
Light IPAs have made great strides in the past few years, but a truly alcohol-free example that still drinks well has always seemed like an impossible target. But this year some brewers have finally begun to make the breakthrough. The aroma in this sub-0.5 per cent offering is superb, with a Mosaic-led assembly of zesty lemon lime citrus overlaying more pungent tropical and gooseberry notes. The flavour kicks off with more punchy citrus and a slight (but undeniably present) clean malt. The flavours move along at a pace too, which is important. The high velocity of the mouthfeel, allows it to skip over the mid-palate void where these beers usually collapse, and skip straight into the pleasantly full tropical finish. It then levels out and wraps up nice and clean. It can’t 100 per cent emulate an IPA with a conventional malt base, but it’s a huge step forward from many past examples.