Outside of my ongoing love for and exploration of English wine, I am quite partial to a nice cold beer. However, like many others, I have been increasingly conscious of controlling my alcohol unit consumption.
The search for decent low or no alcohol alternatives has historically been long and unfruitful. However, in recent times I have found my options to be increasingly appealing. One of my recent discoveries is Binary Botanical from Good Living Brew Company, who produce a lightly sparkling beer in both 4% and 0.5% volume variants.
Why, you may ask, am I talking about beer and not wine today? Well, Binary Botanical is a little different from your average craft beer, and Good Living draw on a few parallels to wine both in terms of production and character.
![](http://www.greatbritishwine.com/wp-content/uploads/binarybotanicals_shot.jpg)
The Good Living Brew Company take their base beer and infuse it with organic hop leaves during fermentation. This addition brings an additional tang, rather than bitterness, and also adds a little weight and texture that I would liken a little to the tannin found in grape skin or tea leaves. Wine yeasts are also utilised in fermentation to strengthen the wine-like qualities of the beer further. I enjoyed both variants, and perhaps the 4% even more than the 0.5%. However, the 0.5% taps into the low alcohol market really well and is something I would (and have been) drinking as an alcohol alternative.
And that is where the appeal lies. Good Living’s Binary Botanical 0.5% is a really well made, enjoyable alternative to alcoholic beer. The 250ml bottle clocks in at 45 calories a bottle, with negligible sugar and fat content and just 0.15 units of alcohol.
My thoughts on both variants can be found below.
Binary Botanical 4%
ABV: 4%
With aromas of citrus peel, peach, pear and floral hedgerow notes, there’s a marked similarity to the aromas of Charmat-method sparkling wine, underpinned by the characteristic hoppiness of beer.
To taste, there’s also a wine-like structure which begins with crisp citrus and white fruit notes and continues with a pleasing weight and softness on the mid-taste, together with riper pear and tropical fruit flavours. It finishes on a classic hoppy note, along with a greener, almost tannic finish that comes from the organic hop leaf infusion.
Binary Botanical 0.5%
ABV: 0.5%
Interestingly, I found the alcohol free version to be even more wine-like from an aromatic point of view. Its crisp, fresh nose of elderflower, hedgerow and orchard fruits reads like an English white wine.
The taste shares similar characteristics – it’s best served super chilled, which enhances the freshness. There’s a lovely textural quality that elevates this above most low-alcohol beer options and, while the yeasty, hoppy notes are a little more subdued, they linger nicely on the finish.
What an interesting article. I love how you bring sensitive wine taste descriptors to binary. Thank you
I’ve tried this beverage and can personally vouch for its refreshing taste and delicious tangy profile.
Great with a pizza too!
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