LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa. — It’s a new year and a new you, and throughout the Lehigh Valley, plenty of people are making an effort to eschew alcohol for at least a month with Dry January.
While swearing off vices is a common resolution, the concept of Dry January is unique in gently introducing people to a life sans alcohol for just a few weeks.
And while that can be difficult, especially in social situations, bars and brewpubs throughout the Lehigh Valley have grown to accommodate those who choose not to partake with some extra-special beverage options as opposed to a simple soda.
How about a craft brew featuring a chocolate and peanut butter profile?
Or a tasty piña colada mocktail with a creamy pineapple flavor which makes you forget there’s no rum?
Maybe a hop-infused water with a refreshing hit of citrus and a light bit of carbonation?
As it turns out, innovators throughout the area have been concocting plenty of tasty options for those who might want to take a break from alcohol in the new year, whether that’s just for a month, or maybe longer.
What's Dry January, and should I try it?
The idea of Dry January, defined as a challenge to choose “not to drink beer, wine, or spirits for a month,” as per Harvard Health Publishing’s Harvard Health School, officially came about in 20212 as a public health initiative from British charity Alcohol Change UK.
Nowadays, millions of people across the world engage in abstaining from alcohol every year as part of the “challenge.”
Tyler Williams, a Lehigh Valley Health Network emergency medical physician and medical toxicologist, said taking a break from booze can be quite beneficial for those who tend to drink in a light or moderate fashion.
“For those drinkers who fall into the camp of light drinkers, that can definitely help within numerous areas of life. Alcohol does impair the quality of sleep, so abstaining from that can lead to improved sleep, you can feel more refreshed when you wake up less fatigued throughout the day,” Williams said.
“And there's actually been research that suggests that in more moderate drinking, there's been increases in blood pressure, damage to blood vessels, and then abnormal heart rhythms. So by stopping alcohol, you hopefully help prevent some of those things from happening.”
However, heavy or more regular drinkers should be more cautious about taking a break or quitting cold turkey, Williams said.
“Those people can go into alcohol withdrawal, they can have tremors, shakiness, nausea, insomnia, and then actually can even seize. So my initial thoughts regarding heavy or regular drinkers is that it's something that should be done safely, and usually in consultation with your primary doctor,” Williams said.
If you happen to drink excessively, or every day, or even if you are unsure, it’s best to talk to a physician before embarking on something like Dry January.
For light and moderate drinkers, though, Dry January can provide some much-needed clarity regarding why you drink and what you get out of it.
“I think it's best to kind of self-reflect initially, and assess why you're doing this. If it is something like you're a regular heavy drinker, and you just want some change, I think there's a better way to go about it than just stopping cold turkey at the New Year, just because of those risks that we talked about. If it's somebody who is more of a light drinker, and you want to make some lifestyle changes, I think it's a very beneficial thing to participate in,” Williams said.
Harvard recommends those who are attempting Dry January to avoid temptations by keeping alcohol outside the house, creating a support group with friends and family who know your choice, and finding a substitute non-alcoholic drink, among other things.
That last part used to be rather tricky, especially during group outings with friends and family. But these days, even local bars have some interesting specials to offer, all without the alcohol.
Where to get craft NA brews and mocktails in the LV
Over at Sherman Street Beer Co. in Allentown, bartender Matt Martin said Dry January has been a driving factor when it comes to stocking up on nonalcoholic options.
“Our nonalcoholic draft list is larger than most other places, and this is a result of last January, a lot of people coming in and just absolutely cleaning us out from the two, maybe three, that we had last January,” Martin said. “So since then, we have expanded – in addition to the eight to 10 products we have here we have like another four that aren't even on the menu.”
Sherman Street’s booze-free offerings include offerings from Athletic Brewing Co. and Bravus Brewing Co., with features like golden ale Upside Dawn and the Peanut Butter Dark, respectively.
Martin credits craft breweries upping their game for the success of Dry January, providing more options for those who are looking to avoid alcohol, at least for a month.
“It's not just O’Douls and that's it. People still want to drink a good beer, but also with people being more health conscious, nonalcoholics really took off. They still want that same caliber of quality. I know Athletic was one of the big ones, but there's so many now that even if you go into a distributor they have a pretty large section dedicated just to nonalcoholics, and there are new brands every time that pop up,” Martin said.
Craft brew aficionado and LehighValleyNews.com Digital Managing Producer Stephanie Sigafoos picked Athletic’s Upside Dawn as her favorite nonalcoholic option at Sherman Street.
“It had a golden ale profile, a really nice beer profile. If I would have done a blind taste test, you couldn’t’ have convinced me it wasn’t beer,” Sigafoos said, adding it was comparable to Kona Brewing Company’s Big Wave ale.
If you’re looking for mocktails – which have escalated in popularity over the years thanks to craft ingredients that go beyond simply leaving the spirits out of a mixed drink – Birthright Brewing Company in Nazareth is the place to go.
Social Media Coordinator Krystal Castellino said Birthright’s craft mocktails rely on simple, quality ingredients that make for an incredible drink that proves you don’t need spirits to have a great time.
Nonalcoholic drinks at Birthright include their rich marshmallow-syrup hot chocolate – and that syrup is house-made by head bartender Jess Lesando – a creamy piña colada, a glittery cocktail spritzer, and citrus spritzer featuring tangerine, grapefruit, and ginger beer.
“With dry January becoming as increasingly common as it has been, we really just want to offer more options for our guests. And not everybody always wants to drink beer. We get that. Do we want everyone to come in here, sit at the bar, sit at the tables and drink our beer? Absolutely. Do we understand that not everybody can, or wants to? Yes. So we want to open that door up to more options,” Castellino said, adding pregnant women and new mothers looking to enjoy a night out are some of the biggest fans of their nonalcoholic offerings.
Birthright is also preparing to release its own canned hop-infused water, which has a citrusy, hops-forward body to it, ideal for people who like a refreshing brew without the buzz.
Sigafoos was pleased as (nonalcoholic) punch for all the offerings at Birthright, highly recommending the piña colada – a drink she normally doesn’t enjoy.
“That is actually really good – like, super good,” Sigafoos said after sampling the pineapple-and-coconut combo. “It’s creamy, desserty… I would not hesitate to order this at all. It’s almost like a melted popsicle, [but] not heavy.”
So if you’re looking to give Dry January a go – or if you just want to take a break from booze at any time – remember that there are always options available across the Lehigh Valley, whether you’re looking for a beer analog without the hangover, or a spirited cocktail sans spirits.
