Review: General Admission Non-Alcoholic Fruit Brews, Complete Lineup

Imagine a fruit-heavy, lightly sour beer, lightened up to be a bit even less funky and fully stripped of alcohol, and you’ve got the basics of General Admission, a new non-alcoholic fruit brew that is a bit like a fruity seltzer water with just a little more oomph to it. Available in four flavors, General Admission (produced by Samuel Adams owner Boston Beer) come in 12 oz. cans and contain just 60 calories and have 5 or 6 grams of sugar.

Here’s a look at the complete lineup, available in a 12-pack sampler (3 cans of each).

General Admission Brewing Lemon Lime – A lightly sour version of Sprite, featuring a moderately foamy head and a gentle bitterness that tempers the straightforward and lemony body. Innocuous and a little on the watery side, the finish evokes notes of green melon sprinkled with a bit of salt. Easy to enjoy but not that different than a lightly hoppy soda. B

General Admission Brewing Orange Ovation – The heavy aroma of sweet mandarin oranges that wafts from the glass the moment this beer is poured had me worried I was getting into a Sunny Delight situation, but I was surprised to find this was not the case at all: Orange Ovation has a clear orange bent, but it’s not overly aggressive or off-putting, and it complements the gentle graininess like a squeeze of orange into a wheat beer. Not something I’d drink on the daily, but it’s refreshing as a more grown-up alternative to soda. B+

General Admission Brewing Raspberry Remix – Quite a bit too candylike for me, with a strong berry quality that hits you like the drizzle you’d get over a piece of chocolate cheesecake. Turns out the chocolate notes are in there, too, perhaps telegraphed by the berries and the biscuit-like grain notes. Ample, buttery vanilla on the finish makes this the least beer-like of the bunch. C

General Admission Brewing Grapefruit Groove – Rather shandy-like, with a grapefruit bent, this was my favorite offering in the lineup and the only one I’d likely drink on the regular. Both the grapefruit and the malty base are muted without being invisible, offering a gentle flavor of authentic — but lightly sweetened — citrus that creates a cleansing experience, pairing well with a squeeze of lemon to finish things up. And yet it still has a the underbelly of a gentle pilsner. Well done. A-

$20 per 12-pack

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