Ipswich-based low-abv brewery Big Drop has announced the redesign of the recipe for its flagship lager.
The revised recipe includes a mix of gluten-free grains – oat, rye and barley – and the final product doesn’t contain lactose, making it the brewery’s first vegan-friendly beer.
‘We’re very happy with the new lager and [we are] switching straight over to it with all our wholesalers, so it’ll be hitting bars almost immediately,’ Big Drop’s commercial director Nick Worthington told Imbibe.
The new lager’s low abv is obtained through the same process used for all other labels in the Big Drop range, a method that avoids the need to artificially remove any alcohol during production.
According to the brewery, the nose has ‘aromas of cracker, light honey and pepper’, while the palate ‘is crisp, balanced with a suitable level of bitterness to ensure it has a dry, refreshing bite’.
‘The taste has improved and it’s much darker in appearance than a typical pilsner style,’ explained Worthington. ‘It has more in common with a helles or Vienna lager. This, plus its vegan credentials means it’s pretty unlike anything else that low-abv drinkers are likely to find.’
The new Big Drop Lager will be one of the brand's permanent labels, alongside its Stout, Sour, Brown Ale, Pale Ale and Citra IPA. The beer is packaged in 33cl cans and bottles and will soon be available on draught across Brewhouse & Kitchen's sites.
