Free Wave (Hazy IPA) | Athletic Brewing Company | Non-Alcoholic Beer Review | #6

For today's review, I'm going to take a look at another non-alcoholic beer on the channel, and it once again comes from the Athletic Brewing Company, and it's their Free Wave. This is a non-alcoholic New England IPA that is brewed with Amarillo, Citra and Mosaic hops. I've only had one hop-forward non-alcoholic beer, and it was pretty good, so I'm hoping this is much of the same. Let's see if it is!
Note: I stated the IBUs were 55, but they're actually 50. Sorry about the misinformation!
Commercial Description:
Our Free Wave Hazy IPA is meant for the open road. Whether you're cruising the Pacific Coast Highway in a convertible or tracing your way up the coast on your bike, our Free Wave doesn't cut corners. This mouth watering IPA is loaded with Amarillo, Citra, and Mosaic hops. You'll want to grab a few for the road!
Pertinent Information:
Brewery - Athletic Brewing Company (Stratford, CT & San Diego, CA)
Beer - Free Wave
Style - Non-Alcoholic New England IPA
ABV - 0.4%
IBU - 50
Canned On Date - 09/06/22 (Just over 2 1/2 months old at the time of review)
Social Media Contacts:
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Thanks for watching!

[@Steven-Primrose-Hazel]

I quit drinking last week and bought 80 bucks worth of athletic beers and, I'm by no means an expert beer tester but I love IPAs and this one, and the run wild, and basically all of their IPAs have actually scratched the itch! I had no idea NA IPAs existed that actually tasted good.

[@averagejoe716]

I'm with you, David! I just remember the days of O'Douls when it came to NA beers, so I was surprised when I started reviewing these that there were many I enjoyed. This is one of the best of the bunch, IMO. I need to grab more from Athletic. They have some cool limited beers on the website, too. Glad you're enjoying them, man! Thanks for the comment, too! Cheers!

[@napapjd]

Thanks for the review - going to check it out.

[@averagejoe716]

Thanks, Pete! Definitely worth giving it a go. If you haven't had Samuel Adams' Just The Haze, that is worth grabbing for an NA hazy fix. Cheers!

[@Chaz4543]

I just picked some of this up because I wanted to go to the grocery store at 7 am when they opened to pick up some food and I went to the non alcoholic beer section and saw this as one of the options. I previously had the Athletic Golden Ale and figured Id get this one while I was there. You said you paid 13.99 a 6 pack, wow, the Athletic 6 packs at the store were only 10.99 so good deal I guess. I think its pretty good for what it is but being NA I could definitely tell something was missing in it that kept it from me loving it. Cant see myself ever buying NA beer at a liquor store so grocery stores only if I ever get some more which is all I can get there anyway since there's no alcohol at grocery stores here. If you want alcohol you're basically restricted from 9 am when liquor stores open to 10 pm when they close. So nothing from 10pm - 9am basically unless you find places in Mass. and even there its still mostly liquor stores.

[@averagejoe716]

Nice that you gave it a go! I think that's been my experience for many NA beers. They come close, in some regards, but there's always that one thing missing that I usually can't identify, but you just have a feel it's an NA beer. That $10.99/six pack price tag is good, especially since if you buy it straight from their website, it's literally $13.99, unless you subscribe for regularly shipments, then it's $11.89. Cheers, dude!

[@SaintLewisMusic]

I am not anti-alcohol, but I drink this because it's just GREAT!

[@averagejoe716]

Nice, man! Glad you enjoyed it. The aroma was bothersome to me, but I'm happy the taste was good. Cheers!

[@budrhoades6049]

Crazy timing my man. I'm on the tale end of a 10 day cleanse and I just cracked my 1st Sam Adams Just The Haze which I'm drinking as I type this LOL ! I believe a couple months ago when I was cleansing I mentioned the Athletic Free Wave for you to try. I agree with your assessment though the aromatics didn't come across as badly as they did with you. I liked it a lot, I'm really impressed with some of these newer NA Hazies. And that Sam Adams ? Frickin tasty NA hazy, seriously, I got tons of ripe pineapple and citrus, but I think the nose isn't as good as the flavor's IMHO. It's great to have these quality of NA beers for any reason you want to abstain, I just love to reset every 90 days or so as my palate gets really fatigued. I can remember drinking an absolute killer North Park TDH DIPA on Thanksgiving and saying to myself, yup, it's time for a reset LOL ! Hey I'll try to ship some beers soon, lots of great things out here and a couple new tiny breweries you should taste, plus Jason@ Sandbox sent me some new smoothie sours which I have not had in over a year. Cheers amigo, talk soon. Bud

[@averagejoe716]

Nice, Bud! Yeah, I usually quit drinking for a good 3-4 days for my monthly blood test for my blood thinners, so I always have a little mini-cleanse. Plus, just drinking 1 (and sometimes 2) beers per day really helps my palate. I haven't experienced much palate fatigue post-surgery, and I think all that helps, for sure. I also feel like more beers have a better intensity to the flavors, as well. I agree about the non-alcoholic beers. The days of O'Douls and nothing else are long gone. The fact I can grab a beer like this or Just The Haze and get a similar experience to a regular Hazy IPA kind of blows my mind. Never thought I'd see the day, but most of the NA beers I've consumed so far have been, at the very least, serviceable. I just love that they're way more readily available, too. Lastly, I'm always jealous of you on my Untappd timeline. So many great West Coast beers, both hazy and clear, and they all sound delicious! That Sandbox beer you sent me a few years back was a lot of fun. I noticed that Jason from Sandbox friended me on Untappd. He only has two friends, and I'm one of them, so no idea if that's his real account or not, but pretty cool if it is. I'm always down to try more West Coast goodness ... and you know this, buddy! I hope you and your family are doing well, brother. I also hope you're enjoying the holidays as, well! Cheers, brother!

[@Nemo71340]

What is freshness like for a NA beer thats hopped like this? I've been kind of hesitant to buy some because usually it's about 2-3 months old. Does it drop off way faster than a standard IPA at say 7% ABV taste wise? will the hop flavors diminish faster?

[@averagejoe716]

That is a great question, Nemo. I would imagine it's similar to a regular beer, as hops typically fade with time. That said, as long as they're kept cold and handled properly (i.e. no massive fluctuation in temperatures), they should hold up for a decent while. I'm much like you, as I prefer to try hop-forward beers as fresh as I can. So far, it's been tough to find super fresh NA IPAs, so I just try to make do with what I can grab. Cheers!

[@gunnerglory]

Good up to 9 months

[@emerica95023]

I found that if they’re about a month out from the factory and they’re ice cold, they’re absolutely delicious 🤌🏽

[@averagejoe716]

Nice! I'll have to pick up another can that is a bit fresher and try it out. Thanks for the tip! Cheers!