Mornington Peninsula Brewery has taken their first steps into the non-alcoholic side of things with the Mornington Free Pale Ale and they’ve done an awesome job.
One of the hardest things for a non-alcoholic beer to do is keep its body, keep the punch that makes it a beer, not just a crap soft drink. Mornington Peninsula Brewery (MPB) has done this to a tee here with the Free.
It produces a nice head when poured and is a rich, golden brown colour, something that must be hard for the lighter beers because it seems they always fall on the paler side of things.
It’s slightly weaker in terms of aromas but still boasts the trademark fruitiness most pale ales come with. MPB describe it as bold passionfruit and citrus aromatics, which I can definitely see… smell. You know what I mean.
Tribe Breweries, owners of MPB, head of innovation Roland Thiemann says that the great thing about the way the beer was created, is that it is brewed to be less than 0.5% alcohol, as opposed to mainstream non-alcoholic beer brands, who brew to higher strengths and then completely strip the alcohol out altogether.
“The beauty of our method, is that it helps the beer maintain its crisp flavour and is not a disappointment on the palette for beer lovers,” he says.
When it comes to can design, I love what MPB has done here, whiting out the entire can but keeping it in line with the rest of the core range. I’m assuming the white out, being such a stark contrast to the darker beers on offer makes it easy to see it’s different and a non-alcoholic range. I’m a sucker for that kind of thing, essentially making it completely different within its constraints, good form.
I’d definitely recommend the brew for anyone looking to get their hands on a full-bodied pale but also drive home after it’s all said and done. I look forward to seeing what the brewery does next.
