Beer ReviewMornington Free Pale Ale Review

November 14, 2021by Jonathan Lambrianidis

If you love fruity and easy drinking Pale Ales, the Mornington Free Pale Ale is absolutely a non-alcoholic been you need in your life. Seriously!

The Mornington Free Pale Ale is a fruity, soft and clean alcohol free Pale Ale, that is led with flavours of pear, apricot and passionfruit while being built around a flavour profile that is clean and soft, making it a boutique craft pale ale full of flavour and creativity.

Key Takeaways

ABV: <0.5%
Style Pale Ale
Calories: 26 calories / 100ml
Colour: Golden
Main Notes: Fruity. Passionfruit. Pear.
Cost: $12 – $15
Rating: 7.75 / 10

Mornington Free Pale Ale close up of beer and can

Mornington Free Pale Ale Taste

The Mornington Free Pale Ale is a soft fruity Pale Ale that is built around more hoppy notes of fruit than you can poke a stick at. Seriously, it is remarkable how many tropical and fruity esters have ended up in a single can of Mornington Free.

Each glass brings a golden coloured beer that has a well-weighted and silky head that lingers the whole time the beer is in your glass and will serve up:

  • a hop led flavour profile;
  • layers of fresh fruit think, upfront pear, passionfruit and apricot;
  • a soft and light weighted body that is refined and full-flavoured; and
  • a clean lingering fruity finish.

The flavour profile is soft yet full-bodied fruits that are well balanced and pulled together in a flavour profile that is not sweet yet still gives you the full fruity flavours.

What I Like

Things to Consider

The flavour profile is refined, full-bodied, yet not over the top. The weight of the body might be will likely be lighter than other options.
The great distribution in both online and retail stores

For me, this is one that might be a little far from the traditional Pale Ale drinkers who could be forgiven for thinking they had stumbled into an IPA due to the predominantly fruity profile. If that sounds like you and you’re looking for a more traditional Pale Ale with big bold bitterness check out my review on the Big Drop Pale Ale and UpFlow Pale Lager for a couple of great options (and keep an eye out for my thoughts on the Gruvi Pale Ale which takes bitterness to a whole new level.

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Sound like a beer for you? The full guide is below!

Mornington Free Pale Ale Can in hand

Is the Mornington Free Pale Ale Worth It?

The Mornington Free Pale Ale is all about clean, full-bodied, flavoursome fruits, all without making you feel like you’ve been served a fruit juice. If you are someone who doesn’t enjoy heavy beer, maybe you prefer wine over beer entirely, if that sounds like you – get your hands on the Mornington Free.

Alternatively, if you have enjoyed the Molly Rose range or enjoys a fruity IPA you’re definitely in luck and will like this one.

I’ve been guilty of staring at this one in my fridge instead of drinking it because I didn’t want to ever run out of it (silly when the options to buy below are so simple). But now I have 6 under my belt I can gladly say this one is well worth pouring all summer long to beat the heat or in the depths of winter to bring back some summer memories.

So in short, you need to get your hands on this and give it a good go, it’ll very quickly become a favourite through summer and for that reason it lands a 7.75 / 10 for me.

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Where to Buy Mornington Free Pale Ale.

The Mornington Free Pale Ale is really easy to buy and get your hands on through Brunswick Aces, Craft Zero and Dan Murphy’s along with independent bottle shops who are spreading the love by stocking the Mornington Alcohol-Free.

A 6-pack of the Mornington Free is crazy reasonable and well-priced. It will cost you between $12 – $15 per 6-pack making it one of the cheapest craft options out there.

If the price alone didn’t sell you, how about an extra 10% – 12% off and some easy-to-follow links to your favourite stores? Check out the links to the retailers below and pick yourself up a 6-pack. Seriously $12 – $15 is insanity.

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Mornington Free Pale Ale beer in glass in hand

Mornington Free Pale Ale Nutrition

The Mornington Free Pale Ale lands at only 26 calories and less than 1 gram of sugar per 100ml making it virtually sugar free. If a can of non-alcoholic beer that has only 97 calories per can sounds like a good idea, you’d be right.

If you’re interested in getting the full run down on nutrition information on the Mornington Free, the full nutritional panel is set out just down below.

Avg Quantity
Per Serving (355ml)

Avg Quantity
Per 100ml

Energy 405 kJ
97 Cal

108 kJ
26 Cal

Protein

2.3 g

0.6 g

Fat, total

< 1 g

< 1 g

— saturated

< 1 g

< 1 g

Carbohydrate

19.1 g

5.1 g

— sugars

< 1 g

< 1 g
Sodium

19 mg

5 mg

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Mornington Free Pale Ale nutrition information

When to Drink Mornington Free Pale Ale

Like I said I’d been staring at this in my fridge for the better part of 6 weeks before the penny dropping that I can just ‘go buy more’. Once I got over the hold mentality, I have been drinking this:

  • to quench a thirst after a run – it is super refreshing and satisfying;
  • while unwinding after a day at work; or
  • pairing it with some bright and fresh Vietnamese Vermicelli bowls which see both the flavours in the beer and food shine!

If I am at home, drinking this one out of a proper glass (like all my beers) is my go-to. This will be no surprise to you if you’re across my reviews and thoughts on the old ‘glass vs can’ debate.

I run this one in the IPA glass from the Spiegelau Craft Tasting Kit that I’ve been using for a while and now I have two sets to be able to share the good beer tasting love. Honestly, the flavour profile is so soft and well pieced together in the Mornington Free it deserves the full service in a glass.

If that sounds like something you’re keen on the check the current price over on Amazon AU (or if you’re in America, the Amazon US link can be found here). These go for between $45 – $55, which is 10 to 14 dollars per glass which is crazy cheap!

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Mornington Free Pale Ale Can and Glass with beer in it on a bench

The Wrap Up: Final Thoughts

The Mornington Free is a beer that I would really recommend to anyone who enjoys a fruity drop, a clean and well-refined profile and is looking to dial bring a change from the regular pale ale programming.

I really enjoy the way the team have crafted something that is so flavourful yet not sweet, bold yet soft and refined but not bland. With so many great options it makes me feel like Australia, while late to the non-alcoholic beer party, is now on the road to creating some really amazing brews that will take the world by storm.

While the mouthfeel might be a little lighter than you’re normally used to, the complexity and depth of flavours plus great lingering foam make this one really worth adding to the rotation.

Go on, jump in and pick yourself up a 6 pack for just over a ‘tenner through the links below:

I’m super keen to hear your thoughts and whether you’ve found peach and pear in this one. Drop me an email I’d love to hear your thoughts over at  jonathan@tipplezero.com.

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by Jonathan Lambrianidis

Non-alcoholic drinks writer and podcaster, beer brewing and winemaking side-kick, lawyer and cyclist. Owner of Tipplezero.com and the Non-Alcoholic Drinks Podcast.