Mash Gang

Jordan teamed up with James Loveday, and the pair launched Mash Gang with around five thousand pounds and a lot of ambition. The name captures their ethos: a crew of experimenters mashing up styles and expectations. No corporate backing at the start. Just two people convinced that alcohol-free beer could be genuinely exciting.

Their brewing philosophy sets them apart. Rather than brewing full-strength beer and stripping out the alcohol, Mash Gang brews to strength from the start. They use specialised yeast strains designed for low-alcohol fermentation, which means flavour development happens naturally during the brew rather than being salvaged afterwards. The result is beer that tastes intentional, not compromised.

Mash Gang operates as a contract brewing collective. They work with partner breweries in Aberdeen, Zagreb, and Chicago, which gives them flexibility to experiment without the capital constraints of running their own facility. This model has let them produce over two hundred different beers in five years. Stouts, lagers, IPAs, fruited sours, collaborations with other breweries. If it sounds interesting, they've probably tried it.

Chug is their flagship: a hazy pale ale with tropical hops delivering mango, passionfruit and grapefruit over a clean base. Soft carbonation gives it a juicy mouthfeel rather than the thin, fizzy character that plagues many AF pales. Glug takes on the classic cerveza style with white grape and gooseberry notes from a blend of traditional and modern hops. Journey Juice pushes boundaries further with mango, sourness, and a chilli kick.

Everything they make is vegan, down to the adhesive on the can labels and the tape on the boxes. No animal products, no byproducts, no dairy anywhere in the process. For those who care about such things, it's a rare commitment in the brewing world.

The brand carries a street-level aesthetic. Bold can designs, irreverent copy, the kind of branding that would look at home in an independent record shop. They position themselves as craft beer for people who happen to not be drinking, not a wellness product dressed up as beer.

In 2024, DioniLife acquired Mash Gang, bringing investment from former spirits industry executives. The move funded expansion into the US market, with American production through Pilot Project Brewery in Chicago. Jordan remains as head brewer and runs US operations, so the creative direction stays intact.

Recognition has followed. The Untappd Community Awards in 2024 acknowledged what AF beer drinkers already knew: Mash Gang makes some of the most interesting alcohol-free beer around. They compete in competitions alongside full-strength entries and hold their own.

You can find Mash Gang through specialist AF retailers like Dry Drinker, The SOBR Market, and Beer Hunter. They ship direct from their website and the US range is building distribution stateside. With over two hundred recipes in five years and no sign of slowing down, the output is relentless.