Athletic Brewing – All Out Extra Dark
Athletic Brewing – All Out Extra Dark
Stout / Athletic Brewing NA / <0.5%
All Out Stout was built for cold weather. We recommend enjoying by the fire after a long day on the slopes. Expect a full-bodied mouthfeel and a pleasantly roasty finish, as well as delicate coffee and bittersweet chocolate notes. Pairs excellently with savory dishes like hearty chili or sweet treats for dessert. Don't hibernate this winter. Go All Out!
There are a number of reasons that someone might want to turn to non-alcoholic beer, either permanently or on occasion. Perhaps you are looking out for your long-term health. Or maybe you simply don’t like feeling hungover. Whatever the case may be, it is a much easier transition to make if you can still enjoy the flavor of craft brews. Athletic Brewing seems to be marketing their products to a specific group of people, outdoor athletes who want to sip on something tasty without negatively impacting their ability to perform. But as I’ve made my way through their variety pack, I have found their beers to be drinkable enough for anyone to enjoy.
Athletic Brewing provides a wealth of information on the label for All Out Extra Dark. They point out that their beer is not strictly non-alcoholic but rather contains less than 0.5 percent alcohol by volume. They list their ingredients and nutritional information. It’s not a shock that the Extra Dark comes in with a bit of a higher calorie count than other offerings, but it still sits at 90, far less than most alcoholic craft brews. My favorite piece of information on the can is that two percent of all Athletic Brewing sales are donated to restore local outdoor trails. They seem to be a brewery that stands for something and attempts to be transparent with that message.
My preferences tend to lean more toward the hoppy and bright beers, but time has come for me to dive into their dark offering and formulate my All Out Extra Dark review. I discovered that this brew has a little bit for everyone.
IS ALL OUT EXTRA DARK GOOD?
One thing that I have enjoyed regarding Athletic Brewing’s marketing and salesmanship is their artistic and colorful labels that are each tailored to the specific beer that is contained within. Unsurprisingly, the design for All Out Extra Dark is, well, dark compared to the others I have sampled. It depicts a blue geometric night sky dotted with orange stars and a crescent moon. There are strange pyramid-shaped objects poking up from the bottom that I must assume are supposed to be snow-capped mountain peaks going by what I have seen on their other labels.
But is All Out Extra Dark good? Aesthetically pleasing label designs and honorable values can only go so far in the world of craft beer. You have to make sure that your product is also living up to the standards that you are setting for yourself.
Athletic Brewing All Out Extra Dark Review
All Out pours very dark brown, nearly black, with a medium-sized foamy white head that dissipates relatively quickly for the style. The liquid is rather opaque with a decent amount of visible carbonation.
The aroma that hits the nose first is roasted malts. It changes slightly while sitting, but I definitely sensed hints of coffee and caramel. Overall nothing was overpowering, but it was a nice blend of many different scents.
While much of this is to be expected, the first sips is where things start to surprise a little bit. I found there to be a wide variety of traditional dark beer notes, but the body was much lighter than I was expecting. I thought that it went down rather smooth, but after further inspection there was a faint hoppy bite that could turn off those who don’t enjoy that sort of thing.
Hazelnut was one of the flavors that stood out to me most as I continued to drink, but at one time or another I got everything from tobacco to smoke itself and even a teensy bit of chocolate on the finish. The body being as light and watery as I found it left the entire process quite clean without much lingering aftertaste.
For the most part the taste followed the aroma but with the individual flavors standing out quite a bit more than they initially did on the nose. This combined with the light drinkability made for an interesting experience. No part of the brew was overpowering enough that I could see anyone finding it offensive, but die hard dark beer lovers could walk away slightly disappointed that there isn’t more creamy richness to be found. Although I’m sure when trying to keep a low calorie count in mind that type of thing is easier said than accomplished.
I found it to be an up-and-down ride from my first impressions seeing All Out Extra Dark in the glass through the aroma and tasting. Nothing was quite what I anticipated it to be, but at the same time nothing was disagreeable. It goes to show why we mustn’t allow our preconceptions to color our judgment.
Athletic Brewing All Out Extra Dark Rating
The combination of lighter-than-expected body and array of typical dark beer flavors could shade your opinion of this beer in one of two ways, and it made coming up with an All Out Extra Dark rating a little more difficult. On one hand, I could say that these two factors balance each other out, resulting in a flavorful dark beer that doesn’t fill you up and goes down easy. On the other hand, I could say that this brew doesn’t know exactly what it wants to be. To be perfectly honest, I think both of those things can be true at the same time.
Presumably, many people who are turning to non-alcoholic options, and Athletic Brewing in particular, are seeking out something on the healthier side, so it doesn’t seem fair to fault the beer for leaning light. So as far as something to sip on with a little more complexity to it but none of the booze, it does a fine job. It would be easy to knock a few back without any of the bloat that you might get from alcoholic dark brews. I will sum up by Athletic Brewing All Out Extra Dark review by handing it 3 out of 5 stars. Nothing spectacular, but fine enough for what it sets out to do.
You can purchase all Athletic Brewing Co beers directly from their website here.
Photos credit:
https://athleticbrewing.com/
https://in.pinterest.com/cgrantgamble/
From Youtube Channel: Non-Alcoholic Beer Channel
