Gravitas V Non-Alcoholic Barrel-Aged Bourbon Stout

Best version yet.

I absolutely love this. My second year purchasing. I've been alcohol free since 2011 and Bravus has filled my longing for great craft brew flavor. Cherry, vanilla, and cocoa flavors are subtle and I think the bourbon flavor is the most abundant. Fantastic brew and will look forward to it each year. Now wish the Bravus t-shirts would come back in stock. Would love to have one of those as well. Happy New Year!!!

We tried this as a couple for Christmas. Note the size of the bottle - it's 16oz, which lies between the typical 12oz glass beer bottle and the typical 20oz plastic vending-machine soda bottle. So we had an 8oz glass each.

The company sent instructions for care of the beer. It needs to be kept refrigerated, but allowed to warm for a bit before drinking, so that it doesn't spoil and ends up at the 10C "cellar temperature". It's presented in remarkably nice packaging, with a matte black coating on the bottle and a nicely wrapped crown to give it the best possible chance to make a good impression.

The typical tasting parameters line up with what you'd expect for a stout. It's similar to the Oatmeal Dark, which I enjoy, but with the addition of a couple other flavours. She remarked on the cocoa taste, which falls somewhere between baker's dark chocolate and bittersweet. I noticed the maple, but it wasn't as sweet as you'd think if you're expecting something like maple syrup. Neither of us really picked up on the coffee mentioned in the description. One thing I'm glad I did not find is the acrid burnt taste that a lot of NA dark beers tend to amplify to mask the missing alcohol flavour. Bravus is reliably one of the best brewers in this regard.

So the verdict? A bottle of this goes for $35. A couple cans of the Oatmeal Dark come out to $5. This is a nicer and more upscale product, but not by enough to justify that kind of markup. Although I'm glad we tried it, it's not something I can see myself ordering again. It's got me interested to try the Breakfast Dark next time it becomes available though!

but it's a bit too rich and heavy for me. I shared a bottle with my friends on Christmas Day, and ended up drinking most of it myself - everybody else took a sip, said "Interesting" or "Not bad", and then left it.

If you like a heavy bourbon-like flavor in your NA beer, or are looking for a sharp-edged dessert wine in a NA beer, you'll love this. It made me feel bloated and stuffed, like too much holiday dinner - and our Christmas dinner was salad and sandwiches!

This was a very enjoyable beer to sip on Christmas Eve. The flavor is full and multi layered.