Butcombe

Simon Whitmore started the brewery with his Courage Western redundancy payment, sourcing the original equipment from Allied Breweries surplus stock in Burton-on-Trent. For more than two decades the focus was a single bitter brewed with Maris Otter malt and a proprietary English hop blend. The brewery relocated to Wrington in 2005 and Liberation Group completed its acquisition in 2016. Butcombe now operates from the Wrington site alongside a managed pub estate.

The alcohol-free lineup consists of 0.5% IPAs and pale ales built on the same recipes as the alcoholic versions. The IPA uses a blend of English, US and New Zealand hops, producing stone fruit, citrus and bitter notes. The beers are dealcoholised, meaning they are brewed at full strength then have the alcohol removed, a process that preserves the hop character developed during fermentation. Both sit at 22 calories per 100ml and are vegan.

Butcombe's four decades of brewing history offer a credible regional backstory for Dry January participants and moderators who prefer a traditional British brewery over a dedicated AF brand. The alcohol-free beers are available through specialist alcohol-free retailers and directly via the brewery's own online shop.