Small Beer (low-alcohol beers & mini-kegs)
Small Beer Brew Co (London) offers vegan beer with half the alcohol and fewer calories, sold in cans or bottles or in kegs for parties, pubs, hotels and restaurants. Sustainably-crafted in a B-corp brewery, this is made with the finest British barley. Low-alcohol beers are classed as drinks with APV of 1.2% (compared to conventional beers that are around 4.4%).
The company’s brewing kit uses around an eighth of the water typically used and the brewery is cleaned with recovered heat and water, and all packaging is recycled. Spent grain is delivered to a local farm. The range includes:
- Pale ale (tropical fruits)
- Amber (toasty rye)
- Lager (citrus nose)
- Hazy (apricot & tropical fruits)
- IPA (bitter orange & biscuit)
- Blanche (made with Sussex coriander and Spanish orange peel)
The company also offers beers in mini-kegs (up to 9 pints), which can be stored cold and consumed within a month of delivery. Once open, drink within a couple of days. Ideal for parties, empty kegs can be recycled. The site has full info on how to use kegs.
No alcohol can be 0% booze, as even fruit and bread contain a little alcohol. But 0.5% is the main percentage used. It is safe to drive, but it’s best to avoid even this amount, if pregnant or nursing.
Before recycling, pop the ring-pulls back over the cans (and pinch tops shut), to help avoid wildlife getting caught inside. Set up a can recycling program to raise money for your community! Never buy beers wrapped in plastic rings, they harm wildlife (if you see any, rip the holes and securely bin).
Experts recommend that it’s still best to avoid for pregnancy/nursing and medical conditions including alcohol addiction.
UK drink-driving laws are not as strict as some countries. So although this is considered ‘safe’, in some countries (including France and Austria) the limit is lower – and lower still for newly-qualified drivers). This is because any alcohol can impair concentration, judgement and reaction times.
Do you drink too much booze?!
If you like to drink boozy beer, and are wondering whether you need to cut down (and perhaps sub with a few alcohol-free beers through the week), here is a simple guide (none of that confusing ‘unit’ stuff):
For a normal sized adult, NHS recommendations are (these are either/or – not all together!):
- 6 pints of beer a week (not all on the same day!)
- 6 glasses of wine a week
- 12 measures of spirits
So in plain English, if you drink 14 pints of beer a week (way over recommended limits) but still wanted to drink beer, you would cut down to one beer a day for six days (and the other one could be alcohol-free, plus go booze-free one day a week). Or mix and match if you also drink wine or spirits.
