5 / 5
BEERS WITHOUT FEARS contains hundreds of my alcohol free beer reviews, so if you are looking to check out low and no alcohol beers you've come to the right place (the web version offers a handy search option). And there are some great online retailers for you to shop at, such as The Alcohol Free Co, Wise Bartender, The Alcohol Free Drinks Company and Dry Drinker. Cheers!
Williams Bros - Alien Form Fruity IPA
Williams Bros Brewing Co hails from Alloa in Scotland. Amongst all their alcoholic fare is this 0.5% ABV vegan IPA, served up in a half litre can. The ingredients listed on the can simply says water, barley, oats, wheat, hops and yeast. Closer investigation (the company website) specifies a full half dozen hop varieties: Cascade, Citra, Mosaic, Amarillo, Sabro and Galaxy. Yet further reading reveals that the yeast is thiolised. Thiols are flavour and aroma compounds often found in hops which typically do not get much of a say in the finished product because they are in low concentration and do not get "released." Thiolised yeasts however are able to "unlock" these compounds so that they may find greater expression in the final aroma and taste of the beer. The aroma of this IPA is certainly a powerful and fruity one. And the taste...orange, guava, mango, lemon and passionfruit just about covers the bases. It is almost as if there is some white wine in there (there isn't!). All the flavours are in a perfectly balanced harmony. The mouthfeel is equally as impressive - very smooth and a little bit creamy, whilst the finish has an understated bite. A top class beer. Let's hear it for thiolised yeasts!
