Drynks Unlimited Smashed Lager

Drynks Unlimited certainly have their eye on the nolo/AF market, and have taken a few steps to try and cover the distance between smaller producers and the big multinational conglomerate breweries. Formerly known as The Dry Drinks Company Limited, the Bolton-based company have invested a cool £1 million into a dealcoholising technology known as cool vacuum distillation.

Currently the only such operation in the UK, Drynks Unlimited’s CVD plant lowers the pressure in the vacuum chamber to allow alcohol to be ‘boiled off’ at much lower temperatures, in an attempt at improving the flavour of the liquid that is left. The process is slow and gentle, with the average bottle of one of the company’s products taking about 8 days to produce. However, they have the capacity to output 75,000 bottles a day – quite a volume in the current AF market.

Drynks Unlimited Smashed Lager starts out as an alcoholic lager brewed by Robinson’s brewery in Stockport, and is then put through the cool vacuum distillation wringer. So how good is the end product?

Pouring it we get a pale golden liquid with a fair head, but as usual this is somewhat short-lived. Looks pretty effervescent. Malts dominate the aroma, with perhaps a whiff of cascade hops. It certainly smells like any standard lager you’d find being pulled in any pub around the country.

Malt also dominates the taste, but with also a decent amount of  bitterness and floral notes from the hops, plus a touch of citrus in the background. The overall taste remains light, though there is certainly body there. And despite my worst fears the beer is not too gassy, with no metallic after-taste.

It’s a great addition to Drynks Unlimited’s lineup, with a refreshing lager taste to satisfy on a warm evening. It does seem to be on the higher end of sugar content, but the sweetness isn’t too evident in the actual taste. If you’re after less carbs, there are certainly better alternatives. But I’ll surely be drinking this again.

Nutritional Information (per 100ml)

0.05% alcohol by volume
23 calories energy
0g fat
3.1g carbohydrates
3.1g sugar
0.3g protein

(taken from the side of the bottle)

Ingredients

Alcohol Free Beer (contains Barley, Wheat), Sugar, Natural Flavourings