{"id":6642,"date":"2026-09-29T17:58:37","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T17:58:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/?p=6642"},"modified":"2026-09-29T17:58:37","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T17:58:37","slug":"down-with-the-alcohol-but-add-something-extra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/2026\/09\/29\/down-with-the-alcohol-but-add-something-extra\/","title":{"rendered":"Down with the alcohol, but add something extra!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Since I last wrote about low alcohol beers two years ago, the market has continued to grow significantly.  Latest figures show that the overall no\/low alcohol market is now worth \u00a3541 million, with beer accounting for around 78%.  This is now circa 3% of the UK beer market, up from the 1.4% reported by Peter J Sutcliffe in the August\/September edition of London Drinker<\/em>.   The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) estimate that 64 million pints of low\/no alcohol will be sold this summer, an increase of 8 million from 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This growing interest has led to 85% of pubs stocking at least one, if not two or more, no\/low alcohol beers and the on-trade (pubs, restaurants etc) accounts for 84% of the market.  This is thought to be driven by consumers\u2019 desire for a \u2018social experience\u2019 without alcohol.  With this split however, it is probably not surprising that, as with full strength alcohol beers, the market is dominated by the international brewers.  In the UK, the key players are Heineken (Heineken Zero and Birra Moretti Zero), Guinness, Peroni and Asahi.  Lucky Saint is another prominent brand, as is Athletic, the largest selling low alcohol beer in the USA.  Lucky Saint\u2019s beer, previously imported from Germany, is now being brewed by Camerons in Hartlepool, a sign of their clear intention to grow in the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

London\u2019s brewery tap rooms are following this trend by stocking low alcohol beers but they mostly offer one of their own or select one from another independent brewer, most often as a draught keg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are now quite a few no\/low alcohol only brewers although many, unlike London\u2019s Nirvana, contract out their brewing.  Some are using British brewers while others are going overseas, often to Germany, where there is a long history of brewing low alcohol beers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the dominance of the big brewers, the market growth continues to encourage new entrants.  At the recent Craft Beer Festival in Southwark Park, there were seven \u2018dedicated\u2019 low alcohol brands, a few of which have been around a while, such as Day\u2019s, Brulo and Brew Below.  Some of the new entrants offer something different from what is already in the market but most are following the general trend of either hoppy beers or lagers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are three no\/low alcohol companies (all using third parties to brew their beers) which have an \u2018added extra\u2019 or two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

High & Dry, set up in autumn 2025, offer a lager brewed at Attic.  There are two owners; one who has alcoholism in the family and wanted something different and the other the senior brewer at Hawkstone.  Their beer contains two types of mushroom: Lion\u2019s Mane (to reduce \u2018brain fog\u2019) and Cordyceps (to promote energy).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collider has been going for about 18 months and also uses Lion\u2019s Mane but the second ingredient is ashwagandha, used to promote \u2018unwinding\u2019.  They say that their \u2018blend promotes GABA production, which is the same molecule that alcohol imitates to give you that euphoric feeling<\/em>\u2019.  Their founder came from the wine trade and their beers are brewed at Wiper & True.  Collider produce three beers: a lager, a session IPA and a peach lager, which is made from peach juice rather than flavour, creating a sweet, fruity drink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The third company is Hello Lager, set up by husband and wife team, Alex and Liz Greig. \u00a0Alex has worked in the drinks industry for 25 years and Liz was a primary school teacher, who fancied doing something different! \u00a0They produce one \u2018plain\u2019 lager, a Helles, and three flavoured lagers: peach, grapefruit and Lager Top (lemon).\u00a0 The grapefruit was particularly refreshing. \u00a0All of their beers are produced by Adnams and contain Opus hops, complemented by added magnesium, L-Theannine and vitamin C.\u00a0 These give the beers a slightly salty character.\u00a0 \u00a0L-Theannine is mainly found in green and black tea and is reported to promote calm, reduce stress and improve sleep quality.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Given the number of brewers at the festival showcasing low alcohol beers, it is clear that it is not just the specialists who see a future for the low alcohol sector.  We just now need to persuade pubs to experiment a little.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christine Cryne<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Editor\u2019s note<\/strong>: in the UK, an alcohol-free beer is defined as having an alcohol by volume (ABV) of 0.05% or less.  In many European countries, the limit is 0.5% or less, ten times more than the UK.  The BBPA and some producers are lobbying the Government to revise the UK definition to 0.5% because, they say, the 0.05% limit is affecting the growth of the sector and restricting overseas sales.  At 0.5% however, a beer has a significant alcohol content and this would be misleading and unwelcome to many drinkers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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