Kit NA Golden Ale

Kit's NA Golden Ale is a non-alcoholic take on the golden ale style, a pale, straw-to-gold beer that usually sits between a lager and a pale ale in weight. The only fixed details are the producer, the style and the non-alcoholic format, so the tasting notes here describe what the style typically offers. They aren't a measured profile of this bottle. Golden ales are normally built on pale malt, which gives soft bread-crust and cracker notes with a little honeyed sweetness. Hopping is restrained, usually a light floral, grassy or faintly citrus lift with low bitterness. Non-alcoholic versions often taste a touch rounder and more malt-led than their full-strength counterparts, since there is no alcohol to add dryness or warmth. Expect a clean, easy finish rather than a sharp, bitter one. That light profile suits food that won't overwhelm it. It works well with grilled chicken, fish tacos, battered white fish, and salads with a citrus dressing. It also goes with margherita pizza and mild curries, where the gentle malt sweetness takes the edge off a little spice. Salty snacks like pretzels, roasted nuts and soft cheeses are an easy match too, because the carbonation cleans the palate between bites. Serve it properly cold, around 3 to 6°C, which keeps the carbonation crisp and the malt from turning sweet or flat. If it warms much past 8°C, the sweetness tends to become more noticeable. A standard pint glass or a tall pilsner-style glass shows off the colour and holds a modest head. A stange or a small tulip glass will concentrate the hop aroma a little better. Pour down the side of a tilted glass, then straighten it to build a finger of foam. Rinse the glass in cold water first so the foam holds and the beer stays fresh to the last sip.