Impossibrew Enhanced Lager

 

Impossibrew Enhanced Lager is an alcohol-free beer with a difference: it contains mood enhancing L-Theanine and Griffonia seed extract to calm and soothe the mind.

It’s a lovely light golden yellow lager with a frothy off-white head that retains a decent, albeit patchy, layer as you drink it.  Although it has quite a light aroma, it has a traditional lager smell but slightly more hoppy I think.  

The taste of dry hops continues into the taste as well as a slightly bitter hint that lingers in the finish.  It’s not an overly complex flavour profile but it’s clean and refreshing, which is what I’d be looking for in a lager.  It’s well carbonated and fizzy with a thin but not watery body.

I loved the hoppiness of this lager and the slight citrus tang in the finish.  I wouldn’t have guessed that it was alcohol-free if I was doing a blind taste test.  I think the mood enhancement works too as this lager had a similar effect to CBD drinks.  I felt calmer and more relaxed but of course I had a beer in my hand so I was already in my happy place.

I’m pretty impressed with this Impossibrew lager and Ale Be Seeing You again.

Brewed by Impossibrew, London
0.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.5/5

Find out more at Impossibrew

Rudgate Pale

A mixed pack from Rudgate in York was one of the first (of many) packs of beer I bought when the UK went into lockdown.  I hadn't tried any of their beers before so I thought I'd start light with their pale ale.

When I first started to pour it, I thought it was almost colourless then it appeared to have a strange pink hue.  I started to get nervous and wondered if Rudgate had bottled pink champagne instead of pale ale.  It turned out a surprisingly nice light golden colour with a small, relatively loose off white head that holds on for a while to leave a thin foam layer.  There is some sediment in the bottle so it needs a careful pour to get a clear pint.

The aroma is deliciously hoppy with hints of honey and caramel along with zesty citrus and tropical fruits.  The flavour, however, is disappointingly weak with very little taste.  The initial taste is predominantly hops, honey and straw but it does develop slightly over time to become more fruity.  There is a slight citrus bitterness to the aftertaste and, as I'm not much of a fan of pithy citrus, the citrus flavour is subtle enough to be palatable for me.

Although it has decent carbonation, it has a very thin and watery mouthfeel but then again it's quite a light beer at 3.8%.  It's not terribly tasty but it's very light, clean and refreshing; it's what I would call a nice summery day beer - it'll quench your thirst without having you dancing on the tables.

Brewed by Rudgate Brewery, York
3.8% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3/5

Find out more at Rudgate Brewery