Pubs are forever evolving, and we’re at a moment in time where there’s opportunity for change along the pumps. Over the past few years we’ve welcomed the craft beer boom, and with that we’ve enjoyed all manner of IPAs, lagers, stouts and sours. But what’s more, a huge range of non-alcoholic beers too, but so few make the pumps.
Should that be now time to change?
With the rise of alcoholism, and people more conscientious about how much they drink, taking nights off the booze or being more aware of the risks of drink driving, more people are looking to the fridges and the non-alcoholic options available.
For some pubs, those options are plentiful, with many top brands now offering 0% lagers and IPAs, while many craft breweries are paying a lot of care and attention to those who are wanting no or low alcohol alternatives.
The market and demand is seeing a huge rise. 10 years ago, in the UK alone the non-alcoholic market was worth around $58.9million per year. Today it’s worth over $400million, and expected to rise even further over the next few years, breaking the half a billion mark.
A few brands have made the move to offer it on draught, with both Heineken and Brewdog doing so, the former being the most commonly found in pubs around the world after launching back in 2021, but there are also other brands establishing themselves on the pumps in pubs globally.
In the UK, one brand making a splash is Lucky Saint, and has fast become the number one independent alcohol free beer in the country, and there’s no doubt that it would cause a stir elsewhere.
So is it time that pubs revolutionised and dedicated one of their pumps to the alcohol free beer? The stats certainly suggest so.
Today, almost a third of people visiting pubs are doing so alcohol free, and at present they’re largely greeted by Coca Cola or a bottle of non-alcoholic lager. Pubs catering for the alcohol free drinker more could see more and more people return to pubs and be part of that social environment.
There’s a long way to go, but it needs commitment from pub owners and breweries alike to create this alcohol free revolution, walking hand in hand with the regular market to create an environment for everyone.
