Adnams Ghost Ship Alcohol Free

Adnams are an independent brewer with over 100 years experience in putting malt, hops, water and yeast into a tub and hoping for the best. Based in Southwold, Suffolk, they produce a number of cask and seasonal ales, along with bottled brews to satisfy the folks who don’t get out to the pub much. One of their most popular beers is their Ghost Ship pale ale, which was originally a seasonal offering, but became available all year round back in 2012.

Ghost Ship Alcohol Free is basically the same beer as it’s alcoholic brother, but Adnams uses a technique called reverse osmosis to separate the alcohol from the beer, without having to distill it and effecting the flavour too much. Introduced in 2018, after seeing an uptick in the sales figures of non-alcoholic and low alcoholic beers, Ghost Ship Alcohol Free was not Adnams first attempt at a nolo brew – they had previously produced an amber ale called Sole Star, however this clocked in at 0.9% ABV, so missed the bar for entering the non-alcoholic market.

So what does it taste, and how does it compare to it’s alcoholic version?

Ghost Ship Alcohol Free pours a clear amber/copper colour, with a frothy but fleeting head. Citrus dominates on the nose, which is unsurprising as Adnams uses Citra hops with aplomb, so grapefruit and lemon zest aromas abound. A touch of grassy-ness too, but on the whole if you’re a fan of fruits of the Rutaceae, you’ll be happy!

As you’d expect, the citrus flavours continue on from the aromas, though the bitterness is a bit toned down. There is a touch of sweetness which I don’t remember being present in the alcoholic version, but overall this is certainly a pale ale in the time-honoured style.

If you’re a fan of Adnams regular Ghost Ship and fancy something with less alcohol, you’ll like this. If you’re a traditional pale ale drinker looking for a nolo alternative, you’ll like this. Sure it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles and crazy flavour combinations that some of the craft beer producers are cranking out these days, but it’s a great tasting ale in the classic style. Cheers!

Nutritional Information (per 100ml)

0.5% alcohol by volume
23 calories energy
<0.1g fat
4.4g carbohydrates
0.1g sugar
0.5g protein

(taken from the side of the bottle)

Ingredients

Water, Malted Barley, Malted Rye, Hops, Yeast