CRAFT BEER REVIEW: Have you been doing dry January? You can do it with beer!

LAST year I took part in Dryanuary and made it all the way through to February 4 while only sampling non alcoholic beers - pretty impressive for me!

I was surprised back then at the quality of modern beers from the Irish craft beer scene and how the movement towards lower alcohol beers in general was picking up steam. I myself am enjoying the lighter abv brews a lot now as they allow for a more sessionable approach to drinking and let's face it, you can't really have two barrel aged 10% imperial stouts one after another. 

Historically, the problem with making great tasting non alcoholic beers has largely been due to a lack of process technology rather than a lack of high tech equipment. Indeed, the use of expensive dealcoholysing brewery kits, as popularised by the big macro breweries, have, in my opinion, been the root cause of that strange porridge taste you sometimes get from non alcoholic beers that has turned many people off of the idea altogether.

These days it doesn't have to be the case and even though this week's beer for review is brewed in one of Ireland's largest brew houses it still manages to retain the quality of craft by the use of high quality ingredients and more modern process driven techniques. 

Brewmaster non alcoholic ipa does have some alcohol at 0.5% abv and labels itself as isotonic although I'm not sure I'd reach for a glass after a long run! The head is a bit wishy washy but spins back up. The deep golden colour gives away one of the secrets of the modern process. It's a touch darker and uses a larger proportion of caramelised unfermentable malts that assist in keeping the abv lower while filling out the body.

There are only 11 calories in this beer which is incredible. Hoppy aromas on the lighter side lift from the brew and bitterness in the flavour also adds to the perception of body. No porridgy taste, in fact it tastes just like a normal beer should. Nice biscuit caramel malt and fruity hops. Well worth a try and only €2.50 a can.

Brendan Sewell pens a weekly craft beer review for the Tullamore Tribune and Midland Tribune. A Tullamore-based chef, he is an award winning homebrewer, founder member of the Midlands Beer Club and creator of the YouTube channel Views on Brews.