Collective Arts Brewing IPA – Non-Alcoholic Beer at 0.4% ABV (C$3.00 at Safeway Liquor D’Arcy Crossing, 355 ml, best before 13-Jun-2025, acquired 17-Mar-2025, reviewed 19-Mar-2025)
Appearance: hazy pale straw with one finger of fine white head diminishing gradually to a thin cap, moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: citrus, tropical fruit, melon, pine, light cereal grains, faint cattiness. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-low bitter. (7/10) Medium body, moderate-low carbonation, off-dry finish. (3/5)
I often find that there’s little to distinguish between a Pale and an IPA, even when the latter is slightly boozier than the former. Well, when it comes to CA’s near beer offerings, you don’t have that: both are less than half a percent. That’s why I chose to do them both side-by-side – and it’s a good thing I did, because there truly is very little to tell the two apart. This one is hopped with Citra, Simcoe and Mosaic, and I’m getting just a hint of the Simcoe pine and cattiness on top of citrus, tropical fruits, and melon. It’s a bit hazier than the facsimile Pale, but other than that the only real difference is the slightly different aroma you’d expect from the different hop selection. I just slightly prefer the Pale over this one, but there’s not enough difference between them to show in the scoring – and, really, I’d be quite happy with either under most circumstances. (14/20)
7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
