Free Wave Hazy IPA - Athletic Brewing Co Review
The craft beer world is as diverse as the people who buy six packs and sit in brewpubs. People come from all walks of life for a great beer. And tracking new revolutions has always been a big part of the scene.
Enter Athletic Brewing Company.
Athletic Brewing has been making great beer at their east and west coast breweries since 2017. And all of those beers are non-alcoholic. As their name implies they sought to reach people who love beer and also love being at their physical and mental best. It’s a pretty cool idea when considering how health conscious our modern culture has become, and it’s amazing to consider that it took this long for a company to come along and fill the non-alcoholic market with some actually good beers.
How good are their beers, you ask? Well, this week we’re reviewing Athletic’s Free Wave Hazy IPA. It has won many prestigious awards, and it was even awarded the Supreme Champion Beer award at the International Beer Challenge, which is impressive considering they won against all beer types, not just NA beers.
A little research into this hazy shows that it is brewed with organic Vienna malt, malted barley, wheat, and Amarillo, Mosaic, Chinook, and Citra hops. One thing to expand on is the word ‘brewed’. It is important to note that Athletic Brewing actually brews a fully fermented beer to less than 0.5% ABV. This is important for the release and biotransformation of hop flavor and aroma by the yeast, and I think it’s one of the things that likely sets Athletic’s NA beers apart from others. It has 55 IBUs, is 100% vegan, has only 70 calories, is non-gmo, and Head Brewer John Walker describes it as “a soft and hazy wheat body let the copious amounts of Amarillo, Mosaic, and Chinook hops explode with their juicy, floral and citrusy character.”
So, considering its laurels, its rave reviews, and Athletic’s dedication to NA beers, we decided to start our month of sobriety here. Let’s jump into our first impressions of Free Wave Hazy IPA.
First Impressions:
On the Eyes--It is no doubt hazy, with a rich golden color and a cream-colored head.
On the Nose--I get some citrus and spice that reminds me of Chinook. It also has some juiciness and some dank characteristics. The hop combination makes it quite complex on the nose.
On the Palate--Very smooth and silky! The usual characteristics of a good Hazy IPA. It is a little more bitter than I was expecting, but considering it is 55 IBUs it is not surprising and is by no means overbearing. The layers of citrus stand out the most, from some bitter grapefruit down to a lighter orange. Pine and spice flavors are subdued but present. It has some gentle fruit flavors (I get mango and berry), likely from the Mosaic and Amarillo hops, that make the start as smooth as the finish. This is a well thought out and balanced beer. It has a little more bitterness than most hazy beers, but the complexity of flavor meshes it all together nicely. Both Chinook and Citra hops have a high geraniol content. Geraniol is converted by yeast to citronellol, which is one of those compounds that we love in our fruit-forward IPAs. I mention this because of the importance behind Athletic making a fully fermented beer. Without this fermentation process we don’t get that biotransformation, which results in a different tasting beer. And, of course, these hops pair well with Amarillo and Mosaic’s more subdued and approachable flavors.
Verdict:
I can taste in Free Wave the love and care that go into making a NA beer taste as good as an alcoholic beer, and how that passion will lead to a larger revolution of NA beers in our craft breweries. It is worth noting that these comments are not inflated with the caveat that ‘this is good… for an NA beer’--it does hold up in aroma, flavor, body, and finish compared to alcoholic beers.
Athletic Brewing has something special going on, and they offer so many flavor options throughout the year. Beyond making a high-quality product they are also interested in charity, and they give 2% of all sales to restoring local trails. Plus, you can order their beers online. So, give Free Wave, or any of their products a try, even if just out of curiosity. You might find yourself pleasantly surprised.
Cheers!
Mr. Brew