I’ve been sitting on this review of Guinness 0, the non-alcoholic draught version of the iconic Guinness Stout, because even though I received samples in January, as it got closer to March 17 I thought reviewing it for St. Patrick’s Day made sense.

Created by the St. James’s Gate brewery in Baltimore, Maryland, this NA Guinness 0 is still presented on nitro so you get the full experience when pouring it into your glass. As is standard with non-alcoholic beers, it contains less than 0.5% alcohol by volume, per the legal U.S. limit, and according to the can, there are 60 calories per 12-ounce serving with 13.5 grams of carbs.

Guinness’ notes about the brew include some background on its de-alcoholization process:

Guinness 0 boasts a beautifully smooth taste, perfectly balanced flavor, and unique dark color, similar to Guinness Draught, brewed to be non-alcoholic.

To create Guinness 0 the St James’s Gate brewers, start by brewing Guinness exactly as they always have, using the same natural ingredients; water, barley, hops, and yeast; before gently removing the alcohol through a cold filtration method. The cold filtration process allows the alcohol to be filtered out without presenting thermal stress to the beer, protecting the integrity of its taste and character. The brewers then carefully blend and balance the flavors to ensure the distinctive flavor profile and taste characteristics of Guinness.

The resulting product is a non-alcoholic stout that is unmistakably Guinness, inspired by the same dark, ruby red liquid and creamy head, hints of chocolate and coffee, smoothly balanced with bitter, sweet and roasted notes.

“Cold filtration” and “blend and balance the flavors” are both kind of vague, likely simplified for marketing purposes, but more transparent than some other brands on the market.

Appearance: Looks like Guinness Stout—nearly black in the glass, a dark ocher highlight, with a creamy, thick, and dense head. It did indeed have the nitro pour effect as well.

Smell: Slight tang of roasted malt, grainy-bready notes, mellow fruitiness that’s fairly subtle overall.

Taste: Sweetish barley tea character that’s light with a gentle roasted malt presence that has cold brew coffee characteristics and some overtoasted bread (perhaps sourdough) flavor. Lacks a bit of the rounded-out character you get with ethanol and it’s a touch sweet where it could offer more bitter roast. Light touch on the hops as expected.

Mouthfeel: Watery body, I know regular Guinness is fairly light as well but this is missing a bit of structure.

Overall: It’s decent with most of what I want in a Guinness Stout. Pretty well done for a non-alcoholic.

If you’re drinking non-alcoholic this St. Patrick’s Day, then consider Guinness 0 if you still want the overall experience; the company has done a good job of recreating the classic pour in the NA format.