GABYR Pale Ale

Sentia's founder is Professor David Nutt, a neuropsychopharmacologist, and GABYR is his team's attempt to put their functional botanical blend into a beer rather than into another bottle of alt-spirit. The base is a genuine non-alcoholic pale ale at 0.5% ABV, hopped with Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe, so it drinks punchy and fruity with a gentle bitterness instead of tasting like a wellness product. Underneath sits the blend Sentia builds everything around: magnolia bark, ashwagandha root, passion flower, damiana leaf and liquorice root, which the company says works with the brain's own GABA pathways. Those botanicals come with real limits. Sentia says not to exceed two 440ml cans a day, flags that the liquorice matters if you have high blood pressure, and advises against it while pregnant, breastfeeding or taking medication. Drowsiness is a listed effect. Sixteen calories per 100ml, sold in six packs.