Denver, an epicenter for craft breweries, has seen a surge in recent years in nonalcoholic beer and spirits.
And analysts forecast that interest will keep growing. Between 2022 and 2026, nonalcoholic beer volumes are expected to grow by about 25%, according to data from the IWSR, an alcoholic beverage insights company.And according to data from NielsenIQ, a consumer buying behavior database, Colorado was the second-highest state accounting for nonalcoholic beverage investment in 2023.
"The market is getting more difficult for craft brewers, so in order to bring some money into their business, they're starting to sell nonalcoholic beers," he said."There's a demand out there, but the beers do have to be made the right way. As long as we oversee each other and help each other, we can make sure people have a good choice of products that are safe to consume.
Sawni said his customers were mostly health-conscious consumers at first. But then, he said, nonalcoholic and alcohol-free beer became trendy, attracting more mainstream customers. Almost every bar or restaurant in the area soon added zero-proof options in response, he said. "At the end of the day, we're a beer company, but we also understand there's this desire from consumers to have a product that's nonalcoholic," CEO Robert MacEachern said. 'With our ethos of being inclusive, we want as many people to enjoy our spaces, so this was a natural extension for us for people to enjoy our space."