A Review Of Good Stuff Drinks

Lowering the amount of alcohol I drink is a big mission for me this coming year. I have realised over the last few years that my alcohol intake has started to verge on the unhealthy. But what can you do if you are trying to reduce your alcohol intake yet really miss a beer or glass of wine? Sometimes a soft drink doesn’t really cut it. So this week I was delighted to be given the chance to try some low alcohol and alcohol free beers and wines. Here is a review of Good Stuff Drinks. 

*Ad – I was sent these bottles from Good Stuff Drinks in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own. For more details please see my Disclosure Policy

A Review Of Good Stuff Drinks

Have you been trying to do Dry January? For me, the stress of lockdown and homeschooling was too much, and I found myself reaching for some of the alcohol I had left over from Christmas. 

But I do realise that I do drink too much. And I am not alone. Just recently it was revealed that a lot of people in the UK ate and drank far too much in the last year due to the lockdowns and stress of the pandemic.

I definitely need to reduce my drinking habit, because it really isn’t healthy. The alcohol itself is really bad for health. But the calories that booze contains is also so bad for my waistline, which sadly has been expanding this year. I do need a healthier option.

But what to choose? Neither do I enjoy drinking a tonne of soft drinks. What is really needed for me is to find a good alternative to the fine wines and beers without the alcohol content. And this is where Good Stuff Drinks comes into the equation.

Who Are Good Stuff Drinks?

In early 2019, Tom decided that he really wanted to train physically and keep fit, but he still really wanted to enjoy a good beer once in a while. He looked for low alcohol beers and discovered a wealth of beers he really loved. At the same time, his wife challenged him to find her a low alcohol wine that had all the taste of the real thing. Good Stuff Drinks was born.

Their mission is to ‘Help other health conscious drinkers find and enjoy great tasting low alcohol wines and beer’, and they already have a great range of wines and beers with a low or no alcohol content. And they even stock some beers that are under 50 calories a bottle

We were sent a variety of their products to try. But as you will realise, these are my own tastes and personal opinions. What I like may not necessarily be what you would go for. Your tastes may differ tremendously from mine. So whilst these are reviews from my (and my OH’s) point of view, it is worth you trying some of these products out for yourself.

Wines

Now I am definitely a wine drinker rather than a beer drinker. Though I love a cold lager on holiday, wine is definitely more my thing, so I was looking forward to trying the wines that Good Stuff Drinks have to offer. We were sent a couple of bottles.

La Gioiosa Sparkling Wine 0.0% – 750ml

This Italian sparkling wine is completely alcohol free, and really does look like a standard bottle of sparkling wine. We really enjoyed the wine itself, which is filled with light citrus and pear flavours. Though it obviously has no alcohol, it really was a lovely wine to drink. And it would be perfect for a special occasion. At six bottles for £36.99 it isn’t cheap, but it is perfect if you are trying to be alcohol free and fancy some fizz!

Plus, at 26 calories for a 100ml glass, this wine will provide a fraction of the guilt of a full fat glass of bubbly.

The Very Cautious One Shiraz 0.0%

I do drink Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon when I drink red wines. So I was very interested to try this 0.0% alcohol red.

This is a red wine that has had the alcohol removed. The grapes are picked whilst they are still ripe with berry flavours and soft tannins, and then the wine is left to ferment for 4-5 days. Then the wine is de-alcoholised by distilling under a vacuum. And this allows the flavour and tannins to be kept without having the alcohol.

On my first taste, I must admit that I was a little disappointed. This wine actually has none of the depth and heavy body that I would normally expect in a Shiraz. Instead my first taste made me think of a lighter bodied red wine. Not something that I would normally drink.  

But when I tasted it again the next evening I actually appreciated it more. Yes, it is a light red wine, but it really does taste like a wine, and not just a grape juice drink. By the end of the bottle I was disappointed that it was all gone. And I would definitely keep it in mind for having in future.

Furthermore, again the calories it contains are a fraction of a standard wine. So you are getting a great taste with none of the guilt.

Beers

Good Stuff Drinks do a massive range of beers, both lagers and pale ales. We were sent a really good selection, which included 4 lagers and 2 pale ales. 4 of the bottles we were sent also have under 50 calories, which is a double bonus if you are following a diet plan. And 3 of the bottles we were sent are also classed as ‘post workout beers’. 

My other half is a beer drinker, so I did ask his opinion on all these. And as I said above, our opinions were wildly different some of the time, so please do give these a try yourself, as our opinions may not match yours. But here is what we thought.

Post WorkOut Beers

Krombacher Pilsner 0.0% – 330ml

This lager definitely has zero alcohol, and actually really tastes just like a beer that I would have on holiday. It is clean, crisp, light and was extremely refreshing. It also is isotonic, which is why it is perfect as a post workout drink. And at 89 calories for the bottle, it is not the lowest in calories, but it made up for it in taste.

Drop Bear Beer Co Yuzu Pale Ale 0.4% – 330ml

Next we tried the Drop Bear Yuzu Pale Ale. And I am afraid that we really did not like it. It may be that the yuzu taste just really was not our thing. Yes , there is some citrus taste to it, but it simply wasn’t to our palate. Even if it is under 50 calories a bottle.

Erdinger Alkoholfrei Isotonic 0.5% – 500ml

Lastly for the post workout beers we tried the Erdinger Isotonic 0.5% Lager. It actually does have a tiny bit of alcohol, though it says ‘alkoholfrei’ on the label. But it is isotonic, and contains some vitamins. In honesty, this beer was our absolute favourite out of all the beers that we were sent. Sadly though, it is also the most calorific of the lagers, coming in at 125 calories for the 500ml bottle.

Beers Under 50 Calories

And finally we were sent a range of beers that are under 50 calories. Perfect for those on a strict diet.

Big Drop Brewing Co. Uptown Craft Lager 0.5% – 330ml

This lager promised a full flavoured, herbal and floral hop flavour, with a hint of spice, caramel and orange. But again sadly, it really wasn’t our thing. Again, my other half thought that it was too herbal, and I didn’t like the strange rye spiciness. But that is just our opinion. At 39 calories a bottle, gluten free, vegan friendly and with only 0.5% alcohol, it may be your thing. 

UNLTD. Alcohol Free Lager 0.5% – 330ml

UNLTD was more of what I’d expect from a lager. Crisp, light and citrus flavours with a slightly bitter finish. I really enjoyed this beer – until I poured some of it into a glass and saw how cloudy it was. This kind of put me off. But it was still a favourite. Again, with a bottle that only has 23 calories and is vegan friendly you can love this beer without any guilt (or a hangover)!

Nirvana Brewery Hoppy Pale Ale (Karma)

And finally, we tried the Nirvana Hoppy Pale Ale. At 0.5% alcohol and with 30 calories a bottle I didn’t really know what to expect from this pale ale. And to me I was very surprised to enjoy it very much. It tasted more like an IPA to my palate, and a little more like the IPA beers that my OH normally drinks. 

With a light citrus and floral flavour, it was probably my favourite of the low calorie beers. However, my OH didn’t like what he called a floral aftertaste. SO our opinions really did differ on this one. 

So I hope that you have enjoyed this review of Good Stuff Drinks. Which one do you think that you would choose? I’d love to hear your opinions. Comment below, or do go give me a follow on one of my social media channels.

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