Since non-alcoholic beer first hit the Australian market, it has continued to rise in popularity.
ANZ Newsroom advised last year that non-alcoholic beer accounts for around ten per cent of total beer sales, and around 45 per cent of all non-alcoholic beverage sales in Australia.
Australia’s market revenue for non-alcoholic beer currently sits at just under $400 million and is expected to rise to closer to $500 million by 2029, according to data research and analysis company Statistica.
Yet even though around a third of visits to the pub do not involve consuming alcohol, there is still some stigma around choosing zero alcohol beer, with 21 per cent of Gen Z drinkers in the UK hiding their choice, according to research cited at a recent Heineken 0.0 event.
At this London event, brewing experts and beer writer Pete Brown were brought together by Heineken 0.0, which introduced its no-alcohol beer to Australia in 2018.
They discovered that for many the true value of beer is more closely tied to participating in pub culture and its rituals, rather than consuming alcohol.
This discovery was seen as good news, as the opportunity has shown itself the key to increasing sales may lie in moving the focus to the experience, along with the quality and taste of the beer.
“We want people to feel like they don’t need an excuse to drink non-alcoholic,” said Heineken UK’s on-premise director, Will Rice.
The research showed that aside from product placement, barriers have included both technical hurdles and training staff to serve no-alcohol beer the same way as regular beer.
In the UK, many zero alcohol beers have made their way from bottles to the taps, repositioning them as an equal to other beers.
In Australia big brands such as XXXX Zero, Asahi Super Dry 0.0, and Guiness 0.0 can sit alongside popular independents, such as Indigenous owned and led Sobah, which was first to arrive on the Australian market, or relative newcomers Yeah Nah.
Now that both teetotalling and moderation are on the rise, having no-alcohol options that not only taste good but offer the same pub experience, are vital.
Moving the focus away from lifestyle changes to incorporating the no-alcohol option as equal to other beers embraces the choice as a normal part of the pub experience.
