About Incel-Brauerei
Insel-Brauerei brew their beers on an island in Germany. They aim to make rare beers using their unique brewing techniques and bottle conditioning.
The “Insel” means island and the island in question is Rügen. All their bottles come wrapped i paper for a nice twist and to keep the light out.
For their non alcoholic range, they use vacuum distillation to extract the alcohol and the result is they win multiple awards at the World Beer Awards.
What type of beer is Incel Surfers?
Incel Surfers is a Summer Ale.
A summer ale is sort of a wheaty golden ale with a fruity feel. They are full and rounded beers with punchy hops and fruity flavours.
You won’t see many summer ales out there, this fits with their rare beers ideology.
The Ingredients
So what goes into a summer ale? Incel-Brauerei are a German brewery so i would hope they aren’t going to play free form jazz with the ingredients and start putting in all sorts of weird and wonderful things.
Incel Surfers includes…
- Water
- Malted barley
- Malted wheat
- Hops
- Yeast
Ah, good lads. You honestly cant beat the basics when it comes to making beer. I have tried hundreds and i often find the less ingredients the better and if you see “natural flavourings” you might be in a spot of trouble.
The Nutrition
German beers, especially any with wheat in, tend to be a bit more carb heavy. I do like it when a brewery tries to create a low calorie, low carb beer but there is no denying it is easier to create better body with a higher carbohydrate level.
| | Values per 100ml or 100g |
| Alcohol | 0.5% |
| Calories | 32kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 6.4g |
| Sugars | 0.5g |
That is quite a high calorie count and carbohydrate load even if the added sugar level is low. I hope they have a really great beer to justify these high numbers.
It is all relative of course, a calorie count of 32kcal/100ml would still be one of the best in the alcoholic beer world.
The Look
The paper covered bottle is a Insel classic. This one, as the name suggests has a surfer looking at the circling sharks on the paper.
The beer is a dark golden amber colour with a decent head that lasts a reasonable length
The Aroma
There is a nice nose of mediumly roasted malt and light caramel. The hops smell is mild and rounded, it smells like an easy drinking beer
The Taste
That is an interesting mouthful. It starts off how I would expect a typical golden ale to be. There is a decent amount of malt and only some bitterness but then as the seconds go on, there is a change of the flavours
Next up I get almost a honey taste without too much sweetness than a pretty strong orange taste comes from nowhere to take over. At the end you are back to toasted cereal and mild malt for a rollercoaster of a mouthful.
The high carb count has contributed to a pretty big overall body, there is nothing thin about this brew. Similarly the mouthfeel is also big and long lasting.
Despite the high carb level, the low sugar content helped make it not too sweet.
I think it is a cut about a normal golden ale (if that is what a summer ale is) and this almost tastes like it is verging into a Belgian white with that orange hit, although it is still a lot more subtle than a Belgian white would be.
The Verdict
I nice big carb but big body ale. The fruity flavours add nicely to the malt for a very nice brew.
The Score
9/10 – Very pleasing ale to drink, I will certainly buy more for the summer but it is a year round beer.
Find out where this beer ranks compared to all the beers i have reviewed on my updated “Best Non Alcoholic Beers” page
Where to buy?
You can try these at Wise Bartender as well, a brilliant non alcoholic retailer
For UK readers, Light Drinks has this and others, if you use code OPENINGTHEBOTTLE you get an additional 5% off
*Affiliate Disclosure – if you click on the links and buy from these providers, i might receive a small commission*
Is Incel Surfers gluten free?
No, Incel Surfers is not gluten free
I have an entire article on non alcoholic beers and gluten if you want more information.
Is Incel Surfers vegan?
Unfortunately this is not vegan friendly either
For more on vegan beers see my article on the matter. Why beers may or may not be and how to check.
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SUMMARY
Very pleasing ale to drink, I will certainly buy more for the summer but it is a year round beer. |
4.5
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