A new way to drink
No longer do we have to settle for water or a soft-drink when drinking alcohol poses a challenge - there are now so many delicious alternatives, with some fantastic local products in the mix.
Castle Free was the first locally brewed non-alcoholic South Africa lager. Its makers, Anheuser Busch – Inbev, the world’s largest brewer, invested R30 million in their Kramerville brewery to produce it.
Heineken's alcohol-free beer Heineken 0.0 was recently launched in South Africa and is now available in 38 countries (up from 16 last year). According to an article in the Times of London in February 2019 "the company is planning to expand Heineken 0.0 to further markets in the year ahead, having more than doubled the brand's global reach since 2017".
Sunday Times (South Africa: 28 April 2019)
AB-Inbev, which brews more than a quarter of the world's beer, is aiming to make a fifth of its beer low or zero alcohol by 2025.
The European market for zero alcohol beer grew about 5% PER YEAR from 2010 to 2015, according to research group Canadean, while the overall beer market shrank.
"The UK had a 30% increase of low-alcohol beer
sales, year-on-year"
Africa and the Middle East will show a 7% annual increase in the consumption of NABs (non-alcoholic beverages) until 2024, according to Global Market Research. “Increasing consumer consciousness pertaining to long term effects of liquor along with consumer preferences to avoid headaches & drowsiness will propel the non-alcoholic beer market growth.”
The Times of London (14 February 2019)
In the UK, sales of low and non-alcoholic beer grew by 20.5% over the 12 months to July 2017. Tesco added 11 new alcohol free beers to their shelves in September 2018, after selling more than 24 million bottles of no and low alcohol beer in a year; a 30% increase from the year before, according to Club Soda, (spearheading the mindful drinking movement in the UK.)
New technologies are making non-alcoholic beers taste better. “Effective aroma retention along with production enhancement at low temperatures are among key properties driving the non-alcoholic beer demand. Increasing commercialization of reverse osmosis technology due to its production efficiency along with taste improvement properties will support product penetration. “
Other Interesting articles (click on the links)
Vox International: Why you’re likely going to hear more about being “sober curious”
Cape Talk: Hangover-free! Mindful drinking trend spawns new era of non-alcoholic drinks
Mindfuldrinking.com: Key facts for the media
Time Magazine: Mindful Drinking: here's what it is
SA Sunday Times: Brewers toast non-alcohol bonanza
New York Times: The New Sobriety
The Telegraph: Sales of non-alcoholic beer are soaring
The Guardian: Millennials discover the joys of ‘mindful drinking’
The London Daily Mail: Heineken posts best sales growth in a decade thanks to its zero per cent lager
Premiumbeer.com: 5 tips for Mindful Drinking
CNN: People are sick of drinking: Investors are betting on the 'sober curious'
The Guardian: Germans thirsty for alcohol-free beer as brewers boost taste
The Guardian: Five ways to be sober curious
The Guardian: 'Ireland is changing': booze-free bar opens in Dublin
