{"id":63569,"date":"2022-08-02T10:43:32","date_gmt":"2022-08-02T14:43:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.themainemag.com\/?p=63569"},"modified":"2022-08-02T10:43:33","modified_gmt":"2022-08-02T14:43:33","slug":"new-waves-in-craft-beer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themainemag.com\/new-waves-in-craft-beer\/","title":{"rendered":"New Waves in Craft Beer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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It’s summer: pool parties, barbecues, and days at the beach. At each of these, you might be tempted to reach for an icy pilsner or a crisp IPA. \u201cEntrepreneurship comes from a place of need,\u201d says Rob Barrett, co-owner of Kit NA, Maine\u2019s first non-alcoholic craft brewery. Three years ago, Barrett made the decision to \u201cbe more present in my personal life, to be a better father, be a better husband, be a better boss, coworker,\u201d and he gave up alcohol. He calls it, \u201cOne of the best decisions I\u2019ve made.\u201d People who drink less sleep better, have more energy, and experience fewer negative side-effects of alcohol, such as heart, liver, and kidney disease. Barrett is part of a larger trend among Millennials and Gen-Z moving away from drinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why Barrett and his business partner, Will Fisher, co-owner of Austin Street Brewery in Portland, have launched Kit NA. After Kit, there aren\u2019t many other craft breweries for NA beer, period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Non-alcoholic beer makes up less than one percent of the U.S. market, and 60 to 70 percent of that is covered by just two companies. That\u2019s changing quickly, as for the last two years running, the number of NA offerings has grown by roughly 40 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since launching in January 2022, Kit has expanded into five Northeast states, and is reaching another three this year. \u201cWe try to visit all of our distributors, every other month,\u201d says Barrett. \u201cWe\u2019ve never had to beg to work with anybody,\u201d says Fisher. \u201cEverybody we\u2019ve talked to is very interested in craft NA.\u201d Kit also does direct-to-consumer shipping anywhere in the U.S. \u201cThe best place to find us is where you live,\u201d says Fisher. \u201cWe\u2019ll ship right to your door.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here, we talk to Barrett and Fisher about their vision for the future of NA beer, their new R&D tasting room, and how they put consumers first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What do you want consumers to know about NA beer?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo more hangovers,\u201d says Barrett, laughing. \u201cNon-alcoholic beer, for most people, it\u2019s an afterthought. Or there\u2019s a stigma behind it. This gives people a positive reason not to drink. Beer tastes good,\u201d he says, noting that the taste of craft beer was what he missed most when he gave up alcohol. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to tell people to give up alcohol. They can easily switch to this if they need to drive home or get up early. The craft beer market obviously is big here in Maine, but also across the country and the world. There are a lot of good beers out there and there\u2019s also a very high alcohol content, and high calorie content.\u201d Kit is for those who are pregnant, trying to lose weight, or simply want to enjoy the taste of craft beer without the negative side effects. Technically, Kit is gluten free as well, due to the way it\u2019s made: in most NA beers, alcohol is extracted from the finished product after brewing, but with Kit\u2019s process, alcohol never develops in the beer at all. This gentler process results in a lower gluten threshold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who are the people behind Kit NA?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wanted to partner with someone who knew the operations of the brewing industry,\u201d says Barrett, a Portland entrepreneur who owns several other companies like the architecture and construction firm Barrett Made, and the venue and co-working space The Public Works. They met when Fisher hired Barrett Made for a job at Austin Street Brewery. \u201cWill was a diamond in the rough as far as brewers go,\u201d says Barrett. They realized they worked well together, and when Barrett found out that Fisher was also exploring his own relationship with alcohol, they began talking over his idea for Kit. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of like starting a friendship,\u201d says Fisher, joking that they found themselves interviewing each other and realized they had a lot in common. Now, their team includes two brewers who are veterans of the industry. Their location at 52 Alder Street is a tasting room as well as a research and design (R&D) facility, \u201ca little brewery lab where we create these recipes on a small scale, which allows us to fine-tune them without wasting a ton of materials,\u201d says Barrett.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is Portland the right place to launch an NA brewery?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barrett grew up in Portland, and Fisher is from New Gloucester. \u201cWe love Maine, and the beer scene in Portland is known around the world,\u201d says Barrett. \u201cI think for most people, growing up in a town, you want to leave as soon as you can. I left to find something better than Portland, but I couldn\u2019t do it. Portland\u2019s got it all.\u201d Barrett and Fisher knew that if they launched Kit NA in the city bragging more craft breweries per-capita than any other in the U.S., they could grow \u201cthrough first-rate feedback out of the gate.\u201d At the same time, their products would have to be the best, to compete in the saturated Portland market. \u201cWe didn\u2019t want to launch something that we weren\u2019t super proud of.\u201d He sleeps better knowing they\u2019re doing good for their neighborhood, too, he says. \u201cWe feel with a non-alcoholic offering, there\u2019s community benefit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What distinguishes Kit\u2019s flavor profiles?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn my opinion, it tastes even better than regular beer,\u201d says Barrett. \u201cWater, hops, and yeast. That\u2019s it. Simple and straightforward ingredients. No additives, no chemicals, all natural.\u201d Fisher adds, \u201cOther breweries get into it knowing what their market is.\u201d Not so with NA beer, since there have historically been so few people making it, and since many of Kit\u2019s first sales have been direct-to-consumer. Tasting rooms are an opportunity for breweries to get feedback, though, and Kit is no exception, which is why they\u2019ll continue to host them at their Alder Street location. They\u2019re learning what their customers want. \u201cThey want beer that does the best job of replacing what they\u2019re used to,\u201d says Fisher, \u201cto make that transition as seamless as possible when it comes to flavor.\u201d Along with a Blonde Ale, the Get Set IPA is one of Kit\u2019s two flagship brews. It has a \u201cbright tropical and mandarin, crisp, resinous finish,\u201d says Barrett. He situates it in Portland tradition. Foundation Brewing may have been the first to coin the term \u201cMaine IPA,\u201d and Barrett says, Maine Beer Company\u2019s Lunch and their Peeper are two other great examples of the category. \u201cLow bitterness, light in color, but really hoppy,\u201d he says. Places like Austin Street, Goodfire Brewing, and Thistle Brothers have released more modern takes on the IPA, \u201cVery hazy, very hop-forward.\u201d Barrett and Fisher say that with Kit\u2019s first releases, \u201cWe really want to push the category of NA beer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What can people expect from Kit in the coming months?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kit NA will be hosting pop-up tasting rooms at their location at 52 Alder Street in Portland from July through September, and they want you to come. July 14th will be their first, with eight beers on draft. \u201cThey\u2019re interactive, so guests can chime in and rate beers, providing feedback right in the tasting room,\u201d says Barrett. \u201cWe create these recipes on a small scale, which allows us to fine-tune them and experiment with our products. We\u2019ll have some really cool and interesting beers on draft.\u201d They have a Hazy IPA going into production this fall and are excited to release a variety pack with all three brews. Two new varieties are forthcoming in 2023, and they\u2019ll be on draft at the tasting rooms, along with some surprises. Stay tuned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It’s summer: pool parties, barbecues, and days at the beach. At each of these, you might be tempted to reach for an icy pilsner or a crisp IPA. \u201cEntrepreneurship comes from a place of need,\u201d says Rob Barrett, co-owner of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":63804,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2833],"tags":[],"locations":[],"people":[],"class_list":["post-63569","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sponsored-content"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n