Before I get the smoker roaring, one of my requirements is I have to have a dark stout or porter in my hand.
And by dark, I mean DARK. Like dark and thick as used motor oil dark. And something with a smoky finish? Well, that’s even better.
Big Drop Brewing Company’s Galactic Extra Dark Stout is an NA pitmaster’s dream. Extra Dark. Chocolatey. Smoky (although, that might just be the grill). As Big Drop explains it, it tastes like a “honeycomb covered in chocolate,” a rich, decadent, out of this Galaxy brew.
If you’re unfamiliar with Big Drop, we kicked off our first NonBooze Interviews series with Rob Fink, CEO & Founder of Big Drop Brewing Company.
Fink had a vision the non-alcoholic craft beer market had legs long before most, co-founding the Big Drop Brewing Company in London in 2016 along with his longtime friend James Kindred.
During our interview, he recalled renowned beer writer, Pete Brown, standing up in front of a conference full of skeptical bar owners, where he “held up the Big Drop Galactic Stout and said: ‘This is the first time I have ever drunk an NA beer, and immediately wanted the same again..'”
I couldn’t agree more.
The good news being Big Drop is now available in the U.S. with their World Beer Awards Best Style winners, the Galactic Stout and Pine Trail Pale, available for sale in their U.S. store. And, breaking news, their Paradiso IPA isn’t far behind, so look for that soon in the States.
But back to the Galaxy Stout. What can you say? It’s as good as a nearbeer stout gets. It is brewed with cacao nibs and lactose, for anyone with dairy issues. It also uses English Bramling Cross hops, a hat tip to the Old Country where it was first harvested almost a hundred years ago, although this variety has its own American aroma.
For me, it paired nicely pretty much anyone done on the smoker, combined with baked beans, mac n’ cheese, you name it. You can really go wrong with a Galactic Stout and the smoker.
Near beeer cheers!
