Quiet Noise Pale Ale

Quiet Noise Brewing was founded in 2021 and has the accolade of being Ireland’s first and (currently) only craft brewery dedicated to non-alcoholic beers. Grown from an idea conceived by Stephen Dillon, one of Ireland’s only qualified craft beer sommeliers, it was becoming clear amongst a group of friends that one thing in their lives was incompatible with their search for fitness and health – alcohol consumption. Hangovers were becoming more and more disruptive in their lives, and while looking for palatable alternatives from the ‘big beer’ macro breweries they were left disappointed and without a substitute for their beloved pint. And so the search began for craft brewers who shared the same vision, and who could pull off a decent alcohol-free beer.

After numerous experimental batches on small scale equipment in their native Drogheda in County Meath, three recipes were agreed on by the brewer – a lager, a pilsner lager, and the subject of this review – a pale ale. Often the best choice for a new nolo brewer, a pale ale allows for a fairly standard recipe to be used, and then the brewer can put their own stamp on the flavour and aroma of the beer depending on what hops they choose to introduce. In Quiet Noise’s marketing for their beer, we are teased with “…citrus flavours of grapefruit and orange…”, which immediately sounds promising. The only Irish alcohol-free beer I’ve had so far has been the ubiquitous Guinness 0.0, still a massive favourite of mine, and whilst I don’t expect there has been anywhere near as much capital spent on developing this pale ale, I have high hopes that County Meath’s brewers have brewed a cracker. Sláinte!

Pouring out the beer from the can we get a golden coloured liquid with a slight haze to it. A small frothy white head is produced, and the retention is pretty good. On the nose we get a mix of tropical and citrus fruits – most recognisable are lychee and grapefruit, and sweet grains. It’s all doing a great job inviting us in to taste.

We’re greeted with a malty base as we drink, which provides fertile ground for the hops to thrive. Once again there are both citrus and tropical flavours here, most noticeable for me are fragrant grapefruit rind bitterness, along with juicy pineapple and mango. None of these flavours are particularly ‘in your face’ and are quite mild – ‘quiet’ might be the apt word to use here! The carbonation is quite high, with a light to medium body, and a mouthfeel that has a slight watery edge to it. The finish is somewhat sweet.

Quiet Noise Pale Ale is a perfectly acceptable entry to the line up of non-alcoholic pales, and slips down a treat leaving little evidence of it’s passing. It might not be the loudest hop-bomb to have ever entered our tasting tankard, but it does what it does well, and is a good sign of what to expect from this promising brewer in the future.

Buy Quiet Noise Pale Ale

Quiet Noise’s beers are available from McHugh’s stores in Ireland, and you can get your Pale Ale fix either direct from the brewer, or from one of these fine establishments:

Nutritional Information (per 100ml, taken from the side of the can)
ABV	0.0%
Energy	18 kcal
Additional nutritional information not given. Boo, hiss!
Ingredients
Water, Malted Barley (GF), Hops and other natural ingredients
Additional Information
Country of Production	Ireland
Brewer	Quiet Noise Brewing – https://www.quietnoisebrewing.com/
Gluten Free?	Yes
Vegan Friendly?	No