Sheep in Wolf's Clothing & Six Degrees North Whisky Barrel Aged Black Lager

 

Look at this lager!  It thinks it's a stout!  With its dark brown almost black body and tight dark cream coloured head, you would be forgiven for thinking that you were about to drink a stout.  It even smells a bit like a stout with a strong malt aroma and a hint of whisky from the barrel ageing.

The taste is quite subtle but I picked up notes of tangy hops, malt, dark fruit, whisky and roasted nuts.  It's well carbonated but not too fizzy and it has a medium body which is surprising for a lager.

It's an interesting and unique flavour, although it is quite a weak flavour possibly due to the low ABV of 2.8%.  The head is perhaps the most impressive and long lasting I've ever experienced in a lager.  As it's a limited edition collaboration, Ale not Be Seeing You again, but I'll definitely be keeping my eye out for more Sheep in Wolf's Clothing beers.

Brewed by Sheep in Wolf's Clothing Brewery, London, in partnership with Six Degrees North
2.8% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.75/5

Find out more at Sheep in Wolf's Clothing Brewery

Drop Bear Beer Co. Bonfire Stout

Wow!  This is one very impressive alcohol free stout that’s brewed in the UK with Chinook hops.

It’s a dark brown beer with a frothy, loose tan head that disperses quickly to leave a patchy layer.  It is very aromatic with a burnt caramel, malty, smokey and roasted nut aroma.  It has a very crisp and dry flavour with roasted nuts combining with malt and the perfect level of smokiness.  It has quite a smooth mouthfeel with low carbonation and a thin body.

The smokiness is absolutely perfect.  It’s often done really badly and I’ve had a lot of smoked beers that taste of ash or bacon but this one is divine.  I have to applaud Drop Bear Beer for brewing a smoked beer that I like and it doesn’t even have any alcohol in it!

You would not guess that it only has an ABV of 0.5% as it looks, smells and tastes like a stout.  The low ABV has the benefit of being low calorie too and there are only 55 calories per can.

I don’t think I have ever rated a zero/low alcohol beer so highly; it’s definitely one I’d recommend and Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by Drop Bear Beer Co.,  Haverfordwest, Wales
0.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 4/5

Find out more at Drop Bear Beer Co.

Drop Bear Beer Co. New World Lager

I am super impressed with this alcohol free New World Lager from Drop Bear Beer.  It’s brewed in the UK with three New Zealand hops: Motueka, Rakau and Wai-iti.

It’s a deep golden beer with a small, loose off-white head that quickly disappears to leave a very patchy layer.  The aroma is honey, caramel and hops with a hint of citrus fruit and this is replicated in the taste with notes of honey, biscuit and hops followed by a dry and slightly bitter citrus finish.  It’s well carbonated and thin bodied, as you would expect from a lager.

It looks, smells and tastes like a beer and I don’t think you would guess that it only has an ABV of 0.5%.  It’s really very impressive; it’s a full-flavoured lager that’s surprisingly tasty and it only has 46 calories per can.  Ale Be Seeing You again!

Brewed by Drop Bear Beer Co.,  Haverfordwest, Wales
0.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.75/5

Find out more at Drop Bear Beer Co.

BrewDog Nanny State

 

As you can tell by the fact that I blog about it, I love real ale but drinking too much of it makes me look like a beer barrel.  So these days, I'm turning more and more to low or zero alcohol beers when I fancy a beer.  Whilst a lot of alcohol free beers taste like beer flavoured spring water, BrewDog's Nanny State is one of the best I have tasted.  It actually tastes like a craft beer, albeit a weak and thin-bodied one, but you can't really expect it to taste like a 6% full-bodied ale because it isn't.

Brewed with Centennial, Amarillo, Columbus, Cascade and Simcoe hops, Nanny State is a lovely malty, hoppy ale with a bitter citrus finish.  The flavour is like a cross between an IPA and a bitter as you've got a hint of citrus as well as a delicious maltiness.  It's thin-bodied and a little watery but with only 20 calories per can, I'm happy to lose a bit of body to have a guilt-free beer.

Currently, a pack of 24 cans is £24.95 from Amazon (or £4.00 + delivery for 4 cans from BrewDog) so at just over £1 per 330ml can, it's not the cheapest alcohol-free beer around but it might very well be the best.  It looks and tastes like a craft beer and it's so moreish and so low in calories that you don't feel bad having just one more.

Brewed by BrewDog Brewery, Ellon, Aberdeenshire
0.5% ABV

My rating:

My Untappd score: 3.5/5

Find out more at BrewDog Brewery