Alcohol-free, carbon neutral, achingly hip

There is no stopping the bizarrely popular low-alcohol and no-alcohol drinks movement. 

With consumption of non-alcoholic and low-alcohol drinks projected to increase 31% by 2024, more and more projects are hitting the market. 

The trouble is that many of these products just don't taste right. My motto is moderation, rather than deprivation. 

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I'd rather limit myself to one beer or glass of wine than spend an evening drinking something that tastes a little bit like wine or beer. 

Canberra-based independent craft brewery Capital Brewing Co. is the latest on the already overflowing bandwagon, introducing its first "full flavoured non-alcoholic beer".  

ALC-LESS is being billed as the only carbon neutral non-alcoholic beer in Australia.

ALC-LESS is a tropical Pacific Ale that does taste quite like a real beer - and paired well with some salty pork crackling. 

“As more and more of our customers’ lifestyles are changing to become more focused on health and wellbeing, they can’t afford to be hungover but still want to kick back at the end of the day with a good tastingbrew," says co-founder Tom Hertel. 

"We’re excited to be adding an alcohol-free option to our range at a time when we, as founders, are also becoming more health aware and find ourselves leaning ever more to the low/non alcoholic options."

Fellow founder Laurence Kain says: "We have been working on non-alcoholic beer for over two years. 

"As a team we are pretty proud of the end result." 

See www.capitalbrewing.co

Capital idea: brewery goes carbon neutral

Capital Brewing Co in Canberra is the first brewery in Australia to achieve Climate Active carbon-neutral certification across its entire business operations and beer products. 

It is also introducing a game-changing template it hopes other brewers will follow. 

It will allow breweries to easily calculate their own carbon emissions and provide a streamlined pathway with a reduced administrative cost to reduce and offset their emissions and gain Carbon Neutral certification.

The plan has been created in partnership with carbon and energy management experts Pangolin Associates and Climate Active. 

“With sustainability being at the core of every decision we make, we’re incredibly proud to be recognised by Climate Active as the first brewery in Australia to be certified Carbon Neutral for our entire operations, all our products, and all direct and indirect emissions we’ve created,” says managing director Tom Hertel. 

"There is often the expectation that becoming carbon neutral is restrictive, laborious and expensive. With the easy-to-use framework and urgent need to act, however, we’re calling on our fellow brewers to get on board and, together as an industry, let's lead the way for real action on climate change.”

Capital Brewing Co. purchased internationally certified carbon credits with the Orana Natural Capital Project to offset its emissions during 2000-2001.

Climate Active’s Director of Strategy and Engagement Dan Sheedy said: “The Capital Brewing Co. team have shown immense dedication to embodying a truly sustainable operation and we’re proud to have them onboard."

For more details see www.capitalbrewing.co/sustainability