Harviestoun Brewery has launched an alcohol-free dark ale, Wheesht, created by master brewer Stuart Cail.
Stuart wasn’t initially keen to try his hand at a zero-alcohol beer. To begin with, he said “it’s like being asked to make a sports car with square wheels”. However, after some persuasion and almost three years development, he and his brewing team have hit on what they believe is a winning formula.
“I had tasted a lot of other low- and no-alcohol beers. On one day I tasted 18 of them back to back and then tasted ours. My thinking was: ‘Well, it’s better than any of them.’ So, after a few tweaks we went straight to bottle. And very proud of Wheesht we are!”
Harviestoun managing director, Stuart Cook, said: “We’re justly proud of our many awards at the brewery, and we like to think we have a beer for everyone.
“Wheesht is the latest addition to our portfolio, and we really believe that we haven’t sacrificed flavour in our search for an alcohol-free beer. Our goal is to make Wheesht the nation’s favourite zero-alcohol ale.”
The beer is named after an oft-used Scottish slang word, used in the phrase ‘Haud yer wheesht’ or ‘hold your tongue!’ The recipe for this alcohol-free beer is a closely-guarded secret, and many ale fans tasting it have said they imagined they were drinking a 4% or even 5% alcohol ale, according to Harviestoun.
