Memphis breweries have taken a variety of approaches to Dry January this year.
Crosstown Brewing Co. took a very public stance on social media against the idea of people choosing a monthlong break from alcohol to start the year, calling it a “troublesome tradition” that hurts business. The brewery’s Facebook posts even prompted a story in The Daily Memphian.
Other breweries have taken a different tack.
Wiseacre Brewing Co. introduced Hop Zip, a non-alcoholic, 0-calorie sparkling hop water, which the brewery is selling from its two taprooms on draft and in cans. Wiseacre has shipped Hop Zip to cities across Tennessee and to Colorado, with further distribution to follow soon.
High Cotton Brewing Co. created its own hop water that it’s selling in its taproom.
Meanwhile, Grind City Brewing Co. stocked up on non-alcoholic (NA) beers from national player Athletic Brewing Co. and is selling them in its taproom for those who are abstaining.
Now, for the first time, there’s even a locally-brewed NA beer that’s available during Dry January.
Soul & Spirits Brewery has unveiled “Piece AF,” an alcohol-free hoppy pale ale made with Amarillo and Strata hops, which is being sold exclusively in the brewery’s Downtown Memphis taproom.
The beer is sweet, with some dank, citrusy aromas and flavors. It’s akin to some of Athletic Brewing’s hoppy NA beers, though maybe a bit sweeter.
Piece AF is not only Soul & Spirits’ first near beer, it’s also the first non-alcoholic beer made by a Memphis brewery, according to Soul & Spirits.
Soul & Spirits released Piece AF on Dec. 21 for a short time before closing on Christmas Day for an extended holiday break. The brewery re-opens today, Jan. 11, with plenty of Piece AF for those refraining from alcohol this month or for people just curious about NA beers
Soul & Spirits’ co-founder and brewmaster Ryan Allen said Piece AF was a bit of an experiment, and he’s planning to tweak his recipes and approaches in future batches.
He’s interested in being able to offer an NA beer option in Soul & Spirits’ taproom year-round.
“I’m going to rotate through some different styles of beer. Not many. I want to keep it in the realm of what people are looking for … so pale ales, IPAs, maybe an amber ale,” Allen said, adding that he’s toyed with the idea of a sour NA beer, as well.
While there are different techniques for making beer without alcohol, Allen used a strain of yeast that’s unable to break down the main sugars in the beer, which in turn limits alcohol from being produced.
Some fermentation does occur, and a very small amount of alcohol is made. Technically, the beer is maybe about 0.5% ABV.
Piece AF was canned, but it’s only available for on-premise consumption in the taproom at this time.
Because of the lack of alcohol, NA beers are often pasteurized, which is a labor-intensive process of heating beer to kill bacteria. While Piece AF was not pasteurized, Allen said he took pains to make sure he over-sanitized while making the beer.
Meanwhile, Allen is working on a method to pasteurize future batches of NA beers, which will allow Soul & Spirits to expand beyond on-premise consumption.
“It will be eventually pasteurized, and we will be able to sell it out of our front door,” Allen said, “maybe even though distribution.”
For the music fans, Piece AF’s name was inspired by Johnny Cash’s “One Piece At A Time.”