Everything I drank in April.
Plus: two podcast appearances and a good dollop of NZ hops.
Another month. Another 25 beers sunk.
You’ll find a full list of the month’s new brews at the end, including half a dozen I urge you to seek out before they sell out. But, first, here are four things from my little world of booze-free beer this month.
The Sober Boozers Club Podcast.
At the start of April, I featured on Ben Gibbs’ podcast as part of a panel discussion. You can read more about it, and listen, here.
A day or two after we recorded with the panel, Ben slid back into my DMs to ask if I’d like to do a solo interview. Naturally, I couldn’t say no (because I love gentle flattery as much as the next guy).
We spoke about my love of (full fat and AF) craft beer, the ceremony of it, the social glue inherent within it, the flavour, the hops, the memories.
And we touched upon my traumatic brain injury, the trigger which kicked off this current love affair with AF craft.
I hope to put out the video of our chat soon. But you can listen, wherever you get your podcasts, right now.
The Nelly Returns.
Continuing the theme of craft and community…
This month I headed back to The Nelson Arms in Tonbridge, to meet a man I know from the internet. I know. We’ve all heard the start of that true crime podcast before.
But I wasn’t murdered! martin dixon (AKA @alcohol_free_world) is as friendly and open and interesting and opinionated as you would hope. In short, he’s one of the UK’s true authorities on AF.
I’m a humble charlatan by comparison.
Over a few hours we drank fresh pints of Psych! by Verdant and Good Chemistry’s Ghost Run. And we weren’t alone. Aside from a couple of harmless drunken blokes, I counted at least 10 pints of AF being slung out from the 30+ taps and pumps. On a Tuesday night in April!
Maybe this past Dry January made a big impact? Or maybe good AF is just normal now?
I suspect both are true.
All hail the rise of NZ hops in AF craft!
Introducing: Nelson Sauvin, Motueka, Nectaron, Rakau, Wai-iti, Riwaka, Wakatu, Waimea, Superdelic…
In my latter years as a full fat, full-blown craft beer snob, I came to believe New Zealand hops were the holy grail. To me, they were delivering what I was endlessly hoping a beer could be.
I love British and American hops, but the stuff coming out of NZ excited me most. Their big, juicy flavours: passion fruit, lime, gooseberry, and white wine.
Fast-forward to early 2026 and the NZ hop train has well and truly arrived in the AF British craft scene. Mash Gang led this charge back in 2023/24. And since their sale we have seen others take up the mantle with straightforward citra brews. And then, EUREKA! Breweries found their booze-free groove and started chucking in the NZ-grown heavy hitters.
As the name suggests, the Mārū collab from Burnt Mill Brewery and Zeer is a fine example (and, I believe, Burnt Mill’s first ever AF). This Nelson and Superdelic dreamboat was probably my BotM.
Long may NZ hops reign.
Yes, Hawkstone have gone woke.
Clarkson’s Zero Lager is unexceptional.
And possibly a step back from their previous AF offer: Spa Lager.
Zero is brewed for people who would happily queue for hours to visit Diddly Squat in their Red Bull Racing F1 jacket, when they could support their local instead, and help keep community enterprise alive.
I would recommend every other beer I tried this month over it; except, perhaps, the new limon(e) cut lager from Peroni.
Because that is simple, synthetic, shite.
More soon.
Cheers!
And finally, here are all of April’s beers, in no particular order, with the very best in BOLD/orange:
Halo IPA - Black Isle Brewery
Limone Di Sicilia - Peroni
Climpson & Sons Mocha Porter
Steady On - Goodh Brewing Co.
Lager Zero - Hawkstone
FLVR! NA West Coast IPA - Untitled Art
Honey Blonde NA - Central Waters Brewing Co.
Believe - Omnipollo
Treeninglaager Tsitrus - Põhjala
Easy Street - Alefarm Brewing
Cofiwch Dryweryn - Dirwest
FLVR! NA Juicy IPA - Untitled Art
Harbour Rose - Jump Ship Brewing
Faux AF Pale Ale - Barney’s Beer
Lagerita, Lime & Salt - Tempest Brewing Co.
FLVR! NA Italian-Style Pils - Untitled Art
Lager - On Beer
Neo (IPA) - Westerham Brewery Co.
Iechyd Da - Dirwest