plum provide a complimentary combination of rich sweetness and a fresh tongue-tingling tartness. The cardamon is less impactful in the overall profile but nevertheless hangs back in the background offering some mild warmth and spice. It’s mostly fruity and unobtrusively sweet, never veering away from an adult drink thanks to that lingering tartness. The addition of ashwagandha and magnesium lend function to the drink, tempering stress and bringing calmness. 

A cracking debut from a brand I would keep your eye on. Repose is available through online distributor Airgoods, so don’t be surprised if this shows up at your local NA bottle shop. With two new flavours supposedly on the cards, it’s exciting times for Lucky Frog and even more so for us. 

How does Lucky Frog describe Repose: Whether you’re hanging with friends, or unwinding at home, relax with REPOSE. Formulated with a special blend of ashwagandha, magnesium, spring water, and organic juices, this social tonic melts away stress and replaces it with good luck.

MODSUB MAILBAG

Domestic Favorites and LA Taprooms

Thanks to Patrick from Metro Detroit who reached out after I asked “What’s your go-to NA domestic beer?” in the recent This Bud’s for You edition.

Patrick: “I finally got off my high horse (maybe it was a Clydesdale?) and tried Michelob Ultra Zero about a month ago. No lie, it's my top choice for when I want a no frills beer as opposed to a go-to fancy flavored one like Grüvi's Mocha Moment or a fruity NA brew akin to Founders Rübæus. It's got a surprisingly complex flavor for being based off the official golfing beer. I should probably note that I have never tried an alcoholic Michelob brew before, so perhaps others might not be a fan of MUZ because it doesn't taste like it's alc counterpart.

If domestic is to include U.S. NA craft brews, my favorite would have to be Mango Cart. I had tried the alc original a few years ago and was absolutely blown away by how good it was. Honestly, it's probably the beer that made me love beer. I was super stoked when I found the NA version at Total Wine & More.”

Thanks also to Paulo from Los Angeles who responded to last week’s query in the NA Road Tripping edition, asking if anyone had tried the 8-Zero-5 from 805 Beer Company. He let me know there’s a Firestone Walker Brewery Taproom in Venice, Marina Del Rey that serves it. Turns out I might have driven past it 3 or 4 times last month without realizing!

Paolo’s take on 8-Zero-5: “A bit too light in pilsner taste for me but certainly refreshing.”

⭐️ This week’s question: Anyone have a local NA favorite they would like to give a shout out to? Anyone local to Rochester had Lucky Frog’s Repose? ⭐️

Hit reply and let me know so I can share it with the ModSub community.

Thanks! See you next week.

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