I just finished my second 6-Pack of the Great Northern Zero Lager so decided to what better time to give you my thoughts!
The Great Northern Zero is a crisp and clean ultra-low calorie and almost no sugar non-alcoholic lager with a bready malty base and a floral and fruity hop profile. It is likely to be a great option for low calorie and low sugar options however it may not suit everyone due to the floral profile.
|
What I Like |
What Could be better |
| Traditional lager profile with light fruity esters | The body is light (expectedly) given low calories and low sugar. |
| Ultra low calorie | The base level of malty sweetness is one to look out for. |
| Nice crisp and lightly bitter finish. |
Key Takeaways
| ABV: | <0.5% |
| Style | Lager |
| Calories: | 18 calories / 100ml |
| Colour: | Deep Golden |
| Main Notes: | Malty. Floral + Fruity. |
| Cost: | $11 – $15 |
| Rating: | 6.5/10 |
Great Northern Zero Lager Taste
Each glass has a loose lightly foamy head that dissipates quite quickly and will have a flavour profile that is built on a traditional lager malt with hops that bring a floral/fruity twist.
This means that, while having an overall light level of body and mouthfeel, you’ll find:
- Bready malt and balanced lager notes.
- Fruity yet floral flavours (10 bottles in and I still can’t pinpoint it – sorry team!).
- Super fine bubbles and carbonation.
- Crisp and light body.
- Light fruity bitterness to finish.
While Great Northern Zero isn’t a beer that I would normally drink, (which is why I drank 10 of them to make sure I had this down – FYI I shared the other 2!) I found that even if the body is lighter, it does a reasonably good job at delivering crisp lager style beer with a hint of fruitiness and florals.
Interestingly, depending on what I was drinking the Great Northern Zero in, out of or with – think out of a glass vs the bottle and with food vs without food, it was a totally different beer.
Out of the bottle, I did find a Cerveza like citrus profile was more prominent, while in a glass I got a more balanced lager based profile with heaps of floral fruitiness. Interesting stuff!
So now you know what it tastes like, find out if it’s for you!
Buy Great Northern Zero
Great Northern Zero will cost you between $10 – $17 and with great distribution, it is easily accessible through all major online retailers and great in-store ranging in supermarkets and bottle shops.
If you’re keen to add this to your summer sessions beer check out the links below to pick up a 6-pack of bottles or cans and let me know what you think:
- Brunswick Aces
- Craft Zero
- All major bottle stores and supermarkets.
If you land yourself a do pick up a 6-pack, head over to @tipplezerodrinks on Instagram and let me know what you think!
Who Would Like the Great Northern Zero?
As a whole, if you enjoy alcohol-free beer but you’re not a craft beer drinker the simple, solid lager profile in the Great Northern Zero is one for you to try out.
Alternatively, if you enjoy light beer options (like Boag’s Premium Light and a Cascade Premium Light) you’re likely to find some similarities in the Great Northern Zero that will make this a worthwhile choice.
If you are coming to this beer as a full weighted, full alcohol lager drinker, I’d say – absolutely – give it ago, but just be mindful that the body and depth are lighter than you’re going to be used to from a traditional alcoholic lager.
If you’re looking for an alternative to the Great Northern Zero, I’d definitely point you in the direction of:
- James Squire Zero Lager – floral, malty and the leader of the pack at the moment.
- Weihenstephaner – the non-alcoholic lager that is hot on the heels of the James Squire!
If you are looking for other alternatives, I’ve got you covered, read about the James Squire review here. If you’re more of an IPA drinker, check out the other options I’ve written up over here.
Great Northern Zero Nutrition Information
The Great Northern Zero has 18 calories, 0.5 grams of sugar and <0.1 grams of fat per 100ml. This makes it a Top 5 ‘lowest sugar per 100ml’ of the almost 40 beers I reviewed for sugar and calorie content.
Looking at nutrition overall, the Great Northern Zero is well below the average sugar level that I found comparing nearly 40 non-alcoholic beers. At 0.5 grams of sugar per 100ml, it comes in at almost 1.5 grams below the sugar per 100ml average.
If you’re interested in the nutrition of non-alcoholic beer, check out what I found when reviewing 39 of the best non-alcoholic beers for sugar and calories.
A full breakdown of the Great Northern Zero Nutrition is listed below.
| Avg Quantity Per Serving (330ml) |
Avg Quantity Per 100ml |
|
| Energy | 251 kJ 60 Cal |
76 kJ 18 Cal |
| Protein | 1.0 g | 0.3 g |
| Fat, total | <0.1 g | <0.1 g |
| — saturated | <0.1 g | <0.1 g |
| Carbohydrate | 13.5 g | 4.1 g |
| — sugars | 1.5 g | 0.5 g |
| Sodium | 7 mg | 31 mg |
When to Drink Great Northern Zero?
The range of Great Northern beer is built for the outdoors and built for sunny and warm conditions. Great Northern themselves say the Zero is “brewed with an outdoor lifestyle in mind”.
The Great Northern Zero is a sessions lager that has a focus on easy drinking and with that, I’d pick up a pack of these if I was short on other options and headed to a BBQ or afternoon session with some friends.
The Round Up: What Are People Saying
The Great Northern Zero is all about presenting a light and balanced non-alcoholic lager to drinkers in place of their original and super crip options.
I’ve been thinking about how to round this beer out and I sway between:
- “it does a good job, its solid and has a light but clean and crisp lager profile” to
- “there isn’t a whole lot to it”.
I found my opinion of the beer varied both with what I was drinking it out of and what I was drinking it with. Given the light body and flavour profile, keeping the food pairing light and fresh will give you the most out of this beer as will drinking it out of a glass!
Closing out this review, I was firmly between a 6 and a 7 but given the ultra-low calories and sugar it finishes up with a 6.75/10 from me.
Interested in giving a go? Jump back up the page to buy a 6-pack by, alternatively check out the other alcohol-free beer options!
