Chouffe

Chouffe comes in at 0.4% ABV and is produced by Brasserie D'Achouffe in Belgium, this being their first low alcohol beer. Barley malt, wheat malt, hops, spices and hop extracts are the ingredients listed on the distinctive 330 ml bottle. A large foamy head bursts into life as one pours the beer into a glass but it very quickly dissipates. There is very little aroma, maybe just a touch of breadiness. The taste is equally reticent; perhaps a hint of spice or the mildest of fruit, but not much more than that. It has a very thin and watery mouthfeel and soon loses any carbonation. Unsurprisingly the finish is as unmemorable. It's not unpleasant but it doesn't really tick any boxes for me. 

1 / 5

Brains - No Brainer IPA

Brains brewery hails from Cardiff and was established in 1882. This, an IPA, is their first foray into NOLO beers - coming in at 0.5% ABV. The ingredients listed on the 330ml can are given as malted barley, wheat and hops; although which three varieties of hop are utilised is not specified. A soft, wholewheat bread aroma kicks off proceedings. On the palate No Brainer has a biscuity, caramel and malty vibe going on and is all perfectly balanced. The taste is robust but not overpowering. The body is very smooth, whilst the finish allows a citrus bite to come through. Would I buy another one? That's a no brainer.

5 / 5

La Trappe - Nillis

"Authentic Trappist Produce" is declared on the traditional-looking label. This Dutch ale comes from the Koningshoeven Brewery, which is owned by the global company Royal Swinkels. It has 0.0% alcohol, comes in a 33cl bottle and the ingredients are listed as barley malt, hops and hop extract. When poured into the glass the beer creates a delightfully dense creamy head. On the nose it has a rich caramel aroma. Tastewise the sweetness continues, together with liquorice and dark fruit - think dates and soft figs. The body has a nicely rounded feel to it, whilst the finish manages to have a distinctly bitter edge to it. It has the character one expects of a Trappist beer - for sipping, not quaffing - but for me there is too great a level of sweetness in the taste to be a beer that I'd pray to have another.

3 / 5

Downton Brewery - Secret Sobriety

Downton Brewery was set up 20 years ago and is based in Wiltshire. The can declares Secret Sobriety as "a low alcohol beer" but the description pitches it as an IPA. It comes in a 330ml can and has an ABV of 0.5%. The ingredients are listed as Avon water, malted barley and hops. The latter are Willamette, Azacca and Celeia, but the first two have subsequently been swapped out for Styrian Dana and Wolf. The beer is golden coloured and creates a good head upon dispensing. On the nose it is seriously hoppy. The body is light and well-rounded and delivers a delicious and balanced range of flavours - at once floral, resinous, piney and a touch herbal. The strong hop character follows through into the finish. Hopefully the tweaked recipe will be as good as this, because this is the best IPA I've had in a good while. 

5 / 5

Asahi Super Dry 0.0%

Brewed under the supervision of Japanese master brewers, it says on the 330ml can. It's a de-alcoholised beer and the ingredients are given as "barley malt, corn grits, hops, corn starch and natural flavours." It is therefore not GF. The beer is brewed and canned by Birra Peroni in Italy, for Asahi UK Ltd. A strong head is created upon pouring and the aroma is restrained and rather herby. Biscuity is how I would describe the taste and quite sweet as well. Smooth and well rounded is the mouthfeel, no doubt assisted by the corn starch. As per the name, the finish is quite dry. The word "lager" does not seem to appear on the can, but I think I would describe it as such. Best drunk well chilled and makes for a nice accompaniment to a meal. 

3 / 5

Bluntrock Brewery - No Low Can You Go? Pale Ale

Bluntrock brewery was born in 2021 in Rock, Cornwall. This pale ale is their first alcohol-free beer (0.5% ABV). It comes in a 440ml can (with some eye-catching artwork) and is a vegan brew. The ingredients are given as malted barley, oats, hops and chilli peppers. Upon pouring into the glass the body reveals itself to be decidedly opaque and sitting on top is a lively frothy head which soon subsides. There is a strong citrussy aroma. And so tastewise, NLCYG is full-on citrus, particularly grapefruit and lemon, with maybe a touch of restraining peach. I can't detect any chilli pepper amongst the flavours. An effervescent and light body makes for an easy quaff. Consistent with the flavours, the finish is quite sharp. Overall, it is a promising first AF beer from Bluntrock.

3 / 5

Big Drop - Reef Point Craft Lager

This East Anglian 0.5% ABV lager comes in a 330ml can and is vegan, GF and low calorie. Ingredients listed include malted barley and glycerine, together with Hallertau, Hersbrucker and Citra hops. The beer is very effervescent as one dispenses it into the glass, but the head that is created soon disappears. The aroma is a pleasing floral one, not powerful but neither is it overpowering. This continues through into the taste together with a nice balance of other flavours - particularly melon, pine and orange - all sitting on a gentle maltiness. Reef Point has a light level of carbonation and a gentle if rather thin mouthfeel. The finish has a restrained  pine character. Overall then a very pleasant AF lager.

3 / 5

M&S Low Alcohol Czech Lager

Bottled in the UK, but brewed in the Czech Republic (specifically at the Litovel brewery in Moravia), this lager comes in at 0.5% ABV in a 500 ml bottle. Zatec (Saaz) hops are used in the brew, together with malted barley and glucose-fructose syrup. It's also labelled as a vegan beer, which seems to be increasingly common. When poured into a large glass a good foamy head is created which hangs around impressively. The aroma is bready, albeit a very slight one. The taste is of a traditional lager, with touches of mandarin and green tea providing some distinctiveness. The body is well-rounded and it has moderate carbonation. A slightly bitter finish rounds off a pleasant if rather modest brew.

3 / 5

Gloucester Brewery - Zero Gravity IPA

Zero Gravity is a 0.5% ABV beer that comes in a 500ml can and is vegan. The hops, typical of an IPA, are Citra and Galaxy, whilst wheat and oats are also in the mix. The very pale body creates a modest head upon pouring (although quickly subsiding) and the aroma is strongly citrussy and hoppy. Tastewise there is plenty of sharp, clean fruit - lemon, mandarin and grapefruit. The malt component is very restrained, which means it has a light but smooth body. The carbonation level is rather low. The finish is crisp and overall I would describe the beer as juicy and quite bitter. A very good first AF beer from the Gloucester Brewery; a rating of four out of five, not zero. 

4 / 5

Tartarus - Pixie Hazy IPA

The body of this IPA is just about as hazy as possible before you would have to call it opaque. The head soon disappears once you have poured it into a glass from the 440 ml can, dispensing amongst other things Ella, Enigma and Eclipse hops. Typical of the style the aroma is strongly of tropical fruits and the taste follows through on this. Think mandarin, mango, papaya and pineapple. There's a note of white wine in there too. The body is creamy and the finish is equally as soft. An easy to drink brew, but with perhaps too much sweetness in the fruits.

3 / 5

Force Majeure - Tripel Hop

Force Majeure is a Belgian brewery specialising in alcohol free beers. "100% Smaak, 0% Alcohol", as it says on the label. (Although the designation declared on the 33cl bottle is actually <0.5%). Also listed are the ingredients: barley, wheat, oats, hops, herbs and sucralose. In the glass the beer is a delightful rich tawny colour and sports a substantially frothy topping. Ripe banana and esters are the tempting aromas as one raises the beer to the lips. The taste is a delicious combination of raisin, fig, Seville orange and toffee. The mouthfeel is very creamy, soft and well-rounded. The carbonation level is low. All in all, it is a 100% excellent beer.

5 / 5

Mash Gang / Northern Monk - American Pale Ale

This 0.5% ABV collaboration arrives in a 440 ml can, a very shiny can in fact, making the verbiage quite difficult to read. The listed ingredients are New World hops, malted barley, wheat, oats and maltodextrin. The head is lost soon after pouring. Grapefruit is the main aroma from the APA and which continues on into the taste with an added zing of lemon. The body is slight and there is a little too much fizz going on. It has a bitter finish, but not excessively so. For me, it lacks the character that I would expect in an APA. 

2 / 5