Three weeks ago, Dr Gambino and I started the adventure of brewing a low abv Wheat Beer, The Table Wheat.

Leading in from a recipe sketched out by Brew-Master Anspach, the idea of a low abv German style wheat beer was my own (Business-Overlord Hobday).

Excitingly, it was brewed for my 30th birthday. Anspach & Hobday tradition is that our employees each get to brew something new on their annual triumph of existence and that includes the founders. The inspiration for low abv birthday beer came from our recent success with our Table Porter – winning champion Low ABV beer at London Drinker festival – and, you may be surprised to hear, Erdinger’s new zero alcohol beer – Alkoholfrei.

Running for Britain

A little back story: In the name of a good cause I committed to running the London marathon 2018 (you can still support my campaign for Kings College Hospital here!) and whilst I didn’t shift that far from a pint a day, I did feel drinking anything more in the run-up was laced with a little guilt (and I was often feeling more guilty than one should)! So I naturally started paying more attention to having less of the stronger beers and focusing in on finding tasty low abv – where I could still enjoy some social drinking that might last longer than a single pint.

It was with this backdrop that Erdinger’s new Zero % beer hit, right at the end of the Berlin half-marathon, the last big run before London.

Alkoholfrei: Erdinger’s new beer.

In Berlin, Erdinger had stalls lined up at the end of the 13 Miles heavily promoting their new beer. Myself and my fellow runner Mr Jon Williams couldn’t resist the pleasure of the ‘guilt’ free beer.

In truth it had flavour but despite the best of German engineering it lacked something… I don’t think it’s right that we should feel guilty about beer but I think we all know that in the long run too much of it and in particularly the alcohol within, isn’t exactly great. And as Erdinger point out in their Alkoholfrie, there is a lot about beer that is very good for you. So as with everything in life moderation is key: Enter the table beer, the idea behind this beer is something that would be good to during the day at the table with your food or on its own. A beer to satiate. Something you could have at a desk or give to a colleague and say ‘well done buddy, you deserve this’ without writing off the rest of their day. A beer for the workers. A low abv beer but most importantly a beer that still has flavour!

The Table Wheat: A German-inspired low-abv wheatbeer.

Last week we packaged the The Table Wheat, it tastes light, dry but with plenty of aroma and a decent bite that evolves from the smooth body. Even if for the time being I am done with running, with the good weather here and a perishing thirst, it really is lovely to have a new flavoursome low abv beer to enjoy at the table.

So here’s to The Table Wheat!

Cheers!