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Beer without the buzz is behind the biggest buzz in the biz.
"Alcohol-free beer has been one of the hottest growth trends in the industry the past three to five years," beer-industry insider Bump Williams, of Bump Williams Consulting in Connecticut, told Fox News Digital.
The segment enjoyed a 34.5% sales rise in 2023 compared with year-end 2022 figures, according to industry analytics that Williams shared via NielsenIQ. Zero-proof beer is showing a similar rise here in 2024.
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Boutique craft brewers and major global brands are both banking on buzz-free suds to drive growth.
Williams says the following five beer brands are the hottest in the industry.
Founder Bill Shufelt shows a can of Athletic Brewing Co.'s non-alcoholic Run Wild IPA. Athletic makes only non-alcoholic beers and has breweries in both Connecticut and California. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
1. Athletic Brewing Co.
Founded in 2017, this brand makes only non-alcoholic beers.
It boasts six beers among the 25 biggest selling non-alcoholic beer brands, topped by Run Wild IPA.
2. Heineken 0.0
Also launched in 2017, Heineken 0.0 is the biggest mover and sober shaker in the United States, among major international beer brands.
3. Guinness 0.0
Surging sales for new Guinness 0.0 drove overall growth for the world-famous stout-maker.
4. Budweiser Zero
Along with …
5. Clausthaler Non-Alcoholic
… Are rounding out the list of hottest non-alcoholic beers, said Williams.
Soaring sales for zero-proof beer come at a time when — by contrast — sales of alcoholic beer are stagnant or declining: They're down nearly 2% for the 12-month period ending in March.
A fan of South Korea drinks a Budweiser Zero beer ahead of a soccer game in 2022. (Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
A number of trends are driving today's consumer interest in beer without the buzz.
Here are three.
1. Alcohol-free beer now tastes like real beer
For decades, low-alcohol beer (usually 0.5%) was little more than flavorless watered-down versions of easy-drinking American lagers.
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"They were awful," said Williams.
The lame, low-alcohol beers of the past have been replaced by alcohol-free craft-beer quality India pale ales, stouts and aromatic pilsners.
2. Women have made zero-proof beer a regular drinking option
"It's a known fact that women are driving the dollars into the alcohol-free category," beer-industry expert Meagen Anderson of Michigan told Fox News Digital.
Meagen Anderson is a certified cicerone (beer sommelier) and founder of the AFicioNAdo certification program, devoted to teaching beverage professionals about alcohol-free beer, wine and spirits. (Courtesy Meagen Anderso)
She's the founder of AFicoNAdo Certification Program, the world's first alcohol-free/non-alcoholic category education program for hospitality industry professionals.
"The trend toward moderation has made women more conscious of the alcohol they put in their body," she said, "and their interest in the category is driving the innovation."
3. Young adults drink less beer than past generations
Williams cited a dramatic change in the social habits of the traditional beer-bash generation.
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"Younger consumers just aren't crazy about alcohol," said Williams. "When they go to a restaurant or tavern, they want to have a good time. But they don't want to drink just club soda. So they're drinking non-alcoholic beer."
Alcohol-free beer still represents only 3% of the $50 billion annual market for retail (off premise) beer sales.
A taste test for a non-alcoholic drinks column on April 1, 2024, in Washington, D.C. The drinks include Best Day Kolsch, WellBeing IPA, Brooklyn Special Effects IPA, BrewDog Hazy AF, and Heineken 0.0. (Rey Lopez for The Washington Post via Getty Images; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
So the impressive growth figures are within only a small segment of the industry, Williams noted.
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But 3% of $50 billion is a surging $1.5 billion market for beer without the buzz that didn’t exist just a few years ago.
"There's still huge upside potential," he said.
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