Soft drinks and iced tea don't always satisfy. The big breweries would love to sell it to you. They price NAs about the same as normal beer but make a much larger profit because they don't pay excise taxes on non-alcohol beverages. So far, the only one to pick up on this idea is Anchor Brewing Co.'s Fritz Maytag, who has released an Old Potrero Rye Whiskey and, more recently, a gin. But it will be surprising if no one else follows suit.
Beer making is a necessary first step in the production of whiskey.
If a batch of beer turned out less than satisfactory, the brewery would have an option besides dumping it down the drain. High quality spirits demand premium prices. The pioneering spirit of craft beer brewers may one day make this possible. Greg Kitsock is senior editor of Barleycorn and a frequent contributor to other beer-related publications.