It’s always useful to keep an eye out for decent lower strength beers for those times when you need a hop fix without risking the wrath of alcohol’s notorious after effects. Rich in particular likes to hunt down these safer tipples on a night out, mainly so he’s in prime position to taunt his hungover co-drinkers the following morning (the theory is fine, but he’s a sucker for strong cider which usually scuppers his plans).
This beer can be considered a stand-out in the sub-3.5% category owing to a big flavour that belies its lack of strength. The beer hits the glass with an appetising peachy colour, immediately forming a frothy, clingy head and displays a cloudiness that’s no doubt provided by the wheat included in the ingredients.
It smells amazing. A fine perfume rammed with fresh, zingy hop aromatics. And the hop hit doesn’t relent on tasting – it bursts with gleefully fruity new world hop flavours and a refreshingly bitter finish. If hops were a fruit, this is what a fizzy hop fruit soda would taste like… with just enough beeriness to be sure you’re drinking booze.
The lowdown
Brewery: Hammerton Brewery, Islington, London
Beer name: N1 Pale Ale
Strength: 3.4%
This beer was supplied by The Other Brew
