Beer That Tastes Like Beer But Doesn’t Get You Buzzed Is Booming

As a recovering alcoholic, Becky Kean’s father had a hard time hanging out at the pub: He still loved the atmosphere, but he was frustrated sipping his mineral water while his mates sampled an endless parade of new flavors such as bitter pale ales, smooth nitrogen stouts, or tropical fruit sours. So three years ago, Kean founded Nirvana Brewery, aiming to create nonalcoholic beer every bit as tasty and trendy as craft brews. Today, she makes a half-dozen no- or ultralow-alcohol brews with names such as Kosmic, Karma, and Tantra in an industrial district in northeast London. “It was a way to include him, make him feel part of the social circle again,” Kean says. “With something he could enjoy—not just a substandard thing he has to have, but what he would choose to have.”

Like Nirvana, brewers worldwide are discovering it’s OK to mix suds with sobriety as demand for no- and low-alcohol beer soars. While growth of the broader craft beer market is slowing and sales of college beer-pong staples such as Bud Light and Coors stagnate or fall, lower-alcohol brews are the hottest trend. Sales this year will grow by a third in the U.K. and 9 percent globally, while the overall U.K. beer market will expand by 2 percent, researcher Euromonitor predicts. Nonalcoholic newcomers are benefiting from interest in artisanal brews and the shift toward healthier living, with customers ranging from designated drivers to pregnant women to folks who simply like the taste of beer but want to cut back on their alcohol consumption. “It’s people in high-pressure jobs like law or banking who are trying to find balance,” Kean says.