This next review comes from Shipyard, which according to their website is a ‘family owned brewery based in Portland Maine’. Whilst they might still be based in Portland, Shipyard is now owned by Marston’s PLC.
As one of the fastest growing craft breweries in the USA, Shipyard feature a wide range of core and guest beers in their range of drinks. Although the main range contains typical levels of alcohol, they have introduced a low alcoholic version – Shipyard Low Tide – which is what we will get into next!
Shipyard Low Tide Initial Review
For this review, I was trying a 500mL bottle of Low Tide.
Upon opening the bottle, the odour is a resembles a strong IPA aroma, rich in hops. It is incredibly fruity; with hints of mango and tropical fruits.
With the initial pour, there is significant foamy head, which quickly settles down, leaving a flat looking drink with remnants of bubbles down the side.
Colour wise, it looks like your generic apple juice – a rich golden colour, but with one or two bubbles reaching the surface now and then.
Heading into the taste, the strong fruity aromas are matched with the strong fruity and hoppy taste. The taste profile is definitely that of a strong IPA, but the lack of alcohol is clearly apparent.
Whilst I can forgive the ‘gap’ that the alcohol leaves with this beer, I am less forgiving for the overall ‘thinness’ of the beer. There is no body in this beer, which makes it easy to drink, but not something I expect from an alcoholic – or non-alcoholic IPA.
Shipyard Low Tide Pale Ale 500mL Bottle
For this review, I trialled Low Tide from a 500mL brown bottle.
It has the distinctive Shipyard branding, with the heavy use of blue making it easy to spot that this is the low alcoholic version of the drink.
Where can I buy Shipyard Low Tide?
For this review, I purchased the bottle from a local Tesco Superstore.
If you’re looking for other supermarket options, you can find it in selected stores or online from the following retailers:
- Morrisons
- Tesco
- Ocado
- Sainsburys
- Asda
But if you are looking at purchasing online, you can opt for one of the following:
Pricing is around £1.50 per single bottle, with multipacks of eight bottles starting from £10.
Shipyard Low Tide Ingredients, Nutritional Information and Calories
The ingredient list for Shipyard Low Tide is as follows:
Water, Barley, Wheat, Hops, Milk (Lactose), Yeast
Barley, wheat and milk all contain allergy risks – make sure to check before consuming.
| Nutritional Information | Per 100mL |
|---|---|
| Energy (KJ / KCal) | 70 / 17 |
| Fat (g) | <0.1 |
| Of Which Saturates (g) | <0.1 |
| Carbohydrate (g) | 3.18 |
| Of Which Sugars (g) | 2.78 |
| Protein (g) | 0.26 |
| Salt (g) | <0.1 |
Overall Verdict?
Pale Ales are an acquired taste, with drinkers expecting full flavour and body often determined by the hop profile they use. Whilst this 0.5% alcohol version of Shipyard packs a fruity punch, it unfortunately lacks in mouthfeel and body which let it down. A worthy drink if you love a pale ale, but you really have to love them!
