Session Ale
If I’m honest I am not a fan of supermarket branded alcohol-free drinks. I’ve had a couple in the past and they have been pretty grim so it was with a large pinch of cynicism that I tried Sainsbury’s alcohol-free Session ale.
Sainsbury’s is actually one of the best supermarkets for non-alcoholic drinks; at last count, they had well over 50 products. In fact, Sainsbury’s was one of the first stores to create its own alcohol-free pilsner beer which was made in partnership with well-known brewer Staropramen. Alongside this pilsner they have created an ale which I tried out.
Sainsbury’s uses a heady mix of hops, barley malt, citric acid and water to make this beer but is it worthy of a place on My Dry Bar? You’ll just need to read my review below to find out.
Is Session ale any good?
Taste
Three words – “it’s not bad”. Look, it isn’t going to win any alcohol-free awards for taste but it is still a rather refreshing lager. You can certainly taste a slight bitterness from the hops alongside sweetness from the malts. Although the carbonation is actually quite tight I did feel it lacked a bit of body and as such was a bit thin.
Aroma & Appearance
Once opened you can certainly pick out the hops which dominate the beer with subtle smells of citrus. As you can see, when poured into the glass this session has a light amber look with a rather flat head.
Bonus points
Sainsbury’s Session Ale is suitable for vegans but is not going to be one for gluten-free drinkers. When it comes to sugar content it isn’t too high and has a calorie count of 58 per 250ml. As you can expect availability-wise this is easily found at Sainsbury’s but nowhere really else.
Where can you buy Session Ale?
As expected, you can buy this ale from Sainsbury’s – I’ve not seen it anywhere else!
Key information
– per 100ml
Brewery – Sainsbury’s
Country – UK
Alcohol content – 0.5%
Calories – 23
Ingredients – Water, barley malt, hops, citric acid.
Vegan friendly? – yes
Gluten-free? – no
Availability – medium/ hard
“Drunkenness is nothing but voluntary madness.”
-Seneca, AD 50 BC
