It’s been less than a year since Lowtide Brewing Co arrived on the AF beer scene and they’ve certainly made an impact. Each of their releases seems to garner praise all over social media, with Instagram full with pictures of perfect alcohol-free pints – thanks to Lowtide’s use of proper-sized 440ml cans. Even the notoriously fickle Untappd users have given each of the brewery’s beers an average review score of at least 3.5 at the time of writing. That’s good stuff! And all from a young brewer that basically consists of two guys, Rob Buchinger-Jones and Dave Brown, who in past careers were an interior designer and a financial adviser respectively. How things change!
I think that part of the secret to Lowtide’s success is that they’re choosing some styles of beer to brew that haven’t really made it to the NA beer market. The Brune breed of beer is traditionally produced by Trappist monasteries in Belgium, and is known for malty sweetness with a fair amount of dark fruit flavour and an underlying bitterness. They’re also known for their fairly high alcohol content, being regularly upwards of 6% ABV. How well such a boozy style of ale will convert to alcohol-free will be interesting to see, but hey, it certainly happened with stouts, with the AF market full of well brewed and full flavoured dark beers. Whilst I doubt that Brune-DMC has had a monastic hand involved in it’s brewing process at all, will I nevertheless be treated to something worthy of praise and awe?
Brune-DMC pours a dark reddish-brown colour with good clarity and some visible carbonation. We get a large, dense, off-white frothy head arising from the beer, and it endures the drinking session well, giving the best lacing I’ve seen yet from a non-alcoholic beer. On the nose we get malty caramel sweetness which incorporates notes of vanilla and dates. There’s also a slight background of roasted grains, and a whiff of coffee bitterness.
Tasting the beer we get an initial malty sweetness, with caramel, raisin and date notes to it. A bitterness soon ramps up, with some smokiness, cocoa and very slight citrus. The balance of the flavours is fantastic, and as you drink you seem to uncover new layers of combinations – honeycomb chocolate moves into rye bitterness, then into caramelised nuts… The body of the beer is similarly spot-on, with high carbonation and a slightly syrupy mouthfeel giving a smooth drinking experience. The finish is bitter, and sublime.
Praise be, this beer is fantastic. From the pour right to the last drop, it’s a treat to drink, and leaves you ready for a second can. Deep and rich and yet light enough to slip down easily, I’m kicking myself for not buying more of these. And as it seems that Lowtide Brewing Co’s beers have a habit of selling out, I’d recommend you stock up as soon as possible.
Buy Lowtide Brune-DMC
Lowtide Brewing Co’s beers can be hard to track down as they’re very often sold out, so check the brewer’s website for availability, or order online from one of the following drinks shops:
Nutritional Information (per 100ml, taken from the side of the can) | |
---|---|
ABV | 0.5% |
Further nutritional information not supplied by brewer. Boo, hiss! | |
Ingredients | |
Water, Hops, Yeast, Oats, Rye, Barley, Wheat | |
Additional Information | |
Country of Production | United Kingdom |
Brewer | Lowtide Brewing Co – https://www.lowtidebrewingco.com/ |
Gluten Free? | No |
Vegan Friendly? | Yes, according to brewer |
Lowtide Brune-DMC Alcohol-Free Ale Review
Summary
Free Beer’s new top-scoring AF beer, Brune-DMC offers an authentic Belgian Trappist beer experience, full-flavoured and a joy to drink. How do they do it?