Black Isle Brewery Alcohol-Free Beers

Black Isle is an independent brewery on a 130-acre farm at Munlochy in the Highlands, founded by David Gladwin in 1998 and a certified B Corp since February 2023. Its alcohol-free Halo beers are 0.3%, and it describes them as organic.

Who are Black Isle?

David Gladwin started Black Isle in 1998; an undated Insider article called him an “unemployed beer lover” at the time. In an undated article, The List reported that he had found it hard to get a decent pint while living on the Black Isle, that neither he nor his brother Michael, his business partner, had brewing experience, that he learned under a Yorkshire brewer and took a brewing course, and that the family drove to Edinburgh’s Castle Terrace market every Saturday to sell the beer.

Beer52 called it one of Scotland’s oldest craft breweries in 2022; Gladwin estimated there were about 14 commercial breweries in Scotland when it began and around 180 by then. Companies House lists David and Julia-Jane Gladwin as its owners, and both have been directors since 1998. We found no drinks group involved, so we list it as independent.

Organic, the farm and B Corp

Black Isle has used organic ingredients since it opened in 1998, the Inverness Courier reported, and the brewer says they cost “sometimes up to three times as much as non-organic”. It has called itself “Scotland’s only fully organic brewery”, the Scotsman’s food and drink site reported; we couldn’t check that, and we didn’t find its organic certifier named anywhere we could read.

In 2011, it says, it moved to a more modern facility and bought 130 acres of surrounding farmland, where it is planting more than 7,000 native broadleaf trees, with hedgerows, ponds and wetlands. A small flock of Hebridean sheep supplies lamb to its bars, and its five-acre market garden, which it says is SOPA-accredited and run with regenerative methods, hosts horticulture courses, volunteers and school groups, the brewer’s blog says.

B Lab’s directory shows Black Isle was certified as a B Corp in February 2023, with a B Impact score of 80.8. (The brewer’s blog says March 2023; the Inverness Courier reported it on 13 March.)

What Black Isle brews

Its shop lists Blonde Organic Lager (4.5%), Spider Monkey, Goldfinch Organic Gluten-Free Session IPA, Organic Pale Ale (4.1%), Red Kite (4.2%), Organic Porter (4.6%), Scotch Ale, Hibernator Oatmeal Stout, Helles Unfiltered Lager and Treehouse Pale Ale. Half the profits from Treehouse support biodiversity projects through Ecosia, the brewer says. “Our best selling beer is still the same as it was a decade ago,” Gladwin told Beer52 in 2022, without naming it.

Spider Monkey Organic IPA won in the beer category of Best of Organic Alcoholic Drinks at the BOOM Awards 2023, which are run by Soil Association Certification, Natural News Desk reported. Black Isle also says it won “Best Brewed” at the Highlands and Islands Food and Drink awards in 2018; we didn’t find that confirmed elsewhere. We found no awards for its alcohol-free beers.

Its beer has gone abroad: SLTN reported in 2012 a first shipment of 35,000 bottles to Japan, and exports to Sweden, where Systembolaget stocked its seasonal Jocktoberfest; Chronicle.lu reported in 2016 that it was coming to Luxembourg. In 2017 Majestic Wine listed its Organic Blonde in more than 200 stores, Scottish Grocer reported. We didn’t find where it exports today, or whether Majestic still stocks it.

Black Isle’s alcohol-free beers

Black Isle calls Halo its “revolution in alcohol-free beers”, and says “Alcohol-Free doesn’t mean free from flavour.” There are three, all 0.3% and in 330ml cans. Halo IPA is made with water, malted barley, hops, yeast and wheat, and is tropical and mineral, with pineapple and tangerine in the aroma, it says. Halo Lager is made with water, malted barley, hops and yeast: biscuit, herbal and crisp, with a grassy, mineral aroma. The third, which the Halo page calls “the new oat stout”, adds oats; Black Isle describes dark chocolate and liquorice, with espresso and roasted malt in the aroma. It says all three are vegan.

It describes them as “100% organic, 100% angelic”, but names no certifier. It doesn’t say how it makes them or when they launched, and we found no draught versions. The shops disagree on strength: The Alcohol Free Co and Dry Drinker list Halo IPA at 0.5%, and The Alcohol Free Co’s spec line gives the lager as about 0.5%, while Black Isle says 0.3%. Neither Halo beer in our directory is gluten-free: both are brewed with barley, and the IPA with wheat too.

How the Halo beers compare

Alcohol-free lagers and IPAs from UK breweries in our directory. Calories as published; checked 31 October 2026. Scores are Unhopped ratings out of 10.

The Black Isle beers in our directory

Checked October 2026. Scores are Unhopped ratings out of 10.

Where to buy Black Isle’s Halo beers

On 29 October 2026 The Alcohol Free Co and Dry Drinker each had both at £16.17 for six; those are affiliate links. On 31 October Black Isle’s own shop had Halo Lager from £2.10 a can and showed Halo IPA as sold out; the oat stout was sold out when we checked on 29 October. Abel & Cole sells Black Isle’s full-strength beers, but its Halo pages didn’t load, and we couldn’t confirm any supermarket listing for the Halo beers. For more, see our guides to the best alcohol-free lager and the best alcohol-free IPA.

Facts checked against Black Isle’s own website, shop and blog, Companies House, B Lab, the Inverness Courier, The List, Insider, Beer52, the Scotsman, Natural News Desk, SLTN, Chronicle.lu, Scottish Grocer, Abel & Cole, The Alcohol Free Co and Dry Drinker, 31 October 2026.