St Peter’s Brewery “Without Original” alcohol-free (0.05%) bitter review

Lagers, stouts and hoppy pale ales are well represented in the world of non-alcoholic beer. However, if you prefer traditional bitters, you might struggle to find a non-alcoholic version on the shelves.

One of the closest non-alcoholic beers to a traditional bitter is “Without”, a beer produced by Suffolk’s St Peter’s Brewery.

St Peter’s brews two other non-alcoholic “Without” beers alongside this one – an organic version and a “Without Gold” version. The brewery also has a range of traditional-strength beers and a London pub, “The Jerusalem Tavern”.

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Without launched in 2016, a little way before the recent boom in non-alcoholic beer brewing. The brewery’s owner John Murphy decided to create a non-alcoholic beer after a cancer diagnosis put paid to his drinking.

This was John’s second foray into the non-alcoholic beer industry – he was also involved in marketing Guinness’s alcohol-free beer “Kaliber” in the 1970s.

Kaliber doesn’t have a great reputation with beer drinkers. How does Without fare?

The beer is a mahogany colour and has a modest head that clings to the glass as you drink it.

The aroma is a little overpowering. It’s bready and yeasty, much like stale wholemeal bread. There’s also a slight chemical twang, which grows stronger the more you drink. In all, it smells like the air around a large brewery on a brewing day. There’s no signs of any hops in the aroma.

The beer has a good body in the mouth. There’s low carbonation, which makes it feel like a cask bitter. However, it feels quite greasy after a few sips.

The stale bread continues in the taste. Again, none of the hops comes through in the flavour. It tastes unfinished – more like a mug of malt drink than a beer.

There’s a very dry, overly bitter finish. I found it sickly after a few sips and struggled to finish the entire 300ml bottle.

Verdict

I had high hopes for “Without”. Unfortunately though, it didn’t hit the spot.

There are too many strong flavours and too much bitterness. I found it almost undrinkable.

"Without Original" (0.05%) by St Peter's Brewery

3.3

Aroma

2.5/10

Mouthfeel

5.0/10

Flavour

2.5/10

Pros

• Widely available

Cons

• Poor aroma and flavour
• Sickly

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