• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact

Daily Business Magazine

A magazine complement to the Daily Business website

  • Life, Arts & Leisure
    • Creative
    • Festival
      • Festival Reviews
    • Film
    • Food & Drink
    • Stage Shows
    • Life
    • Leisure
      • Rio Recommends – dog walks and cafes
    • Homes
    • Style
    • Travel
  • Opinion
    • Bill Magee
    • Craig Alexander Rattray
    • Karen Harvie
    • Keith Anderson
    • Russell Dalgleish
    • Terry Murden
  • Interviews
  • Notebook
  • Working Life
    • Careers & Management
    • Finance and legal
    • Technology
      • Tech Talk
    • Well Being
  • Daily Business News
    • All Content

Welcoming the new year with a clear head

December 31, 2021 by Terry Murden Leave a Comment

Many brewers now have an alcohol-free option

Party season may be muted by the Covid restrictions but they are not the only reason why more of us will be starting the new year with a clear head. An increasing number are going alcohol-free and the trend is having a huge impact on the drinks industry.

Dry January heralds the annual abstention following Hogmanay celebrations, but for many people it will just be another month to enjoy low or no alcohol drinks. Consumption in the alcohol-free market is on an upward curve with web searches soaring by as much as a half and the worldwide market expected to grow from $923 million last year to $1.7 trillion by 2028.

The surge in demand is a result of a combination of factors including a desire for healthier lifestyles and the improved quality of the alcohol-free product range.

At a time of heightened health awareness, many consumers have latched on to data showing that high alcohol consumption can impair our immune system, making it easier to catch colds and other illnesses. There is also heightened awareness of mental health. While a glass or two of wine or beer make us feel relaxed in the short-term, regular, heavy drinking contributes to feelings of depression, anxiety and stress.

Even before the onset of Covid, changes in behaviour have been driving demand for more acceptable alternatives to alcohol. Long boozy lunches have become largely a thing of the past, consigned to a past era alongside drink-driving and all-nighters.

Alcohol consumption has been in a steady decline since the mid-2000s with the fourth annual YouGov commissioned study by the Portman Group finding almost one in three (32%) UK drinkers now ‘semi-regularly’ consume low and no alcohol products compared to one in four (25%) in 2020.

Furthermore, a fifth (20%) of those who have tried low and no alcohol say they are more likely to drink these products now compared to a year ago, almost double the number saying this in last year’s survey (11%).

Contrary to the popular image of young people being most likely to over-indulge, the fall in consumption has been greatest among the under-25 age range.  Almost one in four young people have become teetotal, according to the latest Society of Independent Brewers’ British Craft Beer Report. This trend among a demographic which still likes to party has been hugely influential in shifting the industry’s strategy.

For regular beer drinkers the key decision has been less concern over health, more about the taste. For years the non-alcohol market was held back by poor quality products or a lack of availability. Many have memories of almost undrinkable brands in the 70s and 80s which gave the category a bad name.

Getting the taste right has knock-on social benefits, including the stigma issue felt by non-drinkers who would feel pressured into ordering alcoholic drinks to be part of the crowd. Now they can choose from a range of drinks that are developing a fashionable following in their own right.

Among those who have led a revolution is Heineken which in 2017 launched its 0.0 in Europe. The company reportedly spent 15 years developing the product.  Its efforts have paid off, with 0.0 (actually 0.03% alcohol) taking as much as a fifth of the growing US market alone in the early part of this year.

Brewdog has three alcohol-free options; Punk AF, Nanny State, and Raspberry Blitz. The company launched an alcohol-free pub. Edinburgh-based brewer Days has raised £1 million to expand its non-alcoholic products.

The alcohol-free market is also expanding in wines and spirits. Vodka, gin and tequila are now available in low alcohol forms. Tesco is among retailers which have set up alcohol-free sections.

Commenting on Dry January, and its impact on pub takings, Kate Nicholls, the chief executive of the trade body UK Hospitality, called on people who are trying to avoid alcohol to consider choosing something else at the bar or going out for food.

“This year, there are an awful lot more non-alcoholic options available that are really good quality, so there’s no excuse not to go out and support your local hospitality business,” she said.


>Latest Daily Business news

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Cover Story, Food & Drink, Life, Arts & Leisure Tagged With: alcohol-free

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar



Editor’s Pick

Struan Stevenson

Holyrood must get a grip on the bad bets

Struan Stevenson

… [More...] about Holyrood must get a grip on the bad bets

Bill Magee

Crypto needs rules to rein in volatility

Bill Magee

… [More...] about Crypto needs rules to rein in volatility

Terry Murden

Pay claims still driven by the ‘us and them’ grievance

Terry Murden

… [More...] about Pay claims still driven by the ‘us and them’ grievance

Reston Station

Reston back on track after half a century

Julena Drumi

… [More...] about Reston back on track after half a century

Advertising



Footer

  • All Content
  • Site Map
  • Privacy Policy
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Email
  • LinkedIn
  • WordPress

Copyright © 2022 · Design by jPAD Consulting · Magazine Pro · Genesis Framework

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
 

Loading Comments...