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N/A the Summit Way – Introducing Nialas Non-Alcoholic Beer

Friday, September 2, 2022, By Summit Brewing

At Summit Brewing Co. we are founded in tradition. But we are always focused on true innovation, never relying on technology as a crutch. We are not experimenters, but explorers. Over the past three years we have been exploring the opportunities we can create with non-alcoholic beer. From that exploration and innovation comes Nialas non-alcoholic beer.

Let’s face it, most NA beers don’t taste like… BEER! They’re flavorless. Forgettable. Void of character. Which means those who have long searched for a flavorful non-alcoholic beer option, that fits their lifestyle, have come up empty handed. Brewed to be enjoyed by any lifestyle for any occasion, Nialas non-alcoholic is a full-flavored beer that will give you the same experience as drinking a regular beer with the benefit of less than 0.5% alcohol by volume. That means you are ready to set off on your next adventure at peak performance no matter what.

We are excited to enter the N/A segment and, as with any new Summit beer, we have taken the time and put in the effort to introduce our brand to the non-alcoholic landscape with a beer that extends the Summit brewing philosophy of creating great beer through quality ingredients, traditional brewing techniques and innovation. This is an opportunity to enter an entirely new category for the brewery and reach a consumer base that has traditionally not been experiencing Summit products.

We recognize consumers are introducing non-alcoholic beers into their routines for a variety of reasons. Whether people drink beer, are cutting back or eliminating it altogether, Nialas can be a part of bringing folks together around shared experiences while enjoying a great Summit beer. We want to offer a non-alcoholic option that still has the traits of a traditional beer and Nialas does just that.

Our Chief Brewing Officer, Damian McConn has been working through pilots, feedback and more pilots, until he felt we got it right. The right formula, ingredients, yeast, process… all without taking the easy road to the end result. As a nod to McConn’s dedication and Irish heritage we named the new brew Nialas, meaning zero or nothing in Irish Gaelic, to represent the non-alcoholic aspect of the brew.

Creating this brand has been a tedious process but one that McConn was excited to tackle, embrace and ultimately succeed at, noting that this has been one of the “toughest projects of [his] career.” Rather than brewing a regular beer and then stripping out the alcohol through reverse osmosis or vacuum distillation, Nialas is brewed with purpose to not include alcohol throughout the brewing process and retain the flavor and body properties of a regular beer. A process like that takes a lot of experimentation and discipline from the entire team from brewers to quality assurance, packaging and so many others to deliver the best non-alcoholic beer to you.

Nialas will initially be offered in two styles — IPA and Irish-Style Dark. Nialas Non-Alcoholic IPA is a classic hop-forward India Pale Ale, this NA beer boasts flavors of toast and English biscuits with aromas of apricot, tangerine and mixed berries. Nialas Non-Alcoholic Irish-Style Dark reflects a stout-style with big flavors of espresso, chocolate and caramel, balanced by spicy hop characteristics.

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