Independent Sydney brewer Young Henrys is launching a 0.5% ABV Pacific Ale called Booze-Less through East Coast indie retailers and on-premise venues.

Booze-Less pours golden straw-coloured with a gentle haze, with a bright hop aroma and zest. It finishes dry with a refreshing zip.

Young Henrys has been in the beer business for nearly 15 years, but the brew team waited and worked until they cracked the code for delivering a stand-out in the category.

Booze-Less is brewed using a precision fermentation process that negates the residual sweetness, or wortiness, common in the category. The yeast choice and mash profile increases the uptake of the hop oils, giving the bright hop character and body drinkers expect from a classic Pacific Ale. This method also means that Booze-Less is drastically lower in carbs and sugar than typical non-alc beers.

The result is sessionable, drier finish that drinks like the full-strength version, minus the booze.

Young Henrys co-founder Oscar McMahon said: “We have this thing we call ‘The YH Way’; it’s how we lean into things internally, it’s how we collaborate and keep pushing to do something that suits our brand ethos and the palates of our people.

“Our brew team wanted to produce a product that was made in a different style to the two main ways non-alc beers are produced and that has resulted in something really special that isn’t like anything else in the market. We don’t think a non-alc should feel like a concession.

“Whether you’re having an hour, a day or a life off Booze, you’re still that same culturally inquisitive person and we wanted to try to meet that spirit with this product. Stay wild friends.” 

Head Brewer Jesse Searls said: “Creating Booze-Less has been a real journey. We spent quite some time simply figuring out what the identity of this beer was going to be.

“Then came the R&D trials, upscaling, recipe tweaking and problem-solving process challenges. There was heaps of learning along the way, but it’s culminated in a product that we are so bloody proud of! Booze-Less is crisp, refreshing, hoppy and moreish.

“We wanted to make something people would truly want more than one of, not just tick a box. That ethos drove everything: how we brewed the beer, the raw materials we wanted to showcase and how we wanted the final product to look.

“I’ll never forget cracking my first ice-cold, condensation-laden can of Booze-Less straight off the packline. And we hope everyone else remembers cracking their first can too. Cheers!” 

Young Henrys stayed bold with the design for Booze-Less, handing the packaging over to Ben Hastings of Tattoo Rosies and Sydney Tattoo Club.

Young Henrys’ Booze-Less Pacific Ale lands on shelves and behind bars from Monday 28 September.