The Organic Growth of Rancho West

MODSUB#100

Wotcha!

I remember back in August last year, when I reached 50 editions of the newsletter, I thought to myself—I have to get to 100, and then I’ll see where things stand.

Well, here I am: 100 issues in a little over two years. I’ve probably sunk around 1,200 hours into this side project since the start. Only 8,800 to go then, according to Gladwell.

If I’m honest, I have mixed feelings about continuing. What could I be doing with 12 hours each week that might lead somewhere else? A tidier basement, for one.

But I do have a real passion for these drinks, and I started this newsletter to show others just how many great options are out there as substitutes for alcohol. That’s still important to me.

So next week, I’ll have a small favor to ask you—and your response will encourage me to set a new goal: 150 editions of The Modern Substitute.

Enjoy some great drinks this week!

Cheers, Myles

P.S. Psssst … there’s a 15% discount code to the Drink with Benefits Festival one scroll down.

In this week’s edition:

NAN
New NA Drink News

BEER
Rancho West - Premium Lager

WINE
Cypher by Brau - Sauvignon Blanc

Read time: 5 minutes 23 seconds

From this week’s sponsor:

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New Non-Alcoholic Drink News

NORTH AMERICA

• FUNCTIONAL BEER: Easy Man has added a new low-dose THC beer to its lineup—the 2mg Lite. (Link)

• COCKTAIL: Gorgeous can-art-of-the-week award goes to Blind Tiger for their new Grapefruit Fizz. (Link)

• BEER: Coming soon—Sierra Nevada’s new Fest Brew, just in time for Oktoberfest. (Link)

• FUNCTIONAL SODA: If you’ve been wanting a little more buzz from Bimble’s honey-infused sparkling drinks, they’ve now introduced all three flavors in a 5mg THC dosage. (Link)

• WINE: Beso Basa is the new dealcoholized sparkling Rosé from Society De La Rassi. (Link)

• BEER: Fans of Seattle’s Elysian Brewing will be stoked to hear they’re releasing two new NA beers: Easy Dust IPA and Easy Dust Hazy IPA. (Link)

• WINE ALT: Muri has released the second installment in their Koji Rice Series. (Link)

WORLDWIDE

• BEER: Australian brewery Bridge Road has launched Free Time Raspberry Sour.(Link)

• WINE: In South Africa, Robertson Winery has announced the release of a bottled non-alcoholic Sparkling Orange Spritzer. (Link)

BEER

ModSub’s thoughts: This week’s newsletter covers a couple of drinks I picked up during my latest Erewhon visit on the ModSub family road trip back in June. Given the store’s reputation, you know you’re going to get quality products. So I was stoked to discover a non-alcoholic beer from a brewery I hadn’t heard of before—Rancho West.

It may raise a few eyebrows—at least outside the LA metro area—that Rancho West’s beers are Erewhon’s #1 selling beer brand across all its stores. That’s no small feat considering the competition.

The brewery was founded in 2023 by New York Times bestselling author Donnie Eichar and Emmy Award–winner Jason Thompson, after four years of R&D. Their mission was to create “clean beer” with USDA organic certification—no ingredients grown with toxic pesticides, no synthetic fertilizers, and no GMOs. The certification requires rigorous testing, and the beer is brewed in one of just 40 USDA-certified organic breweries in the country. For perspective, there are roughly 10,000 breweries nationwide.

The beer I picked up—their Non-Alcoholic Premium Lager—is the first organic NA beer in the U.S. Given how widespread organic food has become in our society, that fact alone is worth pausing on.

As for the taste? It’s a crisp, refreshing lager, with Chinook hops bringing a solid dose of pine and just a hint of grapefruit. The malts sit softly in the background—sweet, delicately bready, and perfectly balanced. A true thirst-quencher for the heat of an LA summer day.

Don’t be surprised if you start seeing this mysterious tall boy making its way up the I-5 corridor.

How does Rancho West describe their Premium Lager: Rancho West’s Premium Non-Alcoholic Lager delivers full flavor without compromise. Experience the crisp, clean character of a premium lager crafted with the finest organic malts and classic organic chinook hops for a perfectly balanced non-alcoholic beer. When a N/A is the choice, savor the refreshing taste of Rancho West for any occasion.

WINE

ModSub’s thoughts: It’s always a good day at ModSub Towers when I can bring you another non-alcoholic single-serve wine option. This time it’s from the Languedoc region in southern France: Cypher by Brau’s Baby Sauvignon Blanc.

The Domaine de Brau vineyard has been around for a century and a half, spanning a little over 100 acres, and was an early pioneer of organic winemaking in the region. In 2019, Fabien Revol and Guillaume Mauffrey took over the estate, bringing with them a fresh vision for how it would be run.

One of their big changes came in 2023. Recognizing the rapid shift toward moderation, the pair launched Cypher, a new non-alcoholic wine brand under the Domaine’s umbrella. The range currently includes three wines, available in 750ml bottles and 250ml “baby” cans—Rosé, Sauvignon Blanc, and Sparkling No.1. The wines are gently dealcoholized through cold distillation at 40°, with aroma compounds reintroduced afterward.

I’m excited to try the whole collection, but for now I have the Sauvignon Blanc in front of me—delightfully paired with a shrimp fiesta salad. Tropical fruits—passion fruit and guava—layer the palate with a medium-dry sweetness and a measured yet expressive flavor. The acidity isn’t as pronounced as you might expect from a Sauvignon Blanc, but it’s no less enjoyable because of it.

Cypher’s Sauvignon Blanc is the first French non-alcoholic wine I’ve sampled—and what a great single-serve option it is. Bring on the rest!

How does Domaine De Brau describe their Cypher Sauvignon Blanc: A gourmet, exotic promise with nevertheless white and light nuances. A smell of spring, inviting you to relax in an ample, soft and silky universe around fresh pineapple juice, passion fruit and lychee. The palate, however, retains a refreshing tension providing a stretched appearance.

Note: There’s no store locator for this as the winery does not have a dedicated North American web site. I found it instore at Erewhon in LA and it is available online at Boisson (as linked in the BUY button). Search online for other available outlets.

READS & LISTENS
Last Week’s Edition

I got a smile from this Linkedin post from Janick Planzer, CEO of Rebels 0.0.