What type of beer is Coast Hazy IPA ?
This beer is an IPA. Coast, now called Brulo, make a lot of IPAs. India pale ales are top fermenting, warm brewed and very hop forward. When they are alcoholic, they tend to be higher in ABV then other beers, but clearly not the case here.
There is an increasing range of IPAs to cater for whatever type of hops you want – citrus, tropical, pine, spice.
Is Coast Hazy IPA really alcohol free?
Yes, all the Coast (now Brulo) beers have an alcohol by volume (ABV) of 0.0%, which technically means less than 0.05%.
That is the level needed to legally be called alcohol free as opposed to the non alcoholic threshold of 0.5%. This is the UK and USA law but you will see 0.5% beers with “alcohol free” branding due to EU laws. For more on this issue you can read my article on it here
Also, for anyone saying that <0.05% alcohol still has alcohol, they might want to consider how much alcohol is in every day foods and drinks they consume without realising it. You can read my very surprising article on the alcohol in our common foods here
The Ingredients
Coast/Brulo are usually pretty good with keeping ingredients to the minimum. I don’t have any issue with them in that regard. My issues come later.
Coast Hazy IPA includes…
- Water
- Barley
- Hops
- Yeast
Hops – simcoe, citra, mosaic
A nice, standard set of ingredients and Coast like to tell you the hops they are using. Simcoe will be earthy, fruity and bitter, citra gives some tropical mango and mosaic can add a berry fruitiness.
The Nutrition
My major issue with Coast/Brulo is in the nutrition profile. They clearly have a formula that they adapt to make their beers but it always ends with the same nutrition profile.
| | Values per 100ml or 100g |
| Alcohol | 0.0% |
| Calories | 33kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 7.8g |
| Sugars | 3.9g |
As you can see these are hugely high numbers for an IPA in the non alcoholic beer world and there really isn’t any excuse for it.
I find if a pale beer has more than about 2g/100ml of sugar, then it runs the risk of being too sweet. I can tell you now, this beer with 3.9g/100ml will be far too sweet.
To read more about what isotonic is and how it affects beers, you can read about that here
The Look
This is a can from Coast before they become Brulo. There is still the same eyeball and can styling. The colour puts me in mind of a pine flavoured beer
The beer itself is a very pale yellow, hazy and pretty off putting. The head disappears to leave a nasty looking scum on the surface. First impressions and all that!
The Aroma
There is a big whiff of bitter citrus and tropical hops.
It is an IPA so you do get lots of hops on the nose
The Taste
I never feel Brulo/Coast get it spot on and this is the same again.
The beer is pretty ful bodied and juicy. In fact it is very sweet and ends on a lasting sweet note which builds after the swallow.
I get plenty of tropical and berry hops but not too much citrus or pine. There is no malt to speak of which is to be expected I suppose.
The bitterness is mild and completely taken over by the sweetness which rushes into you mouth after a second or two and dominates.
If you had told me this was a tropical fruit beer I would have agreed with you and thought it was a relatively decent effort at that. But this is an IPA with off the charts calories, carbs and sugar which simply is not needed to make a great IPA.
The Verdict
Far too sweet, doesn’t taste like an IPA but if you rebrand it as a tropical fruit beer it would work better. Either way it isn’t worth the big calories in non alcoholic beer terms.
The Score
4/10 – If you want a classic IPA this isn’t going to satisfy you can there is no excuse for the terrible nutrition stats when making an IPA.
Find out where this beer ranks compared to all the beers i have reviewed on my updated “Best Non Alcoholic Beers” page
Where to buy?
You can try these at Wise Bartender as well, a brilliant non alcoholic retailer
For UK readers, Light Drinks has this and others, if you use code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE you get an additional 5% off
*Affiliate Disclosure – if you click on the links and buy from these providers, i might receive a small commission*
Is Coast Hazy IPA gluten free?
No, Coast Hazy IPA is not gluten free
I have an entire article on non alcoholic beers and gluten if you want more information.
Is Coast Hazy IPA vegan?
Yes , Coast Hazy IPA is vegan friendly
For more on vegan beers see my article on the matter. Why beers may or may not be and how to check.
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SUMMARY
If you want a classic IPA this isn’t going to satisfy you can there is no excuse for the terrible nutrition stats when making an IPA. |
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