I don’t think I’ve ever talked about it here on the blog, but I’m a huge Spider-Man guy. The character’s been my favorite superhero since I was a kid. When Tom Holland took the mantle as the MCU Webhead, I was impressed with how seamlessly he could be both Spidey and Peter Parker.
When he announced BERO last year, I told myself I’d be on the lookout for it for this year’s Dry January. I found a variety pack of the stuff at Target the other week, picked it up, and drank all but one. That’s what we’re doing today: BERO’s Kingston Golden Pils.
Holland’s BERO’s founder, but Grant Wood is its brewmaster. The company’s goal is to make non-alcoholic beer that is just beer. Without fancy frills. The wort they make for each batch is much lower in ABV than your standard beer’s wort. They then ferment with a yeast that doesn’t touch the malt sugar, meaning that those sugars aren’t converted to alcohol. If you want more on the brewery or the beer, here’s their “Our Story” page.
Kingston Golden Pils is BERO’s lager. It clocks in at 0.48% ABV (less booze than bread or mustard) and supposedly features notes of malt, biscuit, herbs, spice (no clue what spices), grass, toast, and bread.
My can’s contents smell like a pilsner. Malty, biscuity, and bready. I’m not getting spice or herbs, but that’s fine. If you had me give this a waft, I’d never guess it’s an NA beer. Purrl gave Kingston twelve whiffs, so she’s as fooled by it as I am.
The palate here hits heavy. I do find those herbs and spices. I can’t quite put my finger on exactly what I’m picking up, but it has something akin to Asian cuisine to it (sesame, maybe?). Beyond that, there’s bread, toffee, biscuits, and caramel. Really, this tastes like a solid craft lager. A little on the light side, but that’s understandable with what it is (I neglected to mention that the can rings in at a meager 88 calories).
Mouthfeel? It’s a pilsner. It drinks like a lager: full, frothy, quaffable. Highest marks possible here.
Michelle and I are planning to really get our backyard garden up and running this spring. Greens, beans, tomatoes, berries–we’re doing it all. Each year I struggle to find a good gardening beer. This, as easy-breezy as it is, full and crisp yet light as a feather, is just what I’m looking for.
Tom Holland did it. Sure, I’ll always know him best as Pete Parker, but damn if I won’t think of him second as the driving force behind my favorite non-alcoholic brewery. BERO’s Kingston Golden Pils is a firm 10/10. Get some for yourself (but, try to find it on sale–it’s a little pricey).
