Upside dawn
Summary
Drink – Upside Dawn
Type – non-alcoholic ale
Alcohol content – 0.5%
Rating– 53/100
Review – Upside Dawn by Atheltice Brewing isn’t nasty in any way, it is drinkable but personally, for my palette, there are a lot more impressive and tastier alcohol-free beers to try out. If you’re after a bitter, hoppy alcohol-free golden ale then this is recommended – if not, then look elsewhere.
The Athletic Brewing Company based in Connecticut is one of the newer brewers to have emerged out that area, having formed just four years ago. They may be new but boy have they made a name for themselves with sales of their alcohol-beers (including Upside Dawn – alcohol-free beer) hitting $15 million … who says there isn’t big business in non-alcoholic drinking!
The beer I reviewed today was their alcohol-free golden ale Upside Dawn. Unlike other alcohol-free beers I’ve reviewed The Athletic Brewing Company don’t brew a strong beer and remove the alcohol they do it the ‘natural’ way of just brewing a super-low alcoholic beer in small batches (in the case of Upside Dawn – less than 0.5% ABV). If you haven’t yet come across golden ales they are generally similar to pale ales but a little sweeter and hazier.
Given Athletic Brewing Company’s IPA won the award for ‘Supreme Champion Beer’ at the International Beer Challenge – how did their golden ale go down? Well, read on to find out.
Is Upside Dawn any good?
Taste
I found Upside Dawn to be a lot more bitter than anticipated. Given golden ales normally have a sweeter edge it threw me somewhat. It wasn’t too unpleasant but to be honest, after finishing it off I wasn’t gagging to crack open another can. It certainly didn’t lack taste though – it was full of citrusy fruit and hoppy flavours which was certainly an upside (dawn)!
Aroma & Appearance
Similar to its flavour it doesn’t hold back when it comes to the aroma – slamming your nose first into a grapefruit then running it over with a giant peach. It smelt more like a matured IPA! When poured Upside Dawn was fairly light in carbonation which explained the lack of frothy head which was a shame.
Bonus points
I do like the branding work – again a strong performance from the graphic designer. It’s also an alcohol-free ale that will cater to most given it’s gluten-free and vegan friendly and as a bonus pretty low in calories. To be honest Upside dawn isn’t the easiest beer to find at supermarkets you’ll be more successful in finding it at an online specialist.
Where can you buy Upside Dawn?
At the time of writing, you can find this alcohol-free drink in the following online specialist retailers. Simply choose the relevant region for stock and pricing options.
The Alcohol Free Co has one of the best collections of non-alcoholic drinks online. From wine and beer through to spirits, ciders and CBD I am sure you’ll find what you’re looking for here.
COST (at time of publication) – £2.49
Proof No More is a great new alcohol-free retailer that brings all the latest and greatest beers, spirits and more to your door. Check out their extensive collection of non-alcoholic drinks.
COST (at time of publication) – $2.99
Key information
– per 335ml
Type – ale
Brewery – Athletic Brewing
Country – USA
Alcohol content – <0.5%
Calories – 50
Ingredients – water, barley malt, hops, yeast
Vegan friendly? – yes
Gluten-free? – yes
Availability – medium
