I was optimistic about reviewing alcohol-free and low-alcohol lagers as historically these have been most widely available (think Beck's Blue and San Miguel 0.0%) and when the craft breweries first took interest in "no-and-low" I would say lager was probably the first frontier before they locked sights on IPAs, pales and stouts. For these reasons, there are plenty of NA craft lager options available and I felt I had a strong chance of finding at least one stand-out amongst the crowd!!
Drop Bear Beer Co – New World Lager
ABV - 0.5%
Calories – 7.5 per 100ml
Hops – Motueka, Rakau, Wai-iti
An inviting honey colour on the pour, I was intrigued to see how this Southern Hemisphere hop bill would fare without the booze backing it up.
On the gob I was picking up biscuity malts, a hint of lemon sherbets and some zingy lime zest. It went down pretty easy and was a nice crisp refreshing drop that would seriously struggle to offend a summer beer garden!
Score – 3.75
Brewdog – Lost AF
ABV - 0.5%
Calories - ??
Hops – Cascade
Holy moly this poured thin, I considered bleaching the Venetians just to make sure you could see it - and yes, I know I’m reviewing a lager but I think I’ve seen Evian pour thicker and was seriously considering a lifetime first drain pour before sampling this one!!
It did manage to carry some element of flavour and I could just about pick up hints of biscuit malts, honey and freshly turned hay, however, it tasted like a pint of lager had been watered down to make 5 pints of lager which I can say with some confidence that nobody wants. I certainly won’t be a repeat customer and their OG non-alcoholic beer “Nanny State” wipes the floor with this!!
Score 2.25
Lucky Saint – Unfiltered Lager
ABV - 0.5% ABV
Calories - 53 Cal per 330ml
Hops - Hallertau
I had set my eyes on this a long time ago and it was a non-alc that really appealed to me. Perhaps it was the branding, more likely it was the pilsner malt and Bavarian spring water combo - either way I had (somewhat) high hopes!
The slightly thin pour and straw colour hinted that this wasn’t going to be a biscuity number and the mouth proved me right, however, what I did get was an impressive crack around the chops with some tart citrus, a nice hint of perfumed florality and a sprinkle of lingering hop bitterness. Crisp, refreshing and easy on the waistline - I would certainly buy again and I think this ticks most, if not all, of the boxes as far as NA lagers go!!
Score - 4.0
Birra Moretti - Zero
ABV - 0.05% ABV
Calories - 66 Cal per 330ml
Hops - Hops (?), Hop Extract (?) and Natural Flavouring (?)
And the prize for least inspiring photo of these 5 pieces (and potentially the whole site to date) goes to.......
Apologies readers, I did actually have photos of the beer (which poured a pale amber with a finger of head that vanished quicker than Ghislaine Maxwell following Jeffrey Epstein's arrest) but a factory reset on the ol' blower left me struggling!
Anyway to the beer itself, admittedly it doesn't fall under the umbrella of "craft" but there is, in my mind, also a time and place for beers you can pick up at the supermarket or nearest offie and this was procured from the latter for a a dinky 69pence. As per the liquid, there was a touch of the lemonade shandy vibes and a wee dab of bready malt but not a whole lot else going on. However, it was refreshing enough and I actually wouldn't banish this to the non-alc gulag but I would reserve it for occasions where options are limited!!
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