Free Damm – No Alcohol Lager
Some countries don’t produce beer at all, some countries produce beer but really shouldn’t bother, whilst other countries produce choice beers that feed some way or another into their sense of national pride and identity.
Germany and Belgium are excellent examples of this, with their fantastic blonde and brown beers. Ireland too – after all where else would you look to get a fine jet black Stout or Porter?
But where in the world would you look to get the best example of an excellent, refreshing, crisp lager? Difficult question, given the abundance of sub-par lagers out there. But to answer this question, if we focus less on the style of beer and more on the words ‘refreshing’, ‘crisp’ and what these mean within the context of a cold brew there is surely one country that stands out. Spain.
In this review we’ll be taking a closer look at a relative new-comer to the alcohol free beer world – Free Damm, which is a completely 0% alcohol lager from Barcelona, Spain.
Sometimes finding new and exciting brews can be difficult but thanks to our friends at The Alcohol Free Co I was able to find a huge selection of no and low alcohol beers without the hassle of trawling through the supermarkets.
Free Damm is brought to you by the same brewers that bring us the fantastic Estrella Damm premium lager. Big shoes to fill given the strength and popularity of the brand.
Let’s see how it fares…
Free Damm Initial Review
Being a Spanish beer Free Damm has a lot to live up to. Good Spanish beers have the sharp and refreshing zing that make them the perfect tonic to a hot afternoon, but also the rich depth of flavour that makes them the ideal accompaniment to a table laden with tapas, and a room full of friends.
Free Damm 0% lager looks cool. The can has the familiar high-end matt texture more common with craft produce than fizzy bathwater brews, and the bottled version contrasts the blue label against dark brown glass. The packaging is simple but distinctive.
Slight criticism here: the horizontal and vertical asymmetrical text placement makes it a bit difficult to read thus a new buyer might be scared off if faced with Free Damm amidst a shelf full of unfamiliar beers. Free Damm pours nicely and looks similar to any other fully loaded lager – crystal clear, golden amber nectar with a frothy white head and wispy traces of tiny bubbles from the bottom. Bad lagers look gassy, this lager looks premium.
From the rim of the glass Free Damm has a sweet, faintly honey, malty grassy nose and this is complemented by the taste which continues the sweet malty theme mixed in with some toasted rice and popcorn.
This refreshing 0% brew has a perfect mouthfeel – texture without being thick or gassy. Free Damm is not a million miles away from it’s famous fully loaded counterpart Estrella Damm, and that in itself is a huge achievement. The Damm brewing method here is vacuum distillation: create an alcoholic beer first, distil out the alcohol, then amp up the flavour. It works. Free Damm is reminiscent of its Barcelona based alcohol free counterpart San Miguel 0.0%, but is so much better.
Where Can I Buy Free Damm?
Free Damm 0% lager seems to be harder to come by than most. I picked up a 12 pack over at The Alcohol Free Co for £16.99 and figured that buying from a specialist retailer like this wherever possible helps to invest further in the future of excellent alcohol free beers.
For those of you that like variety I’d recommend investing in a beer variety box. What better way is there to try a range of expertly selected alcohol free beers without the lottery of investing in 6 cans and hating the first one?!
Free Damm Ingredients, Nutritional Information and Calories
Damm have skillfully blended a variety of ingredients to amp up the flavour in this vacuum distilled beer. Ingredients are water, barley malt (8%), maize, glucose and fructose syrup, rice and hops. Additionally this alcohol free beer – which really is completely 0% alcohol – is also lactose free and gluten free. Nutritional values per 100ml are as follows:
| ABV | 0% |
| Energy (KJ/KCal) | 85/20 |
| Fat (g) | 0 |
| of which saturates (g) | 0 |
| Carbohydrates (g) | 4.7 |
| of which sugars (g) | 1.7 |
| Protein (g) | 0.2 |
| Salt (g) | <0.01 |
The Verdict
Free Damm 0% alcohol lager is not the most complex beer in the world, but we don’t always want complex beer, do we? Sometimes we’re looking for nothing more than a nice refreshing 0% brew. Not too sweet, not too pale, not too anything, just a decent alcohol free beer with a good, refreshing and rounded taste. Ladies and gentlemen, may I suggest Free Damm…
About the Author
At NoLo Beverage, we are on a mission to review as many non-alcoholic drinks – beers, spirits and wines – as possible. The non-alcoholic industry will eventually take over the alcoholic market, so why not get ahead of the game and embrace the exciting changes ahead!
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