Drink of the Week: Best Day Brewing Galaxy Ripple Nonalcoholic Imperial IPA

Every year after all the holiday indulgences, many imbibers decide to dial things back in the new year. Thanks to the ever-growing alcohol-free category, it’s easier to stick to that New Year’s resolution or extend it beyond a month. I’m not partaking in Dry January, but I regularly enjoy NA drinks at home. So as a lover of big-flavored beers, I was excited to try Best Day Brewing‘s new nonalcoholic Imperial IPA, Galaxy Ripple.

Best Day produces some of the tastiest NA beers I’ve tried (and their kölsch won a bronze medal at the 2024 Great American Beer Festival). It helps that they brew their beers to full strength and remove the alcohol afterward, a process that helps preserve the beers’ flavors. The Galaxy Ripple, which debuted last month, is part of the brewery’s seasonal program that showcases a new style for a limited time.

This winter, the team wanted to create a beer that featured seasonal notes like pine but also tropical fruit flavors “to transport drinkers to somewhere not-so-cold,” according to chief innovation officer Ron Lindenbusch. And their NA double IPA does just that. Its malty sweetness is complemented with passion fruit and pineapple flavors, a hint of pine, and a satisfying bitterness.

As my new favorite NA drink to crack open at home, I hope Best Day Brewing adds this beer to its regular rotation. Right now availability only runs through March, but if a seasonal experiment becomes a fan favorite, they might add it to the core lineup, as was the case with their Electro-Lime, a Mexican-style lager. Fingers crossed. 6-pack/$13.99, bestdaybrewing.com