The first non-alcoholic beer from Boston’s Harpoon Brewery is a natural extension to the company’s “League” lifestyle series, which are low in calories and alcohol and crafted with “better for you” ingredients. Open League NA Hazy IPA hit the market last month, offering up the same selling points as the other Leagues in a less-than-0.5% alcohol format (the legal definition of “non-alcoholic”).

Here’s the blurb from the press release:

Made for those who want to beat the buzz while still enjoying the taste of a refreshing, hop-forward beer, Harpoon’s newest year-round offering is brewed with some of the same better-for-you ingredients as Rec. League, like toasted buckwheat, chia seeds, and sea salt for electrolytes. Whether finishing up a summer hike or just wanting to enjoy a night out without the morning-after hangover, Open League is a light yet flavorful beer open for everyone* to indulge in – and fans can still reach for a can of its 4% ABV counterpart, Rec. League, for those moments that call for a little celebration with traditional beer.

I’ve been making a point to review non-alcoholic beers, and Harpoon sent me a couple of cans to sample. Each 12-ounce serving contains 35 calories and 5 grams of carbs, and less than 0.5% ABV (as with all of these, it’s impossible to tell just how much residual alcohol might be present, unless you run them through lab tests).

Time to answer the question of, how is it? Here are my review notes:

Appearance: Moderately hazy honey-orange color. A fizz that built up to a moderate head that subsequently collapsed quickly.

Smell: Toasted grain notes with some rough (harsh) hop character that’s a bit oversteeped/vegetal. There’s a sweetish note that’s not wort but a bit like sweetened breakfast cereal. A touch woody.

Taste: Base is grainy and clean but the hops are overdone, giving a slightly harsh woody bitterness that’s a bit astringent. Good toasty, Grape Nuts flavors in the malts and the only hint that it’s non-alcoholic is the lack of alcohol esters.

Mouthfeel: Fairly light bodied, clean though with a lingering astringency from the hops.

Overall: It’s pretty well handled as an NA brew (no wort-like or unfermented character, for instance), except for the hops, which need to be dialed back and reworked a bit.