Tastes like Christmas in a bottle.
I’m a sucker for holiday drinks, hot cider, cranberry-infused and spiced beers, so when I first tasted Santa Clausthaler it quickly became my favorite NA holiday brew.
Santa Clausthaler is a crafty blend of Clausthaler’s German NA beer mixed with their own cranberry-cinnamon beverage, so it’s part near beer, part fruit-flavored soda. I enjoyed the 2020 Limited Edition and stocked up with a few cases to save for a rainy day.
Crafted in Germany, Clausthaler is one of the pioneers of non-alcoholic beers, using an “arrested fermentation” process while brewing to extract ingredients just before alcohol is produced — versus removing alcohol after brewing, which can strip a brew of its flavor.
Clausthaler’s holiday brew comes in bottled six packs here in the U.S., a la annual holiday brews from Sierra Nevada and other traditional craft breweries.
But Clausthaler’s is the first NA holiday brew that’s readily available at most major beverage retailers, such as Bevmo here in California. According to Clausthaler, their brews are now available in 50 countries, so while this brew was initially launched in the U.S., here’s hoping there’s a good chance you can crack one open just about anywhere next Christmas.
I haven’t seen any other holiday-inspired near beers in my region, but hopefully that changes in 2021 (hint, hint American-made near beer companies).
In the meantime, I’ll toast Mr. Claus with my Claus … and make a new year’s resolution to try all of their non-alcoholic near beers this coming year.
Cheers!
