Deepfake...Alcohol?

Last week, Maryland-based Flying Dog Brewery began distributing its newest drink: Deepfake. Flying Dog mostly produces IPAs, but Deepfake is the brewer’s first non-alcoholic (NA) beverage. All of the beers are cheekily named - for example, “You’re On Mute” (a cabin fever red released during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic), “Family Drama” (an imperial pilsner only available during the winter holiday season), and “Double Dog” (a double IPA).

The name “Deepfake” alludes to the rising internet trend of deepfakes, which has been the focus of my blog posts thus far. Just as deepfake media are meant to mimic genuine media, the drink Deepfake is meant to mimic the look and taste of an alcoholic IPA. Deepfake is labeled as an NA IPA, but it does have 0.5% alcohol by volume (ABV). Of course, an 0.5% ABV is not likely to intoxicate, but that small amount does help mimic the taste of a regular alcoholic drink. The brewer’s Vice President of Marketing stated, “Choosing a non-alcoholic beer shouldn’t mean suffering through a tasteless, watery imposter. Deepfake gives you the satisfaction of drinking a real beer, without the added calories and alcohol. It would fool anyone.”

There are no posted reviews of Deepfake to confirm the quality of taste, but Flying Dog stands by their product. Flying Dog’s drinks are currently available in 23 states (plus Washington, D.C.) mostly above the Mason-Dixon line. If you find yourself in one of these states, use Flying Dog’s Beer Finder and go try Deepfake for yourself. Can you tell it’s not an alcoholic IPA?