I DON’T HAVE EXPENSIVE HANGOVERS –
Nov. 26, 2022 – It’s easy to diss Heineken 0.0, the ubiquitous alcohol-free beer that now accounts for 20% of the market, but, for many, it’s the first step towards sobriety. Although it might lack the character of its competitors, the raison d’être of lager has never been to deliver huge amounts of flavour — simply a cold and refreshing glassful. There are so many stories about people not realising that they’re drinking Heineken 0.0 rather than regular Heineken that they can’t all be apocryphal.
Once they realise that ‘low and no’ isn’t some terrible impotent impostor, most people are spurred to explore the depth and breadth of choice now on offer in a market that has almost doubled in size over the past half decade. It was six years ago that Rob Fink and James Kindred launched Big Drop and they have since developed a growing range of award-winning beers to suit all palates, from refreshing Paradiso Citra IPA to the dark and brooding Galactic Milk Stout. In between is the Pine Trail Pale Ale that combines citrussy flavours with a satisfyingly bitter finish. BrewDog has long been in the fray, with the deliciously hoppy Nanny State. Another delicious recent arrival is Days lager and pale ale, brewed just outside Edinburgh using local barley and water sourced from the Lammermuir Hills.
