There seems to be a divide between craft breweries who brew and/or sell NA beer (non-alcoholic beer) and those who don’t.
While the number of breweries that brew both NA and leaded beer is growing, many breweries throughout the nation still face the idea of 0.5% beer with the question, ‘what’s the point?‘
While there are plenty of reasons why people drink NA beer, we wanted to talk about why breweries should sell NA beer, or even brew it themselves.
1) NA Beer Tastes Great
We’re going to keep beating this drum until people actually listen and believe it.
We challenge anyone who has not yet tried and of the new craft NA beers on the market to put up or shut up and give NA a try.
US breweries are producing some of the best tasting NA craft beers that hold their own to the real thing.
More people are turning to NA beer and are looking for places to buy the best new NA beers on the market and breweries could be one of them, giving them a key differentiator in the growingly competitive craft beer market.
2) They’re losing profit margin
We’ve all been there. You’re out with some friends at the local taproom. You’re having a great time. Conversation and beer have been flowing all night.
Everyone wants to do one more, but you second guess yourself.
You have to drive yourself home…
You have to wake up early…
You have an important meeting tomorrow…
You just really don’t want to put yourself over the edge…
We’ve all been there. Hopefully, many of us have the self-control to restrain ourselves, but that’s not always the case.
In this scenario, breweries face three scenarios when their patrons decide between cutting themselves off or keeping going.
One is, they switch from beer to something like water or soda. In this situation, the brewery loses money.
They still make a small amount on that sale, but the total sale margins on it are not close to what they’d make on a beer. Thus, they lose money.
The second scenario is, the patrons go home. Thus, again, they lose money. Any more potential sales they had are out the door.
They already had open tabs. They were having a great time. Yet, now they’re gone.
If breweries simply offered NA beer options to customers, their patrons could purchase another round or two, pay about the same price, continue to drink and enjoy their time there, and the taproom would continue to make money.
Yet, when patrons stop drinking beer, the brewery stops making money.
The third scenario, is that they keep drinking. Surprisingly, this scenario could cost breweries more money than the previous two scenarios combined…
3) Legal Liability
In the scenario where a customer continues to drink alcohol after they’ve reached the legal limit and then drive home, the establishment may be liable for any injury or death that occurs.
30 states in the United States have rules called ‘Dram Shop Laws.’
This means that an establishment that serves alcohol may be liable for serving someone over the legal limit if that person gets behind the wheel and hurts someone.
Bars and Taprooms that serve non-alcoholic beer can offer NA alternatives to patrons who they suspect of being over the legal limit.
The patron still gets to drink beer, yet the establishment can ensure they don’t get any more intoxicated.
4) They’re losing potential sales
Some people have sworn off alcohol. There are plenty of reasons why people choose to be sober. They could be legal reasons, medical reasons, or psychological reasons like addiction.
This can be challenging for a lot of people, especially when our society places such a heavy emphasis on drinking alcohol.
Going out to a brewery, bar, or taproom with friends can be tempting and trigger them back into ‘just one beer.‘
By offering non-alcoholic versions of your beer, you give them the opportunity to join their friends, enjoy a night out, and be able to partake in a beer or two without relapsing back to old habits.
These are people who would never have gone to the establishment if they hadn’t been serving NA beer.
5) It’s the next best thing in craft beer
NA beer is considered the next trend in craft beer. The non-alcoholic beer market is expected to hit $29 Billion by the year 2026.
The North American NA beer market is expected to reach $6.4 Billion by then.
Major breweries like Sam Adams, Heineken, and Guinness have created their own NA options in the recent years and they’ve been a great success.
The opportunity for NA craft beer is huge and breweries need to jump on the train before it’s too late.
