Lager Day Saints

Sheep In Wolf’s Clothing Brewery are a new face on the non-alcoholic beer market, and whilst they don’t only brew alcohol-free drinks, they certainly seem to have embraced the principles of the scene. The original idea for the business, brewing fantastic beers and focusing on the low alcohol end of the market, was coined by co-founder Matty Dixon in 2020, but it wasn’t until 2021 that any movement was actually made with the brewery. This was when Mr Dixon roped in scientist John Chadwick to help with yeast experimentation. They apparently went through over 50 different yeast strains in order to find one that was capable of fermenting a great tasting beer while keeping the alcohol produced to a miniscule 0.5% ABV.

The brewery finally launched in July 2021 with an initial offering of four different beers, two of which being 0.5% ABV. The name of the brewery offers a nice little reverse on a common phrase – the ‘sheep in wolf’s clothing’ meaning that appearances may not be what they seem. But the brewery’s appearance, by which I mean branding and design, seems top notch to me. Striking and well designed, your interest is piqued as soon as you pick up a can of Lager Day Saints. The moniker of the beer is a play on ‘Latter Day Saints’, the name of the religious movement following Mormonism. The religion’s followers are known for their clean white shirts and black ties, helping to spread the ‘good news’. Lager Day Saints’ can has it’s own shirt and tie, along with a pocket containing a bottle opener (but, it’s a can?!) and a name badge stating ‘Elder Hops’. Time to let the good news into my house and crack open a can.

The beer pours a golden colour with a touch of haze. The initial head is huge and thick, but recedes in time to a few patches of froth on the surface of the beer. On the nose I’m getting lager malt and some floral notes, similar to elderflower. There’s also some discernible lemon fruit, and indeed a whole mix of fruits in there. Something in the aroma even reminded me of Barr’s Irn Bru. Curious!

Light lager malt greets us on tasting, crisp and clean. A subtle fruitiness also joins us, with hints of lemon and juicy pear. There’s almost no bitterness here, and only a touch of sweetness. The carbonation level is good and mouthfeel is pretty smooth. The beer certainly slips down well, as a good lager should. We get a tang of the hallertauer muttelfrueh hop at the end of the drink, the ‘Elder Hops’ finally making an appearance.

Lager Day Saints is a lovely little non-alcoholic lager which avoids all the major problems faced by AF beers that have come before it; not overly malty, the mouthfeel isn’t too watery, and it has just enough flavour from the malts and hops to please the palate. It isn’t breaking any new ground, but it doesn’t really have to, and represents a great initial showing from a brewer who I hope goes on to produce some more tasty alcohol-free beers.

Buy Lager Day Saints

I bought my cans of Lager Day Saints direct from the brewer, and it’s also available to buy from the following online retailers:

Nutritional Information (per 100ml, taken from the side of the can)
ABV	0.5%
Additional nutritional information not given. Boo, hiss!
Ingredients
Water, Barley, Maltodextrin, Hops, Yeast
Additional Information
Country of Production	United Kingdom
Brewer	Sheep In Wolf’s Clothing Brewery – https://www.siwcbrewery.com/
Gluten Free?	No
Vegan Friendly?	Yes, according to brewer