UNLTD is the brand name for the Hertfordshire-based Alcohol Free Brewing Company that currently brew just two beers - a lager and an IPA. Both have won awards. The 0.5 % ABV India Pale Ale packs a measly 13 calories and is both vegan and GF. It comes in a very distinctive 330 ml bottle which lists the ingredients as malted barley, maltodextrin, wheat and (unspecified) hops. There is a very traditional British bitter aroma - sweet maltiness but with a good hoppy overlay. Tastewise it was a caramel base combined with an assertive hit of hops, leading to a good bite in the finish. The mouthfeel i ..read more

Encoder Beers was established by two brothers in 2013 and brews alcoholic beers in the main, but Doppler is an IPA with an ABV of just 0.5%. Amarillo, Simcoe and Cascade are the hops used. It is dispensed from a 330 ml can and creates a white foaming head that soon settles down to reveal an understated, floral but slightly woody aroma. The flavours are a well-balanced combination of malt, caramel and with a citrussy touch of orange. There is a moderate bitterness that follows through to the finish. The mouthfeel is rather on the thin side but it is a smooth beer, and the level of carbonation i ..read more

On the 355 ml can it declares "Hoppy with smooth citrus character...malt beverage" but I have seen cans on the internet alternatively labelled as a "West Coast IPA." Whatever it is, it is vegan, contains just  99 calories and utilises Cascade, Citra and Amarillo hops. Perhaps it's an American market distinction? With such hops involved it's hardly surprising that the aroma is lightly floral and with tropical fruits to the fore. Tastewise, Indiewave has a pleasing combination of citrus and maltiness together with a slightly spicy edge. The aroma suggests more than the taste delivers to an ..read more

This Polish unfiltered beer lists barley, wheat and rye malts, oat and wheat flakes and lactose as the ingredients on the 500 ml can. The description on the can is "non alcoholic smoothie ale" and the aroma is certainly dominated by a fruity sweetness. The flavours released upon drinking are similarly of fruits - particularly of peach, but also of pineapple and mango. There is a very low level of carbonation and the mouthfeel is thick, bordering on cloying. The finish has a touch of sharpness but the overall impression is one of overpowering sweetness. I suppose Tropical Smoothie does exactly ..read more

Two Roots Brewing is based in San Diego and this is their hazy IPA combining the characteristics of the New England and the West Coast versions. The 355 ml can contains just 120 calories and has less than 0.5 % ABV. The can also declares the beverage to be a "near beer", which is not a term I'm a fan of. It's a beer. Or it isn't. For the avoidance of doubt, New West IPA is a beer. There is a powerfully hoppy aroma from this opaque brew, together with some pine character.  Sweet tropical fruits dominate the taste but this is offset with some orange and lemon. There's no real maltiness on d ..read more

This is a < 0.5 % ABV brown beer from Force Majeure, the Belgian brewery which specialises in AF beers. The company currently offer five traditional Belgian beers (minus the alcohol), each one arriving in a 330 ml bottle. A sweet and brown bread tinged aroma invites you to drink what turns out to be a richly flavoured beer. Caramel, treacle toffee, malt and with a slight note of cinnamon make for a complex and satisfying taste profile. The mouthfeel is gentle and creamy, whilst the finish is bittersweet. (Thankfully, unlike the kriek I recently tried, there were no pyrotechnics when I opene ..read more

Bear Island is a brand of the Kent brewer Shepherd Neame. Established in 1698, it is Britain's oldest brewery and its latest, very much modern, beer is this 0.5 % ABV India Pale Ale. The 330 ml bottle releases a beer whose ingredients include Challenger, Amarillo, Cascade and Citra hops. As expected, the aroma is a very strong combination of tropical and citrus fruits. As well as these fruits, the taste has a modicum of pine and brown sugar notes. After such a powerful aroma the mouthfeel is disappointing - thin and watery but at least with a nicely moderate carbonation level. The finish is sl ..read more

Force Majeure is a Belgian brewer that specialises in alcohol free beers, making it quite unusual given that Belgium is traditionally a land of high strength beers. On opening the 33 cl bottle there is a veritable explosion of beer, something that did not occur on previous occasions when drinking their excellent tripel. The label promises "100 % taste 0 % alcohol." The ingredients listed includes concentrated cherry juice, so unsurprisingly the nose is completely of cherries. A sweet and fresh cherry taste follows. The level of carbonation is low (perhaps it was all expended on the initial fir ..read more

 The sub-title is Berries & Cream, and the 500 ml can is declared to be "packed up to the ceiling with forest fruits, marshmallows and vanilla." It is a < 0.5 % ABV beer containing barley malt, wheat malt, rye malt, oat flakes, wheat flakes and lactose so it is not a vegan beverage. It is pasteurised but unfiltered which means it is completely opaque in the glass, like that of a red berry smoothie. There is no mention of hops. Funky Fluid is based in Warsaw, Poland and was set up in 2018. Free Gelato, as the name suggests, takes its cue from Italian ice cream, and the aroma is very ..read more

Rok Soba is based in London but, like their 777 Tripel, this is brewed in Belgium. It is a 0.5 % ABV beer and comes in a nifty looking 330 ml can. Ingredients listed are malted barley, hops and yeast and the ale is labelled as gluten free and vegan friendly. Brothers Shaun and Lee set up the lifestyle company in 2017 in response to their own battles with addiction and hope to help make sobriety a "rock n roll" choice rather than the rather downbeat reputation it has traditionally had. Voyager has a strongly citrussy nose and the taste is similar - plenty of orange, lemon and grapefruit to be f ..read more