Today’s beer review sees us return to something I’ve not done in a while. Well two things actually: a low alcohol beer and a beer from Thornbridge! Always a bit apprehensive picking up AF beers not because I have an inherent dislike to them but more because they often aren’t that great. This is ‘Zero Five’, a low alcohol pale ale named as such because it is 0.5% ABV and possibly a nod to the year the brewery was founded, 2005. Hopefully this will buck the trend like Tiny Rebel low alcohol Clwb Tropica did.

The beer pours a clear gold with a very thin white head. The carbonation rises clearly. A surprisingly great nose on the beer. Quite hoppy with citrus and hints of stone or tropical fruits. Firstly the beer is really well carbonated which can help elevated often flat AF beers. Citrus hop throughout the beer is actually quite pleasant and a slight bitter finish. However, the beer does suffer from the classic syndrome of being on the thinner side, heading into that watery territory.

A quick note on the bottle art: It’s the classic Thornbridge style with a really aesthetic grey and gold trim.

Before I carry on, I just want to say that I mark the AF beer reviews on how they are as a substitute to beer. I think comparing them entirely to a standard brew isn’t fair as I think it’s fairly improbable to meet that same level. Saying that I think this is a really decent low alcohol beer. It suffers from a slight thinness and unfortunately it is a little one note for my liking and lacks a certain level of depth in the flavours. However, I think the aroma was really lovely and the citrus hop through was surprisingly solid. If AF beers weren’t so pricey I’d easily justify picking this up again.

Score: 7/10

Thanks for reading! Cheers!

Additional Information:

• Hops: Amarillo, Cascade
• Malt: Low Colour Maris Otter, Crystal, Munich
• IBU: 25
• ABV: 0.5%
• Gluten Free: No
• Vegan: Yes!
• Purchase Price: £1.65
• Purchase Location: Morrisons