4 / 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!
Van Honsebrouck - Kasteel Rouge Original 0.0%
Founded in 1811, the Belgian brewery has now created a non-alcoholic version of their award-winning 8% ABV cherry beer Rouge Original. The label on the stubby 33cl bottle from the "Kingdom of Belgium" lists barley malt, wheat, hops, spices and cherry concentrate amongst its ingredients. The latter comes from Oblacinska cherries, which are usually used in cooking. Unsurprisingly then that cherry is by far the dominant characteristic of this beer, from the nose through to the finish. The sour cherry flavour is blended in with a touch of caramel and a hint of clove. The mouthfeel is rather lively but not overly so - it is light, smooth and well-rounded. The rich finish rounds off a very well put together beer. Must be all those centuries of practice.
