Arbor Ales

Arbor Ales has been part of the Bristol craft beer scene since 2007, brewing from their site on Easton Road. They are best known for heavily hopped pale ales and IPAs, and they have a particular claim to fame in the UK market: they are one of the very few breweries to package their beers in proper pint-sized cans, giving drinkers a full 568ml rather than the standard 330ml or 440ml formats.

The core focus is very much on full-strength craft beer. Their output runs to around a million litres a year and spans everything from session pales to imperial stouts, with distribution through independent retailers, supermarkets, and a direct online shop.

Their alcohol-free range is small but thoughtfully done. Wish You Were Beer is their flagship AF offering, a pale ale brewed gluten-free as well as alcohol-free, with Citra and Mosaic hops giving it that familiar Bristol tropical character. New Horizons is a 0.5% pale ale available in their signature pint can format, brewed with a generous hop bill including Azacca, Citra and Ekuanot.

For those who already drink Arbor, the AF options make sense as a like-for-like substitute on nights off. For AF drinkers coming to the brand fresh, the brewery's craft credentials mean the quality baseline is solid, even if the range is not extensive.

The Collection

New Horizons