Low/no alcohol drinks officially a movement

There’s no point calling the rise of low/no-alcohol drinks a trend anymore — it has become a full-blown movement.

Sure there’s Dry January and Sober October, but there’s also a larger overall move towards moderation and a growing number of people embracing a sober lifestyle for all manner of reasons.

An increasing number of lounges and eateries are offering more (and more innovative) mocktails, as well as alcohol-free beers and wines. The number of dealcoholized options at grocery stores, beer vendors, Liquor Marts and the like has never been higher.

In short, the low/no-alc phenomenon is here to stay.

In Manitoba, some of the boom can definitely be attributed to the work of the couple behind the Winnipeg-based Sobr Market.

The brainchild of Shane and Jessie Halliburton, Sobr Market began as an online-only presence in 2023 before the pair opened a bricks-and-mortar location on Academy Road.

Three years later, Sobr Market has shops in Alberta, B.C. and Ontario, thanks in part to a collaboration with Walmart that has seen micro-bottle shops set up in a handful of locations. (The Walmart at 2370 McPhillips St. is home to one of said shops, offering a couple hundred low/no-alcohol beer, wine, mocktail and spirits options.)

In addition to bringing a comprehensive range of alcohol-free options for all tastes, Sobr Market also offers the chance to try many of its products before you buy.

Quality-wise, zero- or low-alcohol options continue to improve. The canned mocktails mimic the real-deal options easily, and locals such as Shrugging Doctor Beverage Co. and Farmery have produced zero-alcohol sangria and caesars, respectively.

Non-alcoholic beer options continue to keep pace nicely with with their boozy brethren, with a growing number of breweries introducing tasty low/no-alcohol options.

That includes right here in Manitoba. Locals making low/zero-alc brews include Farmery, Low Life Barrel House, Lake of the Woods Brewing Co. and, most recently, Trans Canada Brewing Co., who just released a low-alc (less than 0.5 per cent alcohol by volume, or ABV) version of their popular Bluebeary Ale. (I wasn’t able to track any down in time to include tasting notes this week.)

On the wine front, the options are slightly more mixed. Most low/no-alcohol wines are a touch on the sweet side, which tends to work best in bubblies and worst in reds, with varying success in still whites and rosés. Most of the mass-produced dealcoholized wines found at grocery stores are pretty bad, but those carried by Sobr Market (and, to a lesser extent, private wine stores) offer a wider range of styles and quality, with many coming from smaller producers.

Readers: What low/no-alcohol drinks have impressed you? Is there interest in an increased amount of non-alcoholic drinks coverage here? Let me know.

---

Drinks of the week

Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0%

(Rome, Italy — prices of cans, bottles and six-packs vary, widely available)

Pale straw in appearance and clear, this zero-alc Italian brew brings fresh malt, red apple, cracked biscuit and subtle herbal notes aromatically.

It’s dry, light-bodied and crisp, aping the regular Peroni nicely in the malt, biscuit and apple notes, retaining that underlying herbal flavour as well.

The big breweries (including Heineken, Beck, Asahi, Corona and the like) continue to do good work on the non-alcoholic front. Available at Liquor Marts, Sobr Market, grocery stores and beyond 3.5/5

Town Brewery Easy Tiger Non-Alc Lager

(Whitby, Ont. — $3.75/355ml can, Sobr Market)

Pale gold in appearance and clear, this 0.5 per cent ABV lager offers up-front biscuit and malt aromas, with hints of toasted nut and chalky components.

On the dry, light-plus bodied palate there’s a touch of rounder red apple flavours that come with the biscuit, crisp malt and subtle nutty note, with good depth of flavour and right in line with your typical lager. Nicely done. 4/5

One for the Road Brewing Co. Still Struggling Espresso Stout

(Calgary — $2.80/355ml cans, Sobr Market)

Deep cola brown in appearance with an off-white head — not as deep in colour as, say the Guinness 0.0 — there’s a lovely espresso bean note that comes through aromatically alongside dark malt, cocoa, vanilla and spice on this “less than 0.5 per cent” stout.

It’s dry and light-plus bodied — surprisingly on the leaner side, in fact — with a slightly bitter herbal note that comes with the espresso and dark malt flavours as well as hints of cocoa and toffee.

Decent flavours, but lacks the chewier, more robust texture of other non-alcohol stouts. 2.5/5

Grüvi Dry Discovery Series Dry Secco 2.0

(California/Colorado — $8/187ml bottle, Sobr Market)

This “alcohol-removed wine” (less than 0.5 per cent ABV) contains dealcoholized wine and Riesling grape concentrate (among other things), and is pale straw in appearance, bringing pretty perfume, floral, red apple and pear notes.

On the palate it’s mainly dry and delivers a decent amount of Riesling-like flavours — red apple, lemon candy, some herbal notes — with medium acidity and a modest finish.

One of the better non-alcohol bubblies I’ve tried. 3.5/5

Bottega 0 Sparkling Life Rosé

(Italy — $13.99/750ml bottle, Liquor Marts and beyond)

The stalwart Italian sparkling wine producer has ventured into zero-alcohol fizz, the rosé made from a minimum 70 per cent grape must.

It’s bright pink in colour and offers aromas of watermelon and cherry candies, a subtle raspberry note and hints of fresh-cut flowers.

On the palate it’s light-plus bodied and fairly sweet, with loads of red berry/cherry candy and a peachy note and almost a hint of spice. Fans of sweeter Moscato d’Asti bubblies, take note. 3/5

Gnista NV Red, French Style

(Sweden — $22.50/750ml bottle, Sobr Market)

This “red wine alternative” brings some mixed messaging — the label says it’s to be served like a French wine, but cautions “don’t expect it to taste like one.”

Made from grape, sour cherry and cranberry juices along with oak, raisins, black pepper and “extracts made from vodka” (it’s 0.3 per cent alcohol), it’s pale ruby and slightly hazy in appearance, bringing mulled wine/fruitcake notes aromatically.

It’s light-plus bodied and quite sweet, with the fruity flavours going toe to toe with the spice and oak components, and some modest tannins. Disregard the serving suggestion and either slightly chilled (with ice, sangria style) or slightly warmed (a-la mulled wine). 2.5/5

 

winnipegfreepress.com/bensigurdson