The low-calorie beer bound to be a crowd-pleaser in Clapham this summer

A new low-calorie beer crafted out of south west London is ready to quench Clapham this summer.

Ask any sport-loving Australian friend resident here in Clapham, "What's Yabba?" and nine times out of ten they'll reply with a heckle. Until now, that is.

YABBA, named after the notorious Australian heckler of the early 20th century, is the new low-calorie beer launched by best friends Jonny Parker and Matt Yeabsley in May that is about to take Clapham by storm.

A vegan beer at 4% ABV that contains 30 per cent less calories than mainstream beers, YABBA is for people who love a good brew, but live an active lifestyle too.

Parker and Yeabsley, both 26 years old with full-time jobs, met at university and lived in sunny Sydney after graduating. The pair were "blown away" by the quality of low-calorie beers in Australia, but once back in Blighty were disappointed at the equivalent drinks on offer.

Parker, who until recently lived in Clapham South, said: "We got hooked on it in Australia, but we just couldn't find beer of a similar quality in the UK.

"The equivalents here are more mainstream, like Bud Light and Coors Light, and they felt like a compromise in terms of taste and flavour.

"There weren't many independent brands that we'd support and consume."

The longer beer is brewed, the lower in calories it becomes. To maintain the beer's body and flavour YABBA collaborated with beer experts Brew Lab, and developed a range of recipes to put to the test in blind tasting trials.

One YABBA beer recipe was rated second favourite against 11 mainstream and low calorie beer alternatives tasted by the blind testing group.

Parker said: "People objectively liked it, not knowing it was a low calorie beer, and having no idea which ones we made."

Brixton resident and graphic designer Conor Knight brought the brand vision to life with sustainability at the heart of its packaging choices.

Parker and Yeabsley are determined to prove that small businesses can be a force for good from the outset of inception. YABBA uses plastic-free packaging, recycled paper flyers and natural gummed paper tape and offsets its carbon emissions through Ecologi.

YABBA has also partnered with a leading sustainable brewery where water from the brewing process is recycled, local ingredients are sourced and all used hops are donated to nearby farms for re-use as animal feed.

Parker said: "It's important to us that there's a local benefit to the work we're doing on the climate change side.

"Naturally, it's a problem caused by many western economies, but the people who suffer the most are in developing countries and we didn't want to shun that side of it."

YABBA hosted its launch party in the Denmark Hill Temple Bowling Club and based on the reactions from south west London, people are hopping glad to have heard about this creative, well-considered drink.

With nine to 12 months of stock available on the first day of business, YABBA sold 60-65 per cent of it within just the first month.

Parker said: "We're absolutely blown away by the support we have had from the south west London community, and also the people who are happy with the beer and what we've produced."

As well as on its website where the beer can be bought in cases of 12, YABBA has secured a permanent fixture at vegan bulk store, Pipoca, in Brixton and is looking to Clapham for both store and sport-based partnerships.

Parker said: "We are hoping to stock in Clapham stores with an independent focus such as Trude's Grocery in Clapham.

"We are also looking to partner with Clapham sports teams such as Wandsworth Demons (AFL) who play on Clapham Common."

Keeping fit and drinking yeast being two quite popular pastimes of Clapham residents, the local appetite for YABBA looks like it is already brewing.

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