Gruvi Non-Alcoholic IPA
Gruvi Non-Alcoholic IPA
IPA / Gruvi NA / <0.5%
Canada - American IPA - <0.5% ABV. A true American IPA but without the alcohol. Expect a refreshingly hop filled beer. Brewed using an entirely new process that allows this beer to maintain its taste and body.
In a day and age that is marked by targeted advertising and social media presence, it seems there are some brands that are impossible to ignore as they end up in your face whether you like it or not. Being someone who writes reviews of non-alcoholic beer, sometimes the ads that are targeted toward my interests present new breweries trying to push their products. One of these beer makers that I have been seeing pop up quite often recently is Gruvi, out of Denver, Colorado. Having already sampled most of the offerings that the biggest NA beer companies have on the market, I thought why not turn to this blossoming brand and see what they are working with.
The fact that they have such a strong presence in the social media advertising sphere does let me know a couple of things about the company. In order to afford that type of influence, they are likely doing pretty well for themselves despite being a relatively new brewery. It is also rather obvious through their marketing material that they are tailoring their products towards a younger customer base that is interested in health, wellness, and inclusion. I do my best not to judge a non-alcoholic book by its cover, so I won’t draw any more conclusions this quickly. Instead it is time to dive in for a full Gruvi Non-Alcoholic IPA review.
Gruvi Non-Alcoholic IPA Review
Every beer maker that is trying to establish themselves in the NA industry does their best to craft a flagship IPA, and with good reason. This style is clearly still number one in the world of craft brews. Gruvi is no exception to this trend, and they have put in obvious effort to make their IPA stand out, first by presenting it in a bold green can.
The label design is also unique in simple use of space, or maybe lack of use. One thing you cannot call this can is busy. The entire front label is unsegmented with plenty of that bright green background. We are notified that this can contains just 60 calories, and a blurb around the backside hits us with some generic marketing mumbo jumbo. There is no denying that this beer would catch many eyes on the shelf.
Poured into a pint glass, the liquid itself appears a slightly hazy golden shade, mostly translucent, topped with a very generous fluffy head that shows some impressive retention. It has all the appearance of a traditional pale ale, and not much else can be discerned just from looking at it.
Smelling on the other hand, brings forward a lot of familiar feelings. I have sampled enough low-abv and NA IPAs at this point, that there are some extremely common traits – things that are more surprising not to find in a beer of this sort. They are all present here. I can detect the grassy hops on the nose, as well as a fair amount of citrus. There is also the vegetal aroma that can show up at different levels. Let’s hope that it’s toned down to tolerability on the tongue.
The only way to move forward and answer the question, “Is Gruvi Non-Alcoholic IPA good?” is by putting the glass to my lips and taking a swig.
Is Gruvi Non-Alcoholic IPA Good?
The quick answer to this question is yes. While all of the flavors are unremarkable in their own right, they are all balanced to form a very strong combination. In a lot of instances, the vegetal quality is too much and drowns out both the citrus and the hops. I will say that despite their marketing material claiming that this beer is “hop forward” and the fact they use Citra, Mosaic, and Galaxy, I could use more bitterness. The hops are pleasant, but I wish they were stronger.
The citrus on the other hand, made up mostly of orange notes and a decent amount of grapefruit, is at just the right level. It takes a front seat over the grassy notes and stays consistent. After tasting, I am actually mildly surprised this beer didn’t appear juicier in the glass.
As one could have presumed from seeing the head, there is a good amount of carbonation present throughout the tasting. But that is balanced out by the lighter-than-average body that moves smoothly down the sides of the mouth and back of the throat.
Finish is one of the more crucial components to me in any drink, and this one doesn’t disappoint. While it isn’t the most crisp I have tasted, it is extremely clean and wipes entirely off your palette without a second thought. Perfect in preparing you for the next sip.
While this brew is tasty, It is tough to isolate it in my mind and not constantly compare it to other non-alcoholic IPAs that I have reviewed, both hazy and not. In attempting to establish a flagship, they have perhaps ended up with something a bit run of the mill. But is that a bad thing? And what will it mean for my final Gruvi Non-Alcoholic IPA rating. Finish reading and find out.
Gruvi Non-Alcoholic IPA Rating
I think the biggest negative that I can come up with to describe this beer is uninteresting. Nearly all of the elements present are ones that I find in every brew of this sort, but it seems unfair to judge it too harshly based on that alone. After all, I never held that against other similar beers. I simply tasted those ones first, before this type of profile had worn on me.
Despite the fact that all of these flavors – the grassiness, hops, citrus, and the vegetal element – are very familiar, I will say that this particular brew combines them in better proportion than many other NA pale ales on the market. Ultimately I could stand for a little more hops, but I am pleased that the vegetal flavor does not overwhelm, and the citrus is just the correct amount to make it imminently drinkable but not overly juicy.
In doing my best not to let my past tasting experience color what I end up grading this beer, I must make sure I also don’t overcompensate and give it too much credit for being rather unoriginal. I believe that a fair score to land at and end this Gruvi Non-Alcoholic IPA review with is 4 out of 5 stars. Tasty and refreshing, if a bit uninspired.
If you’d like to purchase Gruvi products, they can all be ordered directly from their website.
Photos Credit:
https://www.totalwine.com/
https://www.thebrewsite.com/
