Unltd Lager

Unltd are a brand of non-alcoholic beer that seem to be attempting to push their product into the ‘health drink’ niche. Their beers come with a very low calorie count (just 4 kcal per 100ml in their previously reviewed IPA), gluten free and vegan friendly, and rich in B6 and B12 vitamins, which are good for the blood and can be lacking in many modern diets. However all these good intentions will account for nothing if the beer isn’t tasty and drinkable. Luckily Unltd’s beers have picked up a slew of awards over the last couple of years, with European Beer Challenge Gold awards picked up in 2020 and 2021, World Beer Awards UK Bronze attained in 2021, and SIBA Independent Beer Awards Silver awarded in also that year. They’re also now a member of the Guild of Fine Foods, who run the ‘Great Taste’ awards yearly.

I was a fan of Unltd’s IPA that I reviewed last summer, and I also got to sample their lager at the same time. However I completely forgot to take tasting notes and, more importantly, take a picture of the beer and bottle. Unltd’s beers seem to go out of stock pretty regularly, so either they have supply problems or they’re just too popular. Indeed, their beers are now making their way stateside and down under, so maybe I was lucky to get my hands on a second helping of their lager when I did. Still packaged in a sleek, modern, no-frills black bottle – lets get that top off and see what’s inside.

The beer pours a pale golden colour with great clarity and some visible carbonation. A pencil-thin white head froths up but don’t expect it to be around for long. On the nose the aromas are light, as you’d expect from a lager, but discernible are malt, golden syrup/honey sweetness, and a slight whiff of raisin/sultana.

Malted grains greet us when we taste, with a light caramel sweetness. A slight grassy bitterness joins us but remains in the background. The beer is highly carbonated, with the body and mouthfeel pretty standard for the style, maybe slightly verging on watery. We get a nice bitter finish to the drink.

Unltd Lager is a non-alcoholic beer that could be perfect for a session or simply a thirst-quencher. It’s light to drink, although the carbonation may produce more burps than I’d like, and has enough flavour to let you know you’re drinking a lager, without an overabundance of sweetness or hoppy bitterness. It does it’s job well, but Unltd’s IPA is the better choice for me.

Buy Unltd Lager

Unltd offer both mixed and single packs on their website, though I’ve noticed they go out of stock quite often. I bought my Unltd Lager from an online store:

Nutritional Information (per 100ml, taken from the side of the bottle)
ABV	0.5%
Energy	7 kcal
Fat	0g
Carbohydrates	1.6g
Sugar	0.3g
Protein	0.1g
Ingredients
Water, Malted Barley, Maltodextrin, Wheat, Hops, Yeast
Additional Information
Country of Production	United Kingdom
Brewer	The Alcohol Free Brewing Company Ltd – https://www.unltd.beer/
Gluten Free?	Yes
Vegan Friendly?	Yes