Even before Dry January, low-alcohol beer represented the biggest growth market in the brewing industry. DERIN CLARK speaks to local firms about how they are capitalising on its remarkable rise
The nation's drinking habits are changing.
Growing numbers of people are forgoing alcohol not just for so-called 'Dry January', but indefinitely.
Analysts say the shift is being driven by the younger generation who, looking to be healthier and save money, are drinking less.
Add to this the rise in social media bringing with it the fear of drunken videos and photos being circulated on the web, and it looks like the trend toward a sober lifestyle may be here to stay.
For breweries, what could have been a devastating blow to the industry has, instead, turned into an opportunity.
Local firms are tapping into the trend by introducing low-alcohol beers.
Adnams - the biggest brewery in the region - is leading the way and has already launched ales with very little alcohol.
Its Ghost Ship 0.5% is the UK's best-selling low-alcohol ale.
The Southwold brewery stated that the key to its success has been basing the ale on its popular Ghost Ship 4.5%.
Fergus Fitzgerald, director of production at Adnams, said: “Our focus is always on taste and Ghost Ship 0.5% is now our second-best selling beer, out of the 30 beers we brew.
"Ghost Ship 0.5% stands in its own right as a beer, to hold the top position in the low and no-alcohol ale category in the UK is something we are incredibly proud of.”
A GROWING INDUSTRY
Research from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) found that between 2017 and 2018 the low and no-alcohol larger and ale market grew by 39% in value, compared with the total beer market which grew by just 3.9%.
The growth is predominantly driven by the younger generations.
Drink market analysis firm, IWSR, found that 40% of no and low-alcohol consumers are choosing this option as substitutes to full-strength versions - with Gen Z (those aged 11-26) and millennials (those aged 27-42) the most likely to be 'substituters' - 46% and 41% respectively.
Gen Z and millennials are also more likely to switch between no and low-alcohol and full-strength drinks on the same occasion - 20% and 23%.
FOCUSING ON TASTE
A desire to enter this market has seen more local breweries experiment with creating low-alcohol beers and ales that taste just as good as their full-strength alternatives.
Mr Fitzgerald said: "Before Ghost Ship 0.5% we had some success brewing a lower-alcohol beer, Solestar, but it wasn't low enough to really work for those occasions when people wanted to go alcohol-free.
"We also wanted to be able to brew a pale ale that tasted as good as a full-strength beer.
"There were some good alcohol-free lagers but no one had really managed to do it with hoppier style of beer. Ghost ship had become our best-selling beer by then, so it made sense to us that we set ourselves the challenge of replicating the flavour.
"We've always wanted the beer to be a good beer in its own right, that just happens to be low-alcohol, I think that is a large part of its success.
"People choose it as part of what they drink, not because they have to."
Along with ales, Adnams has expanded its low-alcohol range to include cider and gin.
Wildcraft Brewery, based in Smallburgh, Norfolk, is planning to launch its first low-alcohol beer by the end of this year.
"It is clearly a growth market," said managing director Mike Deal.
"The newer generation coming through are more aware of what alcohol can do to you and are choosing a healthier lifestyle.
"We are currently experimenting with creating our own version but we need to make sure it is a top-quality product that tastes right.
"We have put in a reasonable amount of investment of time and equipment into this so we are hoping it will be a success."
MARKET CHALLENGES
Although the move towards a healthier lifestyle has helped drive the growth of the market, it could also be one of its biggest challenges.
Drinkers opting to go alcohol-free are also likely to be concerned about the amount of sugar and calories in beers and ales, so breweries may need to ensure that their product appeals to the health-conscious.
Another hurdle could be price.
Looking to save money is often cited just below health as a reason for not drinking alcohol, so ensuring drinks are competitively priced may become as important as quality and taste to making the product a success.
HERE FOR THE LONG-TERM
Owner of Norfolk pubs The Fox at Lyng and Tuddenham Lodge, Victoria Hunt, said that although low-alcohol drinks make up just a small part of sales, she has noticed a rise in popularity.
"It is definitely younger people who are choosing not to drink alcohol as a lifestyle choice.
"From that point of view, you've got to have a range of drinks to appeal to them."
Mrs Hunt said that offering mocktails - alcohol-free cocktails - as well as low-alcohol beers, ales and spirits is key to attracting younger drinkers.
"It is something that will be here for the long term, so we need to improve the range we offer.
"There are new alcohol-free drinks coming onto the market all the time.
"The industry is getting better at supplying different options."
At the moment the range of low-alcohol drinks hasn't been enough to tempt customers doing dry January into her pubs, but Mrs Hunt is hoping this will change soon.
"A couple of my customers are doing Dry January and they have been keeping away as their husbands are drinking and they don't want to risk the temptation," she said.
"Just this week, I've been looking at ordering in low-alcohol gins to help tempt them back during Dry January."
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