GETTING TO TELL THIS STORY WAS NEVER A GIVEN. THAT’S BECAUSE MY VISION FOR LUCKY SAINT WAS FAIRLY AMBITIOUS. IT STILL IS. I WANTED TO CHANGE HOW THE WORLD THOUGHT ABOUT ALCOHOL-FREE BEER: FROM THE PERCEPTION, TO THE PRODUCT, TO THE EXPERIENCE.
FIRST OFF, I SHARED THIS IDEA WITH SOME INDUSTRY FOLK. “AN ALCOHOL-FREE BEER WORTH DRINKING”, I SAID, “PROGRESSIVELY BREWED, IMPECCABLE TASTE”. I WANTED IT TO BE A BEER LIKE NOTHING ELSE ON THE MARKET.
THEY SAID IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO MAKE A PRODUCT TO THAT STANDARD. “BETTER TO MAKE FIZZY DRINKS”, THEY SUGGESTED.
DEFLATED BUT NOT BEATEN, I IMMERSED MYSELF IN THE SCIENCE OF BREWING. AND I SOON REALISED HOW DIFFICULT IT WAS GOING TO BE. AFTER WORKING WITH FOUR SEPARATE BREWERS, I’D EXPERIENCED IT ALL: FAILED BREWS, INFECTED BREWS AND PLAIN OLD BAD TASTING BREWS.
BUT, STILL BELIEVING IT WAS POSSIBLE, I QUIT MY JOB, GAVE UP DRINKING AND HEADED TO GERMANY.
I STUDIED HARD. DRINKING ALCOHOL-FREE BEER WAS MY HOMEWORK. AND WHEN I WASN’T DOING THAT, I WAS KNOCKING ON DOORS. UNTIL ONE DAY, AFTER A SERIES OF CHANCE EVENTS, I FOUND A BREWER WHO SHARED MY VALUES AND VISION.
A FULL YEAR OF DEVELOPMENT FOLLOWED. WE STARTED SOURCING THE FINEST INGREDIENTS, CREATED OUR OWN YEAST, AND TAILORED EVERY PART OF THE BREWING PROCESS. EVENTUALLY WE LANDED ON A STYLE AND FLAVOUR THAT WAS, AND STILL IS, A FIRST FOR AN ALCOHOL-FREE BEER.
AND SO, AFTER PLENTY OF TRIAL AND ERROR, AND A LOT OF LUCK, WE’RE HERE WITH YOU TODAY.
