There are all sorts of different reasons people choose the beer they drink.
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For some, beer is just an alcohol-delivery device. To put it bluntly, the aim is to get drunk, so these people don’t want anything with flavour because that would just get in the way.
Others don’t want to rush things. For them it’s more about enjoyment and the idea that they might get a buzz going is incidental. So they do want a bit of flavour in their beer.
Then there are those who are really health-conscious but still like to have a beer. However, they fret about the calories in beer because it might cancel out at least some of the exercise they've been doing that week.
It is the last group that is the target market for Hahn Ultra, a beer that is just 0.9 per cent.
The label on the back highlights the fact Hahn Ultra is very low in calories and the media release goes so far as to quote dietitian Catherine Saxelby on the subject.
“At just 0.9 per cent a bottle of Hahn Ultra contains only 45 calories which makes it a great option for people who are watching what they are consuming but still want to be social during the week,” Saxelby says.
All this is important to keep in mind should you try this beer because you may well not be in that target market.
I know I’m certainly not. While I think the lower alcohol end of the market has been ignored for ages, I still want to drink a beer with more flavour than Hahn Ultra has.
The mouthfeel at the front is thin, which is what I’d expect from a low-alcohol beer. There’s a decent whack of malt in the mid-palate, which did surprise me a bit. But then it finishes with an odd sweetness that I found overwhelms the beer and tends to feel out of place.
So if you are health conscious and want to drink something with hardly any calories but still tastes a bit like beer, then this is right in your wheelhouse.
But if you're a member of the other two groups mentioned earlier, then Hahn Ultra isn’t for you.