Big Drop Pine Trail Pale Ale
By Big Drop · UK
Big Drop’s pale ale, with what it calls “rosy floral aromas”, “a light and limey citrus bite” and “a balanced but obvious bitterness”. The version in the shops contains lactose, so it isn’t vegan, though Big Drop’s website shows a newer, vegan recipe. We score it 8.5 out of 10.
At 0.5% ABV, this isn’t alcohol-free under UK guidance, which keeps the term for 0.05% or less. We list it with alcohol-free beers, as UK shops do. How UK labels work
The Alcohol Free Co, Dry Drinker and Wise Bartender links are affiliate links — we earn a small commission at no cost to you
What is Pine Trail Pale Ale?
Pine Trail is Big Drop’s pale ale, now called simply Pale Ale on its main website. Big Drop says it delivers “rosy floral aromas” as you pour, “a light and limey citrus bite on the palate” and “a balanced but obvious bitterness to finish”. Retailers list the hops as Magnum, Mosaic and Amarillo, and Big Drop’s shop gives 42 IBU.
There are two recipes about. The Pine Trail label that Ocado and Dry Drinker show lists water, barley, wheat, lactose, hops and yeast, with 18.5 kcal per 100ml, about 61 a can; with lactose, that version isn’t vegan. Big Drop’s main website now describes a reformulated Pale Ale made with vegetable glycerine instead, vegan and at 7 kcal per 100ml. We couldn’t tell which one the shops are sending out, so check the can. Both are labelled gluten-free.
It won bronze at the World Alcohol-Free Awards in 2023 and gold in 2024. Big Drop says it won World’s Best pale ale titles at the World Beer Awards in 2017, its first year, and 2020.
Tasting notes and what to expect
Appearance and aroma: Bright pale gold, slight haze, white foamy head. Aroma is American-pale-ale-classic — citrus (lemon, grapefruit), pine resin, a fresh herbal note, and a clean pale-malt base. Hop-forward without being heavy.
Palate and finish: Light-to-medium body, distinctive pine and citrus hop flavours, moderate bitterness (Big Drop’s shop gives 42 IBU), a clean dry finish. The mouthfeel is genuine — Pine Trail doesn't feel watered-down, which is the failure mode for many AF pales. Drinks like an everyday session pale ale, not a substitute.
Food pairings: Versatile — works with burgers, fish and chips, pizza, grilled chicken, tacos, mature cheddar. The hop-forward citrus character cuts through richer foods well, and the moderate bitterness pairs with most pub-food categories.
How it compares: Hoppier and more pine-forward than Adnams Ghost Ship 0.5% (which is more biscuit-malt-led). Cleaner-finishing than BrewDog Punk AF (which leans more tropical). Less hop-extreme than BrewDog Nanny State. Pine Trail sits squarely in the everyday-drinkable AF pale ale centre — what most drinkers want most of the time. See the alcohol-free pale ale hub or the Big Drop brewery page.
Awards
- World Alcohol-Free Awards 2024: gold
- World Alcohol-Free Awards 2023: bronze
- World Beer Awards 2017 and 2020: World’s Best low-alcohol pale titles, according to Big Drop
The World Alcohol-Free Awards results are from the organiser’s website; the World Beer Awards titles are as listed by Big Drop, because the organiser’s site couldn’t be checked. October 2026.
Flavour Profile
A guide based on the style and our review and Big Drop’s description (floral, limey citrus, a balanced bitterness), to help you compare at a glance — not a definitive tasting.
Nutrition
| Typical values | Per 100ml | Per 330ml can |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 78.9 kJ / 18.5 kcal | about 260 kJ / 61 kcal |
| Fat | 0.1g | about 0.3g |
| of which saturates | 0.1g | about 0.3g |
| Carbohydrate | 3.6g | about 11.9g |
| of which sugars | 1.8g | about 5.9g |
| Protein | <0.5g | <1.7g |
| Salt | 0.1g | about 0.3g |
Per-100ml figures from the Pine Trail label as listed by Ocado and Dry Drinker, checked October 2026. Per-pack figures are our own sums from the 100ml figures. Big Drop’s website now shows a reformulated “Pale Ale”, vegan and at 7 kcal per 100ml; we couldn’t tell which recipe is in the cans the shops are selling.
Key facts
| Official name | Pine Trail Pale Ale (Pale Ale on Big Drop’s main website) |
|---|---|
| Brewery | Big Drop, UK |
| Style | Pale ale |
| ABV | 0.5% ABV, according to Big Drop |
| Pack | 330ml can or bottle |
| Calories | 18.5 kcal per 100ml; about 61 per 330ml can |
| Carbohydrate | 3.6g per 100ml |
| Sugar | 1.8g per 100ml |
| Ingredients | Water, barley, wheat, lactose (milk), hops and yeast (the Pine Trail label, as listed by Ocado and Dry Drinker); Big Drop’s website lists a newer Pale Ale recipe without lactose |
| Hops | Magnum, Mosaic and Amarillo, according to retailers’ listings; Big Drop doesn’t name them |
| Bitterness | 42 IBU, according to Big Drop’s shop |
| Allergens | Barley and wheat (gluten) and milk (lactose) |
| Vegan | Not as listed by the shops: the Pine Trail label they show contains lactose. Big Drop’s website says its newer Pale Ale is vegan |
| Gluten | Labelled gluten-free: Big Drop says every beer in its range is under 20ppm, the limit for a gluten-free claim |
| How it’s made | Brewed to 0.5% rather than de-alcoholised, Big Drop says |
| Brewed | Under contract in the UK; Big Drop doesn’t own a brewery |
| Awards | World Alcohol-Free Awards 2024: gold; 2 more listed above |
| UK availability | In stock online and at Ocado |
Sources: Big Drop’s website and shop, Ocado, Dry Drinker, Wise Bartender, the World Alcohol-Free Awards and the trade press, checked October 2026. The label on the can or bottle is always the final word.
How Pine Trail Pale Ale sits in the Big Drop range
| Beer | Style | ABV | Per 100ml | Unhopped score | UK status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galactic Milk Stout | Milk stout | 0.5% | 31 kcal | 8.6 | In stock online |
| Pine Trail Pale Ale (this beer) | Pale ale | 0.5% | 18.5 kcal | 8.5 | In stock online and at Ocado |
| Paradiso Citra IPA | IPA (some shops list it as a pale ale) | 0.5% | 3 kcal | 8.2 | In stock online and at Ocado |
| Reef Point Lager | Lager | 0.5% | 4 kcal | 7.9 | In stock online |
| Poolside DDH IPA | Double dry-hopped IPA | 0.5% | 8 kcal | 8.6 | No longer in Big Drop’s range; Ocado still listed it |
The Big Drop beers in our directory, checked October 2026. Scores are Unhopped ratings out of 10. Big Drop’s current range also includes a Brown Ale and Cloudburst Passion Fruit Lager, which aren’t in our directory.
About Big Drop
Big Drop was launched in 2016 by Rob Fink, then a City lawyer, and his school friend James Kindred, and its founder calls it the UK’s first alcohol-free-only brewery. It has never owned a brewery: its beers are brewed to 0.5% under contract, in the UK now by Renegade Brewery and Powderkeg. Big Drop says every beer it makes is labelled gluten-free.
See all Big Drop beers →Track every beer, discover your taste archetype, join the community.
Door 2 of our alcohol-free advent calendar. Big Drop Pine Trail Pale Ale is one of the 24 beers in the calendar you can build yourself, chosen from the highest scorers in our reviews. See all 24 doors in our build-your-own alcohol-free advent calendar. It’s also door 5 of the 24-beer calendar you can buy in one order.
About the hops: Magnum, Mosaic and Amarillo. Types of hops · What are hops?
