Non-alcoholic beer sales hit record highs with more products hitting the market
By Sean Nevin
Non-alcoholic beer sales increased by 38% in 2018, according to Kantar Worldpanel.
Major brands including Guinness, Heineken and Peroni all launched non-alcoholic versions of their popular beers during the year.
Kate Bee, who runs the Sober School helping alcoholics convert to a sober living, believes drinks companies are finally cottoning on to the potential of non-alcoholic beverages.
“We are now seeing more brands produce alcohol-free beers which is very telling,” Bee said. “These big drink companies wouldn’t be producing these new lines of alcohol-free beer out of the goodness of their hearts, they’re following the money.
“If you went into an old-man’s pub a few years ago, you would probably still have to drink a glass of
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water or a coke if you wanted to be sober, but now most decent restaurants and bars nowadays have a good alcohol-free drinks menu.”
Sales of traditional beer meanwhile rose by 3% last year according to the British Beer and Pub Association, the biggest year-on-year increase for beer sales in 45 years.
The increase is largely down to a busy summer for the beer industry with sales driven by England’s success at the World Cup and good weather which regularly saw pubs packed out.
With the World Cup coming around once every four years, it remains to be seen whether sales continue to be strong in 2019.
General Practitioner Dr Hemel Shah believes Brits are drinking less now than they have done in previous generations despite sales of beer rising last year.
“We notice that young people are drinking less frequently than previous generations,” Shah said.
“The number of people who are drinking excessively is becoming less than it has been in the past.”