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Low-alcohol and alcohol-free drinks for Dry January
Made with mosaic and citra hops, Bristol Beer Factory’s first alcohol-free beer doesn’t just taste delicious, it also helps save lives.
Clear Head is brewed in collaboration with Talk Club, a male mental fitness charity, with five per cent from every bottle or pint sold going towards its vital work.
The beer is just one example in Bristol of zero- or low-alcohol drinks that don’t just have to be for Dry January.
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Wild Beer – founded by former employees of Bristol Beer Factory – has released its latest low-alcohol beer, Grapefruit IPA Soda, in time for Dry January.
“We’ve been quietly working away at a low alcohol follow up to our Wild & Free range for longer than we’d care to admit, perfecting and building on the taste,” says Wild Beer’s Andrew Cooper.
“Low alcohol beers/drinks still need to taste great, and we think we’ve cracked it.”
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Caleño (don’t forget the tilde) was ahead of the curve when it came to non-alcoholic beverages, with the Brislington-based company specialising in tropical non-alcoholic spirits.
‘Why should not drinking mean not having fun?’ thought Caleño founder Ellie Webb, who decided it was time “to bring some joy to not drinking”.
Ellie’s two drinks released so far are Light & Zesty and Dark & Spicy, as she continues on her mission to help people take a positive approach to avoiding alcohol.
Caleño make non-alcoholic tropical spirits inspired by Colombia – photo: Caleño
So that’s beer and spirits. How about cider?
Thatchers Zero promises “a unique twist on a classic apple cider”. Don’t just take their word for it either; the drink was named best no and low cider in the UK at the Imbibe Awards 2020.
(As an aside, in the USA, the word ‘cider’ is used for the unfermented beverage – meaning that mums’ and dads’ eyebrows are raised in the UK when the cast of My Little Pony enjoy making and drinking cider.)
Bristol Cider Shop has plenty of no and low cider for sale through its online shop – with all of the 0.5-1% ABV ciders available made from 100 per cent full juice.
Another shop that specialises in low and no alcohol drinks is Bristol Spirit on Whitehall Road.
Kombucha is a sparkling fermented tea drink – photo: Nania’s Vineyard
Over in Montpelier, Nania’s Vineyard makes a kombucha that they describe as “uplifting and delicious”
The drink is fermented in oak barrels using a blend of two single-origin green teas from China, and during the brew it is infused with Cascade hops with the fermentation ended in the bottle.
South of the river on the Cala Trading Estate on Ashton Vale Road is Bristol Syrup Company, who create a range of quality cocktail syrups:
And if you are not giving up alcohol for January, remember to support your local independent shops, pubs, bars, breweries and distilleries.
Main photo: Bristol Beer Factory
Read more: Bristol Beer Factory brews first alcohol-free beer
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