The rise and rise of non-alc

Opinion

1 Jul

Is your non-alcoholic offering slim or non-existent? Michael Donaldson says you could be missing a trick...

New data released earlier this year predicts non-alcoholic beer will soon become the second-biggest beer category behind lager, globally.

To put that in perspective, lager accounts for 92% of beer consumed around the world and everything else we love – IPAs, sours, wheat beers, stouts... – they’re fighting for second place.

According to leading global drinks data and analytics provider IWSR, non-alcoholic beer is set to reach around 2% of the global market, making it the second-biggest category.

The drivers for this are a global shift to lighter consumption and increased periods of “temporary abstinence”.

“Drinkers are now more habitual in their control of alcohol intake,” says Susie Goldspink, Senior Insights Manager – RTDs and No/Low Alcohol at IWSR. “This trend spans all age groups, regions and demographics, highlighting moderation as a mainstream cultural phenomenon, rather than a trend...”

I confess that non-alcoholic beer was barely on my radar until Bach Brewing became the first New Zealand craft brewery to step into the (then) unknown by launching their All Day non-alcoholic IPA.

“What’s more, people are prepared to pay for great-tasting non-alcoholic options.”

I was an immediate convert. And now our house regularly has a six-pack or two of non-alcoholic beer in the fridge.

And I watched with interest as fledgling non-alcoholic brand State of Play found a strong foothold in supermarkets across the country. Founder Grant Caunter is very open about sharing his own data and that of the wider industry.

He points out that non-alcoholic beer continues to grow, off a low-base, to be around 2.4% of all beer sold in New Zealand. The growth is particularly strong in supermarkets, but less so in traditional liquor stores.

What’s more, people are prepared to pay for great-tasting non-alcoholic options. Non-alcs in supermarkets grew 10.5% in volume and 15.5% in sales value.

And yet... it can be damn hard to find a decent non-alcoholic craft beer in bars and restaurants. Here, I’m talking about the likes of State of Play, which has just released a non-alc Chocolate Stout, the Bach All-Day range, Garage Project’s Tiny range, Parrotdog Watchdog, and Peckham’s Zero Apple Cider (amazing).

These beverages regularly take out gold medals at awards events, and a number of non-alcoholic beers appeared in the GABS Hottest 100 countdown earlier this year. That event is a pure popularity contest, so if non-alcoholic beers are getting votes, it shows how much our beer culture is changing.

The quality of non-alcoholic New Zealand craft beer is up there with the best in the world. At the recent Australian International Beer Awards, entries from Bach, Garage Project, State of Play and Altitude Brewing took out multiple medals between them, beating beers from the likes of Scotland’s BrewDog and American giant Samuel Adams.

Another thing about non-alc craft – the cans look great, which decreases the sense of FOMO for anyone not drinking alcohol. Having a great-looking can at the table, or in your hand, adds to the sense that you’re partaking in a social event, not hanging off to the side with a boring soft drink.

In short: non-alcoholic beer is excellent, tasty, popular, and here to stay. Let’s embrace it.