Northern Monk Holy Faith

There are two things I must admit guilt at feeling before this review.

Firstly, I’ve reviewed many beers, but being based in Leeds, I’ve not prioritised my local breweries like Northern Monk. Secondly, I’ve had this beer sat in a cupboard for ages. It just got lost behind everything else.

This means I have past the best before date of the single can I have. Hopefully, it will be okay. But I will make sure to go out and buy some more, and update this review as necessary.

But until then you’ll have to do with this review.

Northern Monk Holy Faith Initial Thoughts

For this review, I have a single 330ml can. I think this was purchased on it’s own from a local Morrisons.

Whilst the can has a decent design, it is very old fashioned. Lots of dark greens, and browns across the label, which doesn’t do much for its shelf presence – on the supermarkets shelves, or my stock cupboard.

It states ‘0.5%’ on the front. But in black font against the dark background. It’s almost like they are hiding this fact in shame, and I bet many beer drinkers have been caught out in the past when purchasing this drink.

Anyway, let’s crack it open and see what this non-alcoholic IPA is all about.

The front of the can states ‘fruity, juicy, fresh’. And it certainly is accurate with my first nasal inhale. There are strong pineapple, orange and floral vibes to this.

Once poured, its comes out a hazy, light yellow colour. There is a decent head, and lots of bubbles throughout.

The taste isn’t as sweet as I expected it to be.

It has a strong hoppy flavour, with delicate floral, citrus tones to it. It has a decent body, and a very slight fizziness.

Even for a pale ale, this is a bitter one and the remaining flavour after the fruitiness has subsided. It has a dry mouth feel, that replicates the feel of your 4-5% ABV drink.

The more I drink this, the flavours develop.

The bitterness and dryness dominates, but lingering pine notes hit the back of your mouth.

I like this, I’d happily crack open another immediately.

Where Can You Buy Northern Monk Holy Faith?

There are quite a few options for buying Holy Faith online and in store.

Online, you can get this at the usual places – Wise Bartender, Dry Drinker, Beer Hunter – and you can even buy it directly from the Northern Monk website. Amazon is also an option too.

If you want to pick it up in a shop, try Sainsbury’s, Morrisons or Co-op, at the time of writing.

Northern Monk Holy Faith Ingredients, Nutritional Information and Calories

The ingredients are:

Water, Malted Barley, Maltodextrin, Hops, Yeast

This is suitable for vegans.

The Final Verdict

Based on some reviews I had read prior to drinking this beer, I wasn’t full of hope. However, I have to say I enjoyed this one much more than expected.

Nice fruity aromas, looks good in the glass, but with a strong kick and bitterness from the hops. This is definitely for those of you that don’t need any sweetness, and can embrace the richness and bitterness.

For a 0.5% ABV, it has great body and mouthfeel, and doesn’t make it seem like you are missing out on the alcohol.

Reasonably well priced, and available at lots of places, give this one a try!