We can all have multiple different reasons for seeking out a Low/No drinking option these days. If you’re the designated driver to a party or meal out, the reasons are obvious to stay within the safe parameters of driving. Perhaps you’ve been over-imbibing and need a palate refresh away from barrel-aged, imperial, or fortified beverages. It could be as simple as chasing that elusive Low Gravity badge on Untappd (Level 12, just saying). Whatever your reasons, I’m not going to judge. Over-consumption of anything can undoubtedly have negative consequences, but in moderation, the social glue that binds communities together, quite often rural ones, can regularly be found to be bound around a village pub or social club. Loosing these, due to a multitude of factors including a price point, aversion to a style of drink, or general disinterest, can change the whole fabric of a society within a generation. A greater selection of Low/No alcohol options in the UK drinks sector is undoubtedly a good development if it can help these venues stay open and keep people socialising with each other. Finding a good cider option however has been, up to now, a bit challenging. Barry’s article on Jörg Geiger last month shone a spotlight on a Low/No producer I’d yet to try here in the UK, but hope to at some point soon.

I’ve had too many that either taste like liquid artificial sweetener, super thin with no real structure to them, or in the case of one French brand that can be found in supermarkets (which I do rather like) is actually just apple juice, dressed up to look like cidre. I’m going to be honest here, so far, the best Low/No cider option I’ve found and have gone back to again and again is Thatchers Zero – I think I like it more than anything else Thatchers put out as it tastes just like a cider, with a good level of acidity, bit of tannin, and more taste in fact than some of Thatchers other offerings. I know this can come across as a bit scandalous on the hallowed pages of Cider Review, but in the specific Low/No corner, there really hasn’t been that much on offer at 0.5% abv and below…so far!

To jump drinks style, one of my favourite Low/No Beers is Adnams Ghost Ship. It tastes near enough just like regular Ghost Ship. On a recent brewery tour there with The Whisky Baron team, we found out the secret to this flavour success. It is regularly brewed Ghost Ship, but the beer then has the alcohol stripped out through reverse osmosis (GCSE Chemistry anyone – the passing of water molecules across a semipermeable membrane from an area of high concentration to one of lower water concentration). The liquid and alcohol pass through the membrane, the flavour and aroma compounds of the beer are left behind, then diluted with pure water to give a 0% – 0.5% Low/No option with nearly all the flavours of the original beer. Is anyone doing this in the cider or perry world (other than Jörg Geiger) ? Perhaps Thatchers, as it’s very much their style to build from a concentrate level upwards, but on the craft, small scale producer level, I’m not so sure. Cost is a factor, you need to either buy this expensive reverse osmosis machine, or send a large quantity of your liquid off to someone to who has one, and even with the difference in duty for your rrp, it would still make the drink prohibitively expensive for a lot of producers in comparison to its boozier cousins.

Into the fold steps Purbeck Cider, who we have reviewed on here before with a range of their canned offerings, as well as their delicious Wedding perry and single variety Knotted Kernal. When Kate Hartle reached out to offer up a sample bottle of their new Zero cider (as well as their regular Gold bottling for comparison) I couldn’t say no. A big thanks to Kate and the team at Purbeck for offering this up. The bottle launched at the start of May, and with the scorching Summer we’ve been having here in the UK so far, I’m certain it will have been selling like hot cakes! When I asked about the process of reducing the alcohol content in the cider, Kate replied that Head Cidermaker Joe uses “a method of cold filtration after a specific blended fermentation for profile and depth of flavour.” That sounds very much like the reverse osmosis dealcoholisation mentioned in the paragraph, which is done at lower temperatures (typically sub-15 degrees Celsius). My hopes are high for an interesting tasting Low/No cider as a result. Over to the review!

Purbeck Cider Company’s Purbeck Zero review

How I served: A day in the fridge and then out in the balcony for 15 minutes.

Appearance: Nice prominent hiss as I pop the cap. The cider pours crystal clear, a brassy gold sheen to it, with light effervescence and a fluffy mousse around the rim of the glass.

On the nose: Autumnal orchards, apples at the base of trees. Yes it really does smell just like a regular cider. Russeted apple skin.

In the mouth: This is noted as medium-sweet in presentation style on the bottle and I’m very glad to report it’s skewing more towards the medium end. There’s soft tannins at play, mild astringency on the side of my mouth, and to complement it all, a good dose of acidic structure to the juice as well. Similar to drinking freshly pressed Cox’s Orange Pippin or Egremont Russet juice. No clawing sweetness which you find in some Low/No ciders and beers. You could easily sip this with your Sunday roast or out at a pub in Summertime and convince yourself and others around you it was cider, not apple juice, that you were drinking.

In a nutshell: At 0.5% abv this is a really well-presented addition to the Low/No Cider scene. Purbeck up there with the best for this category in my books.

Purbeck Cider Company’s Purbeck Gold review

How I served: A day in the fridge then 15 mins out on the balcony too.

Appearance: Amber resin hue, very light effervescence that is almost non-discernible, thin bubbly mousse around edge of the glass. Brilliant clarity.

On the nose: A bittersweet cider apple aroma, along with a hint of something sweeter and altogether more confectioned. Perhaps toffee? Will see as it warms up.

In the mouth: Again, this is down as medium-sweet on the label, but this time, I’d say the sweetness is notched up to almost bordering on pure sweet. Backsweetend or topped up with apple juice to bring the abv down to 4.8%…I can’t tell. What this orchard blend is lacking is a tad more acidity to complement that tannin and sweetness. As their 10th anniversary, celebratory bottling, this is no doubt designed to be crowd-pleasing, and it does says it comes with a “clean caramel finish” on the label, I just don’t think that’s what I’m looking for from a craft cider as I can get that from the macro players very easily. I know how good Purbeck can be too with their celebration perry, Knotted Kernel SVC, and now, their Low/No Zero offering. Isn’t it funny, to take a step back from your zone of interest and see just what a journey we all go on when it comes to cider and perry? I love dry, high acid, high tannin now, alongside all those fruity, estery explosions that come with certain varietals. Would I have gone that way 5-6 years ago? Not necessarily. Palates can evolve, and with that, the direction of our purchases. I appreciate this is a niche view, however, it would be great to see more and more folk seeking out dry as a presentation style over the coming years (I know a number of you already do).

In a nutshell: For those with a sweeter tooth alongside an appreciation of all things bittersweet.

Conclusions

Very impressive Low/No. I would go back to that again and again. Zero % (near) by alcoholic content, but not by flavour. Is there something chameleon-like to all this too? The art of blending in at parties with some kind of drink in your hand? The habit of sipping on something when you go to the cinema but are driving home? A drink like Purbeck Zero could very easily occupy those spaces. I’m personally not as sold on the Gold offering, but that’s purely down to sweetness level, still a fair amount of flavour going on, but way too much sugar or sweetener for where I am in my cider drinking journey right now.

It’s great to have a bottle like Purbeck Zero on the radar, for the Low/No offering. Then, working up the scale, followed by something like Little Pomona’s Ciderkins and Perrykins at 2-4%abv, and onwards again into familiar territory up to the 8.4%abv threshold we have here in the UK due to duty regulations. Is it different in other countries I wonder? Have Low/No ciders taken off in the US like craft cider did 20 years ago? What about South Africa or Australia? I’d love to know, please do leave a message in the comments or on our social channels if you have some insight from around the world on this. I’m not always going to be reaching for the Low/No option, but when the moment calls for it, I’m glad for something with the quality of taste and pricepoint that Purbeck’s Zero offers. It’s definitely a product that has come of age in the mid-2020s in terms of range of choice and flavour. Next up… some more Low/No perries please!