Alcohol-free beer and other non-alcoholic drinks on the rise in Australia

Aussie breweries are reporting explosive growth in non-alcoholic beer sales, which is a shift away from our boozy culture — and that’s great news according to health experts.

Everyone know Australians love a drink. Those who don’t are often questioned. Ridiculed, possibly. Maybe even ostracised.

But not any more.

Our social landscape has changed so that pub-goers can now cradle non-alc beers that actually taste like beer and don’t attract ridicule.

Partygoers can fill up glasses that look, and taste, like rose or a gin cocktail – but are, in fact, alcohol free. And their consumers – and producers — are proud of it.

In the past year, big-name alcohol distributors have reported a doubling of sales in the non-alcohol category, and a new study has revealed that 71 per cent of Aussie drinkers intend to increase their no-or-low-alcohol consumption next year.

A popular bottle-o in Freshwater on the northern beaches, aptly names Sans Drinks, has shelves stocked full of beer and wine, none of which contain alcohol.

“It’s actually become a conversation starter – if you rock up with a bottle of non-alcoholic wine or craft beer, people are intrigued and they want to try it and know more – it doesn't have that stigma like it used to have anymore,” said Craftzero co-founder Sherif Goubran.

“People are becoming more conscious in terms of lifestyle, the way they live and the effects of alcohol – people don’t want to put up with a hangover anymore.

“They want to take control of the choices now. And they do have a choice now, they don’t have to drink just because society tells them to.”

Goubran had been in the alcohol industry for almost 10 years when he identified the shift in demand, and last year changed the entire business to sell “alcohol-free grown up drinks”.

In 2020, sales doubled month on month from May through to December. May this year has seen sales grow 31 times higher than the 12 months before, and the company is on track to achieve $5 million in sales by the end of 2021.

Interestingly, 50 per cent of their customer base are Gen Y – 30 per cent aged 25-34, 20 per cent 35-44 and 15 per cent aged between 45 and 54.

“The market has exploded in the last year alone – once people have tried them, they are blown away by the quality of the products,” he said.

“They are no longer what they used to be like – they are craft beers, full of flavour – and there are so many new local producers in Australia at the moment and overseas, and it’s contributed massively to the options available to people.”

Sherif Goubran and Marc Naggar from Craftzero enjoy non-alcoholic beers.

According to Smart Company, sales of non-alcoholic beer, wine, cider, RTD and spirits increased by over 83 per cent in the last 12 months.

NSW-based brewery Hawkesbury Brewing Co launched its first non-alc beer, Prohibition Pale Ale, in the throes of the pandemic last winter, with sales growing exponentially ever since.

Business development director Paul Weaving said in the last three months, Prohibition Pale Ale had started to outsell some of the brand’s existing alcoholic beers and they moved to a new 10,000sq m brewery site, four times the size of their last.

“At the moment, despite the unprecedented growth, the market is still really in a discovery phase,” he said.

“Drinking a non-alc beer has almost become a badge of honour more than something to quietly hide – who would have expected that even a couple of years ago?

“It turns out that Prohibition’s appeal is far more universal and the occasions to crack open a non-alc beer are almost limitless: from a Monday afternoon working at home or a Tuesday after playing footie right through to a Saturday night out as a break between drinks.”

Such is the growth in demand that Hawkesbury Brewing Co is about to become the first Aussie brewer to take its non-alc beers into the traditional bastion of Aussie beer: the long neck.

Australia has maybe been a bit slower to catch on than countries across Europe and North America, but the change in a single year has been phenomenal, considering non-alc craft beer options in Australia were almost non-existent as recently as a year ago.

In the space of six months, Hawkesbury Brewing Co’s Prohibition endeavour grew from a side project to a real focus for the company. Endeavour Drinks, which encompasses Dan Murphy’s and BWS, reported 83 per cent growth in sales of non-alcoholic drinks in the last year.

“There was a period around Easter where we literally couldn’t supply them with enough Prohibition to keep up with sales and stores were running out of stock,” Weaving said.

“Within just over six months of producing our first case of beer, we had to prioritise expanding production of a non-alcoholic beer above everything else at the brewery.

“Now, the brewery is pumping out Prohibition every week and we have the increased capacity to meet the demand, which is just as well as we recently secured distribution into 180 Woolworths Supermarket stores all over Australia.

“There is no doubt in my mind that this is a long-term trend.”

Prohibition Beer has fast become one of Hawkesbury Brewing Co’s top sellers.

Just this week, Mona Vale’s Modus Operandi Brewing introduced three new varieties of their NORT no-alcohol beer, bringing their alcohol-free range to four – their Refreshing Ale, the world’s first Pacific Ale, Tropical XPA and All Day IPA.

The female-founded brewery recently took out a silver medal at the Australian International Beer Awards in the awards first year of a non-alcoholic beer category.

“NORT was born amidst lockdown,” co-founder Jaz Wearins said.

“Like most of the world I was juggling a business, motherhood and trying to stay healthy and focused.

“People are always searching for ways to create a more balanced lifestyle, but it was clear to me that there is a need for greater variety and choice when it comes to non-alcoholic crafted beer.

“So, after last year’s overwhelmingly positive response that we received from the Refreshing Ale launch, we immediately started working on adding some variety to the portfolio, giving Aussies more tasty non-alcoholic beer options.”

Modus Operandi Brewing’s latest non-alcohol line.

And the good news is, it’s all good news.

The Alcohol and Drug Foundation’s knowledge manager, Laura Bajurny, told Saturday Extra the trend is a positive one for our health.

“It is absolutely healthier to be drinking non-alcoholic version of whatever it is, whether that’s beer, wine or spirits – we still need to be mindful of things like sugars, but removing the alcohol means it’s not a carcinogen anymore,” Bajurny said.

“So a lot of the harms that are associated, especially with consistent long term drinking – things like the cancer risk, liver damage – they are all reduced if you’re drinking non- alcoholic beverages.

“We see it as a really positive cultural shift, where consuming alcohol is coming to be seen more as a choice, than an expectation. Before if you wanted to cut down or cut out, your options were really limited – you were having a mineral water or a cola – people have options now, so it’s easier to change those norms around alcohol in a really positive way.

“It’s a fantastic trend and all the projections in the market are that it will continue.”

Ashleigh Mills swore off alcohol for 12 months — but is at 17 months and counting.

Recently released research from the Dry July Foundation showed 86 per cent of Australians believed they would benefit from less alcohol in their lives. Figures revealed that two-thirds of Aussies were sober curious and wanted to try an alcohol-free period, which was a six per cent increase from last year.

Dry July Foundation CEO, Katie Evans said so far, more than 29,000 people had signed up to Dry July this year, and have raised more than $3.2 million for people affected by cancer. Overall, they’re expecting to raise more than $10 million.

Central Coast senior project advisor Ashleigh Mills hasn’t drunk alcohol for 17 months, and hasn’t looked back. In fact, her only regret is not doing it sooner.

“I was always trying to minimise or moderate my alcohol intake but failed miserably,” the 40-year-old said.

“As I got older, even a couple of glasses of wine left me sluggish, anxious and bloated, and at the end of 2019 I lost a good friend and was also diagnosed with severe endometriosis

“It was around this time that I had a wake up call to focus on my wellbeing and embarked on a year without booze on January 30, 2020 – it’s now been 17 months.”

She said her life was “100 per cent better” without alcohol.

“I have more energy, less anxiety, better sleep and brighter moods.”

She said the stigma around being alcohol free was reducing, particularly for younger people.

“For us middle aged folk, our habits are ingrained but it’s becoming more normal to take a break for your health and wellbeing, without having to hit rock bottom,” she said.

“Alcohol-free drinks started as a novelty, but now it is clear they are here to stay. It definitely helps to have a decent bottle of alcohol free bubbles or wine to take to a social situation, and give options for those who just want a night off.”