My Honest Review of Uncool
*I was invited by Three Notch’d Brewing to sample their new line of non-alcoholic beer, Uncool. The beer flight was provided, but my review is 100% honest.
You’ve probably noticed a lot of people have been opting for non-alcoholic beverages - I even talked about it recently with my Mocktails in Charlottesville for Dry January post! There are countless reasons to reach for NA beers:
Using them as spacers between drinks containing alcohol
Having a fun option when you are the designated driver
Subbing in for alcohol during Dry January or Sober September (or whenever you are taking time off from it)
Trying something new or giving you an option outside of water/soda
Simply wanting the beer taste without the alcohol
Watching your calorie intake
When I was invited to try Uncool, the non-alcoholic beers produced by Three Notch’d Brewing, I was ecstatic. My husband and I started swapping out our regular beer for NA versions starting in September and we also did dry/damp January, so we’ve been very into this trend. To be able to have NA beer and still support local is the perfect combination in my mind!
My Honest Review of Uncool
The Uncool line of beers currently consists of five options: a Pils, an IPA, a Hazy IPA, a Citra Wheat, and a Salted Lime Sour. Each can contains about 90-100 calories (pretty on par with Athletic) and 16 grams of carbs.
The branding for this new line is, in my opinion, fantastic. I love the bright colors and the simplicity of the logo, and I think it’s cute they way they are leaning into the “cool to be uncool” theme. Full disclosure…I’ll probably be buying that hoodie at some point.
Like all beers at Three Notch’d, each variety goes really well with the good, salty food you would expect: nachos, cheeseburgers, wings, and fries. However, we did our tasting with the veggies, pita, and hummus and that was a fantastic combination as well.
Here are my thoughts on each of the Uncool offerings:
Pils
I really liked this one. It reminded me of a lighter beer offering (like a Coors Light) but without the awful skunkiness that often accompanies them. This would make for really nice and easy summer drinking.
IPA
If I’m being honest…I typically am not an IPA fan. Hoppy drinks just aren’t my thing (my husband is the exact opposite). I always make a face when I try them. However, this one I could actually tolerate because the hops were much more subtle. I feel like I could easily enjoy this one with a burger, though I’ll admit it was my least favorite of the five.
Hazy IPA
On that note of not liking IPAs…I shockingly really liked the Hazy IPA! What is wild about my liking it is this beer actually tasted really close to the real thing. If you just handed this to me and didn’t tell me it was non-alcoholic, I would think it was a regular beer. It even had that perfect cloudy look of a hazy IPA!
Even more amazing? Now that I’ve had this and liked it, I think I’ll actually try the regular Hazy IPAs Three Notch’d has on tap. They are slowly bringing me over to the other side - a true miracle!
Citra Wheat
This was my husband’s favorite, and I enjoyed it as well. It has a fruit forward taste and it immediately made me want a slice of my favorite (albeit controversial) pizza choice (yes, I’m talking about Hawaiian). I could see this being great to have on hand for when you want a beer with dinner at home.
Salted Lime Sour
I am and will always be a sour girl. I love a good gose (and Three Notch’d has some great ones). I was not surprised I loved this; my husband was surprised he did. Normally he hates a sour but he said he would drink it with tacos. I think it’s a really nice gateway sour because it isn’t a punch in the mouth like some of them can be, making it very drinkable for those typically a little wary of this variety.
All in all, I am a fan of this new line. Regardless of why you are reaching for a non-alcoholic beer, it’s a nice option to have either on hand at home or when you are out with friends and I love the variety they offer. I personally will be adding the Uncool brand into my rotation.
Until next time, cheers and happy (non-alcoholic) drinking!
