Freestar launched in 2019 but the story began a few years before when the founders were together on a Tuesday night. They had stuff to do that week so they didn't want to drink any booze, but still wanted to hang out. They weighed up the options: They'd had enough lame and sodas, most soft drinks are bad for you and it's no fun to go into a licensed establishment just to drink a glass of water.

They wanted a drink that tasted great, a drink that they'd be proud to hold in their hands and a drink they could session with their mates. And in that moment, in that pub, on that Tuesday evening, they wanted a drink that had no alcohol in it.

Freestar's beer is brewed to a low ABV using a blend of innovative techniques that allows it to retain maximum flavour with only a fraction of the alcohol (0.5%). Their Belgian brewing partner is a Brewing Engineer and has perfected the craft of creating the ideal conditions for a delicious beer to brew, without alcohol.

The beer is brewed with a trio of classic European hops; Saaz (Czech), Perle (German) and Hallertau (German), to give floral, herbal and earthy aromas and bitter notes. They use a local pilsner malt that is naturally low in fermentable sugars and a signature Belgian yeast to give a crisp, flavourful character. The beer is then left to rest, gently filtered and then bottled for maximum retention of flavour.

Not only is this method great for flavour but it's also better for the planet. Because it doesn't go through the de-alcoholisation process it emits 50% less CO2, uses 75% less water, 60% less energy and creates 40% less waste than traditional methods. It's part of the reason it's the world's first alcohol free beer to certify as a B Corp.

Freestar has partned with The People to create a Mentoring Hotline to help young people struggling to find work with anything from CV help, career advice or interview preparation.

As well as this, in 2021 Freestar partnered with the incredible charity Street Elite. Street Elite is an award-winning training for work programme which engages young people aged 18 - 25 affected by serious youth crime through sport, helping them transition from NEET (not in education, employment or training) into work, apprenticeships, training or education opportunities.