St Peter’s Without Original

One of Suffolk’s most adventurous breweries leads its charge into the no-alcohol beer market (the Without range also comes in Gold, Organic and Elderflower & Raspberry varieties – all proudly certified Vegan) with a rich, full-flavoured, dark amber ale that will knock the socks off those who love their beer seriously malty. As ever, the St Peter’s brown bottle feels like an mini- event in itself, an invitingly lovely piece of beer theatre that nods to the brewery’s traditional aesthetic. You know what you’re getting from the moment the cap comes off – it’s malt between the eyeballs from the outset, the bubbling pour releasing yet more malt to on nose, in the mouth an instantly impressive rich depth gives up creamy layers of caramel malt, rye and a hop that carries its bitterness through to the back of the throat. Brewed, like St Peter’s other renowned craft ales, using their own chalk-filtered deep-bore water source, Without Original is hugely flavoursome stuff and while the malt will probably prove a challenge too far for those with milder or more citrus-oriented tastes  malt enthusiasts certainly won’t want to be without it.