Drink of the Week: Good Time Brewing NA Wheat Beer

Now is a golden age of nonalcoholic (NA) beer. During the last four years, NA beer sales and volume experienced double-digit growth, even as traditional beer sales dipped, according to Brewers Association data. One notable new arrival to increasingly flush NA beer shelves is Good Time Brewing NA Wheat, a Belgian-inspired NA witbier.

Good Time is a collaboration between longtime bar professional Mikey McFerran and brewer Dylan Collins. In 2020, upon learning that the baby he was expecting would have a congenital heart defect, McFerran decided to create a line of beers that everyone could enjoy, whether or not they drink alcohol. Three years later, McFerran and Collins introduced Good Time’s pilot IPA to 40-odd bars and restaurants across New York City. It sold out within a month, and the brewery soon expanded. It debuted a second NA beer, Good Time Brewing Pils, and increased distribution beyond the five boroughs.

Wheat is the company’s latest, and it’s a winner. Made with pilsner malt and a mix of raw and malted wheat, it’s pleasantly round with a bright, refreshing finish. It’s exactly what I crave after an afternoon hike as the days get longer and the sun sets later. I’d bring it to a picnic or cookout, too, to sip with summer fruits and veggies, salty snacks, and pretty much anything you take off the grill. Whether you’re new to the wide world of NA beers, or your cooler is full of them, this one deserves a try. $15.99, goodtimebrewing.com