ABV: 0.5%
Calories per bottle: 65 (13 per 100ml)
Like Sole Star, this is another beer that’s got a lot less alcoholic recently. Southwold was first made by Adnams for Marks & Spencer as a 2.7% beer. It’s now dropped down to 0.5%, which puts it in the same category as Big Drop, Erdinger, Nanny State and others: not totally alcohol-free but close enough for many.
Sadly, like the Marks & Spencer lager we tried, this beer is a bit of a disappointment, particularly when compared with Sole Star from the same brewery. It’s got a beautiful red-brown colour, but there’s a bit of a sour whiff to it. Tastewise, it’s got hops and just a hint of caramel. It’s not a bad flavour but it’s not memorable. If you like Adnams and are happy to accept 0.9% instead of 0.5%, we’d suggest you go for the Sole Star. If you want an alcohol-free pale ale, look elsewhere on this page.
The design matches the rest of the M&S British beers range (right down to the Union Jack bottle cap), in this case also featuring the iconic Southwald lighthouse, which has been saving sailors from shipwreck since 1887.
