+ Big Drop bids for title of world’s most acclaimed beer, AF or otherwise
Alcohol-free beer specialist – Big Drop Brewing Co – has become the UK’s most decorated British brewer of all time at the World Beer Awards, following the results of the 2021 competition (announced today, 9.9.21).
This year’s medal haul for Big Drop includes the ultimate acclaim of ‘World’s Best’ for two of its 0.5% ABV beers – Paradiso Citra IPA and Galactic Milk Stout. Now with seven ‘World’s Best’ titles under its belt, three of them for Galactic, Big Drop not only tops the table of UK brewers but can lay claim to having the world’s most awarded beer of all time, AF or otherwise.
Galactic – described as rich, unctuous and an absolutely decadent treat of a beer – has won 20 of Big Drop’s 70 international beer awards since its launch in 2016.
Not all these awards have been specifically for AF beer, however, with both of this year’s winners having previously beaten full-strength rivals in blind tastings. Paradiso, for example, was the UK’s winner in the Specialty IPA category of last year’s World Beer Awards, nudging 6% ABV entries into second and third place. Likewise, Galactic was out-performing regular stouts in the World Beer Awards before it had its own AF category.
Rob Fink, Founder and CEO of Big Drop, commented: “When we started out, we decided that we shouldn’t just be aiming to make decent AF beers but, rather, creating great tasting beers that happen to be AF. As there weren’t many awards around for AF beer at the time, we just entered the normal categories instead. The results speak for themselves and reinforce our belief that AF beers, made in the right way by expert brewers using carefully selected ingredients, don’t have to compromise on taste.”
Fink claims the secret to Galactic’s success is its ‘brew-to-strength’ or Reduced Amylase Brewing technique, pioneered by Big Drop and seen as game-changing for the category, which has often been considered a ‘distress purchase’. This technique allows the beer to be fully fermented without the need to extract alcohol once it had been brewed. By remaining under the ‘alcohol free’ threshold of 0.5% ABV throughout the whole process, Big Drop can retain the flavours and texture that would have traditionally been stripped out by removing the alcohol.
https://www.worldbeerawards.com/
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Note to Editor: List of awards for Galactic & testimonials
| YEAR | AWARD | CATEGORY (* including full-strength) | RESULT |
| 2021 | USA Beer Ratings | Non Alcoholic Beer | Silver 87 |
| 2021 | World Beer Awards | No & Low Alcohol Stout | World’s Best |
| 2021 | World Beer Awards | No & Low Alcohol | World’s Best |
| 2021 | US Open Beer Championship | Non Alcoholic Stout | Bronze |
| 2020 | Imbibe No & Low Taste Awards | Best No & Low Other Beer Style Award | Highly Commended |
| 2020 | Asia Beer Challenge | Alcohol-Free Beer (Top Fermentation) | Bronze |
| 2020 | World Beer Awards | Flavoured Low Strength | World’s Best |
| 2020 | Global Beer Masters | Lo/No | Silver |
| 2020 | USA Beer Ratings | Open* | Silver 86 |
| 2020 | European Beer Challenge | Alcohol-free Beer (Top Fermentation) | Silver |
| 2020 | US Open Beer Championship | Non-Alcoholic Stout | Silver |
| 2020 | AF Beer Awards | Classic | Second |
| 2019 | European Beer Challenge | Alcohol-Free Beer (Top Fermentation) | Double Gold |
| 2019 | European Beer Challenge | Low Alcohol | Gold |
| 2019 | International Brewing Awards | No and Low Alcohol | Silver |
| 2019 | US Open Beer Championship | Non Alcoholic Stout | Gold |
| 2019 | International Beer Challenge | Lo/No | Bronze |
| 2019 | Stockholm Beer & Whisky Festival | Open* | Best in Show |
| 2019 | Belgium Beer Awards | Low Alc | Bronze |
| 2017 | World Beer Awards | Flavoured Stout* | Silver |
| 2017 | International Beer Challenge | Speciality* | Gold |
“The most impressive no/low alcohol beer I have ever tried; no argument, it just is.” — Melissa Cole, British Guild of Beer Writers
“Big Drop specialises in alcohol-free beer and it’s all good. I tried the pale ale and the lager, too, and both are excellent, but the stout really is the business.” — Adrian Chiles, The Guardian
“In my view, by far the best of the low-alcohol brigade is Big Drop Brewing Co. All its beers come in at just 0.5%, and all of them are excellent – the stout in particular is a jaw-dropper. Superb flavour without compromise.” — Olly Smith, Mail on Sunday
About Big Drop
Big Drop was launched in 2016 as the world’s first brewer dedicated to alcohol-free beer by City lawyer, Rob Fink and long-time friend James Kindred. Both had recently become fathers and were looking to cut back on the booze but could not find any decent alternatives to their favourite craft beers. It has since won 70 international beer awards, including seven times ‘World’s Best’ at the World Beer Awards and beating full-strength rivals in blind-tastings on a number of occasions. Big Drop contract brews in batches through a network of brewing partners worldwide, meaning it can produce fresh beer – locally and ethically – with a minimal carbon footprint. Recognised as the market leader in the rapidly growing AF craft beer sector, Big Drop can now be found in over 10,000 locations – including throughout Europe, Australia, Canada and the US. In the UK, Big Drop has listings with major pub groups (eg Mitchells & Butlers), restaurant chains (eg Nando’s) and retailers (eg Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Morrisons and Ocado) as well as on doorsteps with Milk & More. Its range of beers, which are all <0.5% abv, currently consists of: Stout, Lager, Pale Ale, IPA, Brown Ale, Golden Ale, Hazelnut Porter and a Sour as well as special editions and collaborations with other leading brewers. For more information about Big Drop’s beers, tasting notes and availability, visit www.bigdropbrew.com.
Press release from Big Drop
Contact: Nick Heath 07720 297972 / nick.heath@bigdropbrew.com