Aside from requests for a hazy pale ale (mainly from Phil W, who still bleats on about our first ever brew on the Grainfather back in 2020), another popular request at the taproom is for a low alcohol beer. Whether someone has drawn the short straw or it’s just their turn to drive, we’re often asked if we’ve thought about brewing something at the lower end of the ABV scale.
The truth is we have – we’ve even brewed an experimental batch of a low alcohol ale in our beer laboratory (aka Nick’s shed). But for a small brewery like ours, the commercial reality is that – in all honesty – we just wouldn’t sell enough to justify the investment. And the prospect of pouring hundreds of pints down the drain because we can’t shift it goes entirely against our sustainability principles – remember that one of our key values is responsibility.
You might also know that another of our values is collaboration. So we’ve teamed up with the brewing behemoth that is Bristol Beer Factory and are super excited to announce that from April we will be selling their amazing Clear Head low alcohol IPA.
Brewed with punchy American Citra and Mosaic hops, and added lactose for extra body, this beer has sharp citrus flavours, with apple and stone fruits shining through. All the taste but just 0.5% ABV and also gluten free.
Not only that, but buying this beer means you are helping to start real conversations and save lives. Bristol Beer Factory donates 5% of Clear Head sales to Talk Club, a charity that has created a mental health community for men, offering talking groups, sports groups and therapy.
We’ll be selling Clear Head on draught at the taproom and offering it in cans to take away.
“If only this was available 30 years ago at the rugby club, I might still be running around the pitch like a whippet,” laments Phil. Unlikely, Phil, unlikely.
