How Fort Point Beer crafted NA versions of core beers to taste like the real thing

The non-alcoholic beer category has shown tremendous growth over the past few years, steadily climbing 30% year over year in California. San Francisco-based Fort Point Beer Co. is now ready to join the Dry January party, launching Non-Alcoholic Fort Point — a new line of nuanced, and approachable NA beers directly inspired by its bestselling core beers.

Fort Point’s introductory NA line translates two of its beloved classics, KSA Kölsch Style Ale and Villager San Francisco Style IPA, into non-alcoholic beers with flavor and aroma that take you right back to the originals.

Starting with NA versions of its bestsellers was a natural way to introduce NA styles that felt very Fort Point–simultaneously familiar and exciting.

“Our goal wasn’t to make a great NA beer. We wanted to make NA beer that tasted like the real thing,” said Mike Schnebeck, Director of Brewing Innovation at Fort Point. “You don’t see many craft breweries creating NA versions of existing styles because it’s inherently more challenging to get right, but we’ve always prided ourselves on innovation and doing things differently.”

Full of flavor yet less than 0.5% alcohol by volume, NA Fort Point is now available at bars, restaurants, and retailers across California, as well as at its San Francisco locations.

Creating NA KSA and NA Villager

NA KSA and NA Villager taste like beer in part because they follow a traditional brewing process. They are also the product of three years of research and development.

“It wasn’t easy–we did over 20 pilots of NA KSA alone, the most we’ve ever done – but we’re proud of where we landed, and excited to introduce a new approach to the growing category,” Schnebeck said.

Fort Point Beer Co. still stays true to its characteristic focus on beers that are accessible and approachable, interesting and easy to love. NA KSA is light and crisp with familiar notes of fresh bread and orange blossom honey, while NA Villager is an exceptionally balanced NA IPA, with notes of citrus, stone fruit, and florals.

Rather than making the liquid non-alcoholic through dealcoholization, a common process in the NA beer category, NA Fort Point is made using a specialized yeast that minimizes the conversion of sugar to alcohol during brewing. The process matters here – it allows Fort Point to brew its NA locally in the Bay Area, rather than in a different state, as is common for the category due to the production equipment required for dealcoholization.

“San Francisco has always been a part of our DNA. The city inspires the styles we brew, the stories we tell, and the way our brand looks and feels,” said Fort Point Chief Brand Officer Dina Dobkin. “We’re proud to be the only San Francisco-based brewery making non-alcoholic beer in six-packs. We hope NA KSA and NA Villager deliver a sense of nostalgia, whether drinkers are enjoying an old favorite for the first time in years, or just enjoying Fort Point in a different way.”