London Calling to the Faraway Towns

MODSUB#85

Wotcha!

It was very cool to find out this week that friends of the ModSub, Laura Silverman and Sam Bail, are both going to be emcees at the first Zero Proof Choice Awards held in New York City this September. Check out the sponsor ad below for details. That’s shaping up to be a cracking event.

Anyway here’s what I got up to in England a few weeks back.

Enjoy some good drinks this week.

Cheers, Myles

In this week’s edition:

NAN
New NA Drink News

MODSUB EXCURSION
An Awakening at the Lucky Saint Pub

NON-ALC ROUND-UP
Five from 13

Read time: 7 minutes 29 seconds

NAN
New Non-Alcoholic Drink News

NORTH AMERICA

WINE ALT: The summer drinks are coming out fast and furious now. TÖST have announced TÖST Sangria a “light re-imagining of the Mediterranean classic.” (Link)

COCKTAILS: Someone’s not messing around when it comes to margaritas now the sun is out. That someone is Free AF with a whopping three new flavors hitting the market: Chili Margarita, Mango Margarita and a Classic Margarita. (Link)

BEER: It’s good to see another gluten free non-alcoholic beer on the market. Go Brewing has just put out their new Freedom Hazy IPA: No Gluten. (Link)

BEER: Portland’s Roaming Nobles has a new seasonal out next week. Keep an eye out for their West Coast IPA. (Link)

BEER: New kids on the block Darling Drinks has debuted two new beers, Delhi Darling (Golden) and New York Darling (IPA) which are initially rolling out in Texas and Florida via Whole Foods Market. (LInk)

From our sponsor

Showcase your zero-proof or functional beverage at the inaugural Zero Proof Choice Awards—the first U.S. awards for NA drinks presented by Bottle Raiders!

Masters of Ceremony are Sam Bail, founder of Third Place Bar, and Laura Silverman, founder of Zero Proof Nation, and the panel of judges are industry experts. 

Winners will be announced September 27 at NYC’s first Zero Proof Festival, Drinks with Benefits. Gain recognition, exposure and growth.

Enter now: bottleraiders.com/zero-proof-choice-awards/

Thank you for supporting our sponors who in turn support this newsletter.

I had two non-alcoholic drink goals for my recent trip back to England: First, to pick up a bottle of Botivo; and second, to visit the Lucky Saint pub in Marylebone.

For readers in the U.S. who aren’t familiar with the brewery, Lucky Saint is a non-alcoholic beer producer founded in London in 2020. They’re the UK’s number one alcohol-free beer brand—think Athletic Brewing, but UK-sized rather than U.S.-sized. In March 2023, Lucky Saint opened its own pub in Marylebone, Central London.

This was a big deal: a non-alcoholic brewery opening a venue where you could drink their beer on draught, surrounded by a broad selection of other popular alcohol-free options across all categories.

There was no way I was missing out on that.

So, on a late Friday afternoon—just before heading to Wembley to watch England play Albania—my friend and I took the Tube to Marylebone to see what the pub was all about.

The pub itself is typical of a late-18th-century corner spot, with an ornate wood-and-brick façade and a cozy interior. When we arrived, a crowd of punters had spilled out onto the sidewalk, enjoying the warm spring evening. Always a good sign of a popular “boozer.”

In my mind, I had pictured a pub serving a wide array of non-alcoholic beers on tap, bar fridges stocked with canned NA beers and RTD cocktails from across the country, wines from all over Europe, and a full shelf of non-alcoholic spirits glowing under up-lit glass. I had mentally transplanted the huge, varied selection from my visit to Club Soda the previous year into this London pub—something akin to Mecca for non-alcoholic drinkers like myself. As you may have guessed, I’d been thinking about the visit for quite some time.

What I found was something quite different—or rather, something much more ordinary.

What I found was a regular London pub that also happened to serve non-alcoholic drinks.

And if I’m honest, I was initially disappointed. I knew it wasn’t a completely alcohol-free bar, but I’d hoped it would be a showcase for the industry I’ve been immersed in for the past three years.

As I stood outside the pub, chatting distractedly with my friend—one pint of Lucky Saint Lager already consumed and now halfway through a Proper Job by St. Austell Brewery—I kept glancing back inside, wondering why Lucky Saint hadn’t chosen this pub to champion non-alcoholic drinking.

And then it dawned on me.

Wasn’t this exactly what I’d been looking for these past three years?

Haven’t I been telling anyone who’d listen that what I want is for pubs, bars and restaurants to offer a proper selection of non-alcoholic drinks—not just one or two?

A place where regular drinkers and non-drinkers can coexist under the same roof like it’s the most normal thing in the world?

And there I was, enjoying a pint with my friend, surrounded by others relaxing after work or gearing up for an evening out—and it didn’t matter one bit what kind of drink I was holding.

I had found what I was looking for. This was the model I’d been dreaming of.

Lucky Saint could have opened a pub stacked with a hundred non-alcoholic drinks, catering only to people like me. But it probably wouldn’t have lasted six months.

Instead, they created a space inclusive to both sets of drinkers. Sure, the alcoholic options still outnumber the non-alcoholic ones four to one, and I’d have loved to see more NA draught options—but there are still a whopping 26 drinks for the NA crowd to enjoy.

The place was buzzing—inside and out. That tells the real story.

What I’ve always wanted was staring me right in the face. 🤦🏼

The Lucky Saint Pub is located at 58 Devonshire St, London.

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NON-ALC ROUND-UP

Here’s a quick(ish) recap of the drinks I came across during my recent visit back home to England.

With the focus firmly on visiting my father in Somerset, outlets selling adult non-alcoholic drinks were few and far between. I generally resort to visiting as many supermarkets as the trip will allow—Sainsbury’s, Tesco, ASDA, and Waitrose—though, with the exception of the latter, most of the inventory lacks the kind of depth you’d hope for.

Of the 13 drinks I sampled, here were my five favorites:

One highlight was finally getting to try two of the G Spot line, Gillian Anderson’s London-based functional beverage company. G Spot comes in four flavors—Lift, Protect, Soothe and Arouse—all of which include adaptogens and nootropics.

Soothe: Scarlet & Sage was a real treat. I loved the combination of apple and lemon with herbs—coriander, angelica, juniper and most notably, sage. That’s a lot of bold flavors that could be jockeying for position, but the balance is really quite splendid. A touch of magnesium helps with mood and sleep.

The other was Protect: Ginger & Peppercorn—something akin to ginger beer meets cola meets kombucha. Neither the ginger nor the peppercorn is too overbearing, but there’s a lovely zing to the drink, and it leaves a satisfying tingle on the lips. Along with the spice, you’ll find a little lemon, a hint of vanilla and some acidity from the kombucha. The addition of chaga mushroom and turmeric helps with immunity and inflammation.

Both were impressive functional sodas packed with terrific flavors. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them. I’m kind of annoyed at myself for not grabbing the other two SKUs as well—but I guess that gives me something to look forward to on another visit.

Just south of Somerset is the county of Devon, home to Utopian Brewing. I picked up one of their AF Pilsners, the brewery’s first non-alcoholic beer. I know a proper head is expected on a German beer, but Utopian somehow managed to fit the foamy heads of three beers into this 16oz can. While I jest, I was initially a little skeptical about what I’d gotten myself into—but those concerns were quickly laid to rest. It was a super tasty pint, with a robust hoppy flavor that wasn’t overly bitter. The barley brought a rich, roasted breadiness to the table. A cracking pint, despite my early hesitation.

Among the handful of NA beers I tried during my two weeks there, one stood out from the rest. It was my dad who spotted Otter Zero IPA while we were having lunch at an indoor farmers market. It was tucked away among a wall of regular beers and he pulled me over to ask if I’d had it.

Otter Brewery is a five-generation, family-run brewery started 35 years ago in a farmhouse at the foot of Devon’s Blackdown Hills. Since then, the brewery has expanded both its facilities and its range, now producing gin, cider and—since February of this year—Otter Zero IPA. This new release, also the brewery’s first non-alcoholic beer, is more English IPA than American. It leans toward the malts, pours a lovely dark rust color and has a deep, rich nutty-caramel flavor with a touch of citrus and very little bitterness.

I’ve yet to find anything to rival the pint of draught Goram Zero IPA from Butcombe Brewery from last year’s visit, but this might just be it. If you’re anywhere near the West Country, you could do worse than hunt some of these bottles down.

Last, but by no means least, I finally got my hands on that bottle of Botivo. Though not yet available in the States, I’ve been craving one of these beauties for well over a year. What’s it like?

I’ll tell you later.

COMMENTS
Share Your Thoughts

Let’s get the conversation going. Hit the “Comment” below to share your thoughts.

Here are

some suggestions:

1. 🖌️ Have you ever visited a bar or pub where the non-alcoholic options felt just as thoughtfully curated as the alcoholic ones?
   (If so, where? I want to know!)

2. 0️⃣ Do you think more bars should integrate NA options into their regular menus quietly and seamlessly, or would you prefer a dedicated “zero-proof” section?

3. 👉 Which of the new releases would you grab first: TÖST Sangria, Go Brewing’s Freedom Hazy IPA, one of the Darling Drinks debuts or one those three Free AF Margaritas?

4. 🇬🇧 For UK-based readers: what are your favorite spots for finding great non-alcoholic options outside of major cities? Bonus points if they’re near Somerset or Devon!

5.  🧠 Have you had a “moment of realization” in your NA journey, like I did at the Lucky Saint pub, where you suddenly recognized progress you hadn’t noticed before?

   This comment button takes you to the web version of this newsletter post. Scroll to the bottom of the post to find the comments section. Thanks!

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