Alaska Airlines has added non-alcoholic Kölsch beer by Best Day Brewing to its onboard lineup in a further improvement of the carrier’s non-alcoholic beverage options.
Non-Alcoholic Kölsch Beer Now Available On Alaska Airlines
Starting this month, you can order a Kölsch beer on your next Alaska Airlines flight by West Coast brewer Best Day Brewing.
First Class and Premium Class can order this on a complimentary basis or those in the main cabin can purchase it. The drink will be available on all flights with full-beverage service, which is all flights over 350 miles.
Here’s how Alaska describes the new beverage:
Emerging from California’s dynamic Marin County, Best Day Brewing proudly claims its rank as the #1 selling non-alcoholic Kölsch in the United States. This distinct beverage delivers a refreshing blend of crisp and toasty malt character, achieved through a unique brewing process that meticulously preserves the exceptional aromas and flavors of a top-tier beer. With the added benefits of being non-GMO, Kosher, and vegan, this groundbreaking beer is set to redefine the in-flight experience for Alaska Airlines passengers, offering a guilt-free happy hour at 30,000 feet.
Despite being of German heritage, I abhor beer. Maybe one day I’ll love it, just as it took me 25 years to develop a love for beets, olives, and coffee (yes, I got through college and law school without coffee…). I once had a professor at UCLA who loved Kölsch beer so much that he jokingly asked me to bring him a case of Dom Kölsch whilst I was in Germany, which I did to his great surprise. I’ve tried it…just not my cup of tea.
This addition comes on the heels of Alaska adding Stumptown Coffee already this month, which is a personal favorite of mine. From what I have heard about the onboard Stumptown coffee thus far, the reviews are mixed, but that is often the nature of good coffee. Those who prefer Starbucks-style often do not like a more sophisticated coffee with more robust nodes (ahem, Mrs. Klint).
CONCLUSION
You can request a non-alcoholic Kölsch beer from Best Day Brewing on your next Alaska Airlines flight, part of the carrier’s expanded offerings of in-flight food and beverage highlighting West Coast brands. While this drink will be a hard pass for me, I suspect many will find it quite refreshing.
I’m flying AS on Friday, SEA-ORD. I might just give this a try while I’m aboard.
I hate how anything that roughly follows Kölsch style in the USA gets labeled “Kölsch.” Throughout the EU Kölsch is strictly defined on how it is made, with what, and in what geographic region. That’s why no beer of this style that isn’t from Köln isn’t ever as good. A non-alcoholic brew made in the USA by definition, is not Kölsch. There’s a brewery in Austin that makes a “Bavarian style Kölsch.” That’s nonsense.
I don’t know why the USA can’t protect the names of quality products (champagne, feta, etc…). It really irks me. /Rant
Hope that Stumptown brew isn’t made with the aircraft’s own supposedly “potable” water supply … Or maybe it’s those microbes/contaminants that give it a more nuanced flavour !
Best Day makes some delicious NA beers. They are worth a try.