Beer ReviewsNORTNORT Pacific Ale Review

Spring is here, so what better time for the Nort Pacific Ale Review!  When I pull a NORT Pacific Ale out of the fridge I automatically think passionfruit hoppy aromas while being transported back to summer sessions by the coast or in the high country.

Nort Pacific Ale is a hoppy and hazy craft non alcoholic beer that is brewed with galaxy hops and delivers flavours of tropical passionfruit, citrus and the lingering crisp freshness of pine. At only 49 calories the Nort Pacific Ale is a light and bright beer you can comfortably drink all day long.

If you’re after a non-alcoholic beer for summer, find out how this beer will transport you back to warm summer mornings and that smell of sunscreen in no time.

The Modus Operandi brewed Nort Pacific Ale is summery, sessionable, fruity, cleanly finished non-and best of all an entirely alcohol free beer.

The Pacific Ale is perfectly suited to all things summer with a profile that is built around:

• Hoppy tropical and citrus based notes of passionfruit and orange;
• A lingering freshness that delivers an awesome clean pine level of freshness; and
• Subtle malty backbone (similar to the one you find in the Refreshing Ale).

When you’re drinking it, the combination of flavours mentioned above are all pulled together in a way that they bring a full range of flavour and that is fit for any summer’s afternoon (or morning for that matter).

The structure of the Nort Pacific Ale sees it deliver:

1. Tropical and citrus hops at first; before moving on to
2. short bout of malty sweetness; before it is totally wiped out by
3. a rolling cloud of lingering piney freshness and a hint of bitterness.

While well carbonated, the NORT Pacific Ale has a notably lighter in body when stacked up against the refreshing ale.

The body of the Pacific Ale is more in line with the Tropical XPA and has that lighter feel.

Widely available in-store and online the Nort non-alcoholic beer range is rather easy to track down.

I picked up my first few from Sans Drinks and have since grabbed a couple from Dan Murphy’s as well. So there are plenty of options to grab a 6 pack or two!

I’ve put a few below to help along the way!

• Amazon
• Craft Zero (use TZERO at checkout for 10% off!)
• Sans Drinks

Lower calories and the benefits of rehydration are a big bonus of non-alcoholic beer and in the health department, the Nort Pacific Ale does not disappoint.

The Alcohol-Free Pacific Ale is a beer that you could drink all day, not only due to the taste profile but also the lack of calories and its nutrition profile. It comes in at just 49 Calories, includes less than 1 gram of sugar and contains just 4.7 grams of carbs per bottle.

I there was ever a nutritional panel that was all upside, the Pacific Ale is it. I’ve listed out the per full information for you to dive into and compare across other reviews!

The full nutritional information is below:

The Pacific Ale looks absolutely brilliant in a glass, it is golden, hazy, bright and has some static and super slow motion bubbles that are fitting for a drink made for slow summer days and nights.

When poured you’re going to find the Pacific Ale has a:

• medium foamy head that does well to stay in the glass for 1-2 minutes after pouring;
• lightly golden colour; and
• hazy rolling texture.

Imagine the sun shining through rain clouds and reflecting off the horizon and you’ve got that captured in a glass!

You might have noticed that the Pacific Ale in the Nort range has no canned option. I was wondering why this might be as the other options all come in cans or have a can option.

I did a bit of research into it and found the alcoholic versions (think Four Pines, Stone and Wood, Coopers, Little Creatures and Wild Yak) were slightly skewed towards selling their Pacific Ale’s in a bottle or had a bottled version.

But I think Mike Wurst of the Crafty Pint put it best when he said, talking about Refreshing Ale and why the Nort has been released in bottles, ‘…since that’s the format most of us expect from this style’.

You might have noticed that the Pacific Ale in the Nort range has no canned option. I was wondering why this might be as the other options all come in cans or have a can option.

I did a bit of research into it and found the alcoholic versions (think Four Pines, Stone and Wood, Coopers, Little Creatures and Wild Yak) were slightly skewed towards selling their Pacific Ale’s in a bottle or had a bottled version.

But I think Mike Wurst of the Crafty Pint put it best when he said, talking about Refreshing Ale and why the Nort has been released in bottles, ‘…since that’s the format most of us expect from this style’.

The first bottle I had of the Pacific Ale I drank out of a glass and have since then been a big advocate for dropping it into a glass.

The bottle while super handy for when you’re out and about, doesn’t do the hoppy and bright flavour profile justice, also you miss out on the stunning looking beer.

I have been using the Spiegelau beer tasting kit since late June 2021 and the way it helps beers open up and reach their full potential is amazing. If you’re in the market for new glasses, I’d recommend checking them out here.

Although I have my eye on these outdoor beer glasses so I’ll keep you posted on how I get along after trying them.

Check out the Podcast Episode I did with Rob Fink, CEO and Founder of Big Drop Brewing!

Pacific Ale is a style of beer that is all about being fruity, fresh and sessionable.

Built for Summer, Pacific Ale is typically found to be dry hopped and crafted with (among others) Galaxy hops due to their ability to provide amazing citrus, peach and passionfruit flavours to your glass.

The first time I tried the Pacific Ale in the dead of winter, I admittedly had some hesitation about the weight of it being spoilt by the Refreshing Ale.

BUT GOOD NEWS, the more I drink the more I realise there is a whole lot going on in this beer from a flavour and delivery perspective. The lighter body also aids it in being a beer you can drink all day and night and at just 49 calories per bottle, there is no reason not to!

I have already got a few of these stacked for post-summer rides!

A Final Word

Like I touched on above, if:

• fruity, fresh, flavourful and bright are your thing – you should definitely give the Nort Refreshing Ale a go; but
• you’re more interested in alcohol-free beer that has a big body and depth of mouthfeel, keep in mind the body here is lighter and might leave you wanting a bit more in that department.