The Juggernaut and the Piccolo

MODSUB#64

Wotcha!

We’re now in the thick of the Holiday Season, with all kinds of events, dinners and get togethers piling up on the calendar.

Here’s a little trick that might help you in the next few weeks.

On to this week’s drinks. Enjoy!

In this week’s edition:

NAN
New NA Drink News

BEER
Fieldwork Brewing Company - Headliner IPA and Day Money Blonde

WINE
FRE - Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon

Read time: 6 minutes 16 seconds

NAN
New NA Drink News

NORTH AMERICA

• BEER: Astronauts and beer lovers, this one’s for you. Best Day Brewing have a new IPA called Galaxy Ripple but like any good asteroid shower, it’s only available for a limited time. (Link)

• SPIRITS: Exciting news from my neck of the woods, with Wilderton going through a rebrand to Wilderton Aperitivo Co., and launching Citrus Aperitivo, which frankly I am very excited to crack open. (Link)

• HOP WATER: Tahoe residents can enjoy Hoppy Hour, a new hop water containing adaptogens and nootropics, from Alibi Ale Works. (Link)

• FUNCTIONAL COCKTAILS: The Boston Beer Company have launched Emerald Hour Cannabis Cocktails debuting two flavors: Cranberry-Citrus and Ginger Lime. (Link)

• BEER: There’s never any downtime over at Athletic Brewing with news of Host & Toast, a collaboration with food community website Food52. (Link)

• COCKTAILS: ModSub faves St. Agrestis have a Phoney White Negroni coming out for a limited time. Get them while you can. (Link)

• SPIRITS: This one made me sit up, Origami Sake, out of Arkansas, are launching ZERO, a non-alcoholic sake, the first to be made in the U.S.. (Link)

• WINE: Target will be stocking Sèchey’s new Mini Blanc de Blancs in a single serve 200ml bottle. (Link)

• COCKTAILS: There’s a rather tasty-looking RTD from the folks over at Aplòs in the form of the Mandora Negroni. (Link)

• COCKTAILS: Montreal’s Romeo’s Gin has a new limited release Romeo’s Gin Sour with sweet amaretto and tangerine flavors. (Link)

WORLDWIDE

• SPIRITS: Popping over to SW England and Cornwall’s Tarquin Gin have just released the Cornish Dry Non-Alcoholic Spirit. (Link)

BEER

ModSub: If you’re from Northern California or a beer lover who’s spent time driving through that part of the state in the last decade, odds are you’ve come across Fieldwork Brewing Company. Their network of community-based taprooms stretches from Sacramento and Napa in the north to San Mateo in the south, with a ninth location in Roseville opening soon. Their remarkable growth even led SFGATE to call the brewery “a juggernaut built on fresh beer.”

As of two years ago, Alex Tweet, the head brewer, and his team had created approximately 750 unique beers. Despite the rapid expansion of their taprooms and an impressive catalog of brews, it wasn’t until July of this year that they debuted their first non-alcoholic beers.

True to their industrious spirit, Fieldwork didn’t just dip a toe into the NA market—they jumped in headfirst, launching five new non-alcoholic drinks: Headliner NA IPA, Day Money NA Grapefruit Blonde, two Supertonics (Cucumber, Melon + Juniper and Passionfruit + Orange Bitters), and a Hop Water. Since then, they’ve added Encore NA Hazy IPA and expanded the Supertonics line. To call this impressive would be an understatement.

In the increasingly crowded IPA market, Headliner NA IPA is a standout. Beyond its beautiful light golden pour and impressive head, this IPA achieves a balance with the hops that many others lack. Don’t get me wrong—I enjoy a good, strong hoppy beer, but I don’t always want the hops to aggressively dominate the flavor.

In Headliner, the hops are prominent but perfectly balanced, allowing other flavors to shine from start to finish. Additionally, the fruit notes lean away from the usual heavy citrus, offering a welcomechang e. The result is a delightfully smooth, almost old-school approach to an IPA.

On the other hand, if the citrus is understated in the IPA, it certainly takes center stage in Day Money NA Grapefruit Blonde—and rightly so. While it’s pouring rain here in Portland, I can imagine this Blonde being a proper hit on a hot summer day. The hops make more of an impression here, but in this flavor foot race, the ruby red grapefruit is neck and neck. Together, they deliver a perfect combination of sweetness and bitterness, with neither overpowering the other despite the bold flavors.

Fieldwork took some five years perfecting these non-alcoholic beers, and that level of dedication is evident in the final product. In my view, they pretty much come about as close as you can to flirting with perfection. 

How does Fieldwork describe Headliner: Headliner exemplifies just why taking our time developing our NA beers was the right choice; it's not watered down and anemic, it's not oxidized and tasting like cooked hops, it's just a classic Westcoast IPA with a balanced bitterness and a lightning bolt of hop aroma striking the palate with exciting notes of white grapefruit wedges, passion fruit, white wine grapes, papaya, blueberry skins, and pine needles.

How does Fieldwork describe Day Money: Since most NA beers have always been far too cloying and dull, we decided to zhuzh things up a bit and create a hyper-crushable and intensely refreshing non-alcoholic option that hits like the sunshine on the first day of summer. The complete opposite of that amber colored NA that you tried to gag down and never tried again, Day Money goes down like a well crafted Golden Ale with its subtle malt profile, light fruity hoppiness, and exceptionally bright finish of grapefruit.

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WINE

ModSub: I’m really excited to see more and more non-alcoholic wine brands offering single-serve cans and bottles. It’s so good for the consumer to be able to sample different options before committing to a bottle and equally beneficial for the hospitality industry when they finally catch on that people would love to have the choice of a glass of non-alcoholic wine. 

Sigh. We’ll get there. 

It was actually FRE Wines that pioneered the first single-serve non-alcoholic cans back in 2020 with their Sparkling Rosé and Sparkling Brut. The winery, a subsidiary of Trinchero Family Estates (home to a list of wine brands longer than your arm), has been making non-alcoholic wines since 1992. They use both traditional winemaking methods and spinning cone technology to produce their dealcoholized wine.

In October of last year, FRE went one step further by launching 187ml mini-bottled versions of their Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. Sold in packs of four, these “piccolos” are fabulous for slipping into your pocket or purse to bring along to a dinner if you know you’ll only want one glass. So far, FRE has only produced these for their Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, but hopefully, they’ll expand in the future.

I’m not usually the biggest fan of Chardonnay, but I find this one quite pleasant. It has notes of apple, pear, and lemon, with a faint grassy undertone and a welcome lack of that butteriness I don’t generally warm to. The Cabernet Sauvignon is less bold than I remember the regular versions being, probably due to the abesnce of alcohol. Still, there’s a rich dark fruit flavor, a woodiness, and a hint of pepper on the finish. It’s light for sure, but I’m enjoying the flavors, and I wouldn’t mind testing it alongside a bowl of slow-cooked Ragù Bolognese.

It’s worth taking a minute to point out that FRE Wines fall into the budget wine category, at least by U.S. standards. A $10 bottle of non-alcoholic wine usually doesn’t bode particularly well for quality, but much like New Zealand’s Giesen Wines, FRE puts out some decent wines.

That said, if you’re passionate about your wines and one step removed from graduating from wine school, this likely won’t be your jam.

For me, this is less about the difference between a $10 bottle of wine and one that costs $35 or more. For the average wine drinker who finds something to enjoy in all price ranges, just having the option to enjoy a single glass of non-alcoholic wine at all is something to be celebrated. For that, I’ll raise a glass.

How does FRE describe their Chardonnay: With its deep golden hue, FRE Alcohol-Removed Chardonnay Wine makes any occasion special. Tropical fruit comes from each glass of this non-alcoholic wine. Rich, creamy apple flavors mingle with crisp citrus notes on the palate, concluding with an enjoyable tart finish.

How does FRE describe their Cabernet Sauvignon: The deep ruby hue of FRE alcohol-removed Cabernet Sauvignon hints at the decadent flavors in the glass. Dark cherry aromas are framed by a rich palate of berries and spice, culminating in a delightfully juicy finish.

READS + LISTENS
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