Ridgeside - Littler Bitter

Littler Bitter is a live unfiltered 0.5 % ABV beer which certainly has a sediment within the 440 ml can. It is suitable for vegans but is not GF. The thin head soon subsides, leaving a heathery aroma as one lifts the glass. Littler Bitter has a very traditional British brown beer taste - quite dry and malty and with not much in the way of hoppiness - certainly when compared to a lot of the hop-forward recipes being utilised currently. There is a low level of carbonation and the mouthfeel is particularly soft and creamy, albeit a little on the thin side. The Leeds brewery has produced something with the character that was once the stock beer of the UK but is now very much in the minority. As such it provides a welcome alternative for a supping ale. 

4 / 5

Infinite Session - Best

The London-based brewer has gone for a traditional best bitter style with this one, the staple of pubs up and down the UK in the years before the craft beer revolution. This one is vegan, 0.5 % ABV and comes in at a measly 33 calories per 330ml can. The hops used include Fuggle and Styrian Golding, blasts from my past as a home brewer (is that still a thing?). On the nose Best has the sweetness of caramel that one would expect and with a nice spicy note too. The head is moderate and soon subsides. Tastewise, Best is a pleasing combination of honeyed maltiness and grassy, almost herby, overtones. The mouthfeel is a little thin, maybe even watery. The finish delivers a crisp hoppy smack, making it a very easy to drink beer. Time for another round, and put something on the juke box.

3 / 5

Insel-Brauerei - Surfer's Summer Ale

Insel-Brauerei bottles are very distinctive, due to their paper wrappers. So too, their beers, which typically seem to have a salty element in the flavour profile, not just with the brewer's Sea Salt IPA. This particular beer, being bottle-conditioned with extra yeast, is - as usual - very lively upon dispensing; if one is not careful one could soon achieve a glass full of frothy white foam. The aroma is citrussy - maybe tangerine and lime - certainly very zesty. In the mouth the beer is soft and creamy from all those tightly packed little bubbles having escaped the confines of the bottle. The taste is wonderfully hoppy and has a nice level of bitterness to just give it an edge. The saltiness in the aftertaste tells you that you are drinking from the Insel brewery; it tells you that just as much as the paper wrapping does. Very refreshing. 

5/5

Insel-Brauerei - Skipper's Special Bitter

Apparently the paper wrapping is to protect the beer from sunlight. There isn't much chance of an Insel-Brauerei beer hanging around for too long to be exposed to that danger. This German brewery know how to make beer and how to win awards. The beer is unfiltered and unpasteurised. This Special ale pours a vibrant gold colour and has a big frothy head, which sustains down the glass. The fragrant nose is quite yeasty and floral. The mouthfeel is soft and lively, and the taste is of delicate citrus plus a little toffee sweetness. The finish is tart and fresh. No, the paper wasn't needed.

4/5

Harvey's - Sussex Best Low Alcohol

Harvey's brewery has been producing beer in Lewes since 1790. Their flagship beer is Sussex Best and the brewery produces an AF version of it using a process of dealcoholisation. The four hops are British ones and it is indeed as one would expect a very British looking beer. The body is tawny in colour and the head is white - but you do have to be quick to catch a glimpse of it. There's a light touch of dried fruits about the aroma and the taste is malty with a pleasing caramel note. The mouthfeel is thin and the aftertaste watery, with just a lingering touch of malt.

3/5

Greene King - Low Alcohol Old Speckled Hen

The Suffolk brewery has created an AF version of their traditional bitter, Old Speckled Hen (originally from Morland until taken over by Greene King). It certainly looks the part - a clear copper body with a modest off-white head. There are four British hop varieties used - Challenger, First Gold, Goldings and Pilgrim. Fragrance-wise it is quite reticent in declaring itself, apart from being somewhat bready. Upon tasting it is rather thin and lacking in much variety of flavour. It's malt all the way with only hints of toffee and green tea. Probably too malty in fact, even for a traditional English ale. There's no bitterness to speak of. It's easy enough to quaff but doesn't repay you with very much. 

2/5