With a fairly low alcohol content of 3.6%, each 330ml bottle is said to boast 33% fewer calories (92.4) than a regular brew, 85% fewer carbs (1.65g) and 95% more protein, with a bumper 21.8g per bottle. So, most importantly, how does it taste? 

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BrewDog’s Dead Pony Club, Moor Beer Co’s Revival, Bath Ales Spa and a handful of others aside, we rarely trust beers of a sub-4% alcohol content, reminding us of that mild stuff they drink in the West Midlands and Manchester or barbecue lagers like Carling. 

Like BrewDog and co., Barbell Brew does have plenty of taste. This provides plenty of hoppyness yet tastes decidedly – and disconcertingly – sweet (said by Muscle Food to derive from the added protein), putting it closer to a fruit beer (or a glass of squash) than hoppy classics like Sierra Nevada Pale.

 At £15.95 for a six pack it certainly doesn’t come cheap either, with the £2.65 per bottle tag putting it above many top-end independent brews on the market.