We all know that 'Low & No' is one drinks category that's hard to ignore. Growing year-on-year, consumers are increasingly enjoying a vastly improved range of beers and spirits at no more than 0.5% ABV. Inevitably this has created a very competitive market.
This year has seen a 22% increase in Brits taking part in Dry January, as people around the UK, look to opt out of booze and replace it for a non-alcoholic alternative. A study by kitchen experts Maxima Kitchen Equipment used Google data to find out the UK's favourite non-alcoholic drinks. A spokesperson said: "Lots of people spend months looking forward to Christmas and the chance to indulge a little more than usual, in both food and drink. However, in January it's becoming more and more popular to try and start the year with a health-conscious mindset, whether it be going dry for the month or just trying to drink a little bit less than usual. It is interesting to see the growing popularity in non-alcoholic drinks and which ones are the nation's favourites."
Lucky Saint is one brand that has risen to the challenge with their award-winning Superior Unfiltered Lager. In the Maxima Kitchen Equipment study, Lucky Saint beer took third place with 38,400 searches, closely behind Becks Blue and Heineken 0.0 in top spot.
Luke Boase launched Lucky Saint in October 2018, having worked in the UK, Belgium and ultimately Germany. During the first year of COVID-19's assault on our lives, he took part in a live online discussion at Club Soda's Mindful Drinking Festival. Luke spoke to Steve Livens of the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) about Lucky Saint Lager and also the potential health benefits of alcohol-free beer.
"I spent two years working with six brewers in three countries learning how to make great tasting non-alcohol beer", he explains. "I was always trying to create the definitive alcohol-free Pilsener - a classic lager. I started thinking about this in 2015 when there were basically two products on the market. Now the category is awash with a wave of new products of much better quality."
Lucky Saint is a classic Pilsener, brewed with Pilsener malt, Hallertau hops, Bavarian spring water and their own single-use yeast. It takes six weeks to brew (two weeks fermentation and four weeks conditioning). The beer is left unfiltered to retain as much flavour and body as possible. The result is a delicate balance of biscuit, slight creaminess, citrus and spicy notes from the hops.
"It's a beautifully balanced beer with that little bit of extra edge", says Steve, an accredited beer sommelier and qualified industrial microbiologist. "It's all there on the mouthfeel and aroma. It's so exciting to have a drink that has no alcohol, but which is an authentic beer style with all the characteristics."
You can read more about Lucky Saint's story here and here.
Between 2013 and 2018, the 'Low & No' category grew over 230% and continues to show strong potential for growth despite COVID. "It'll be one of the most exciting things in the brewing category", believes Steve. "There's a solid momentum behind it. Other countries like Spain are ahead of us, so we still have some way to go. Alcohol-free is a big opportunity for the brewery sector. There's a huge ability to create high quality drinks that present themselves in a unique way - products in their own right."
So with young consumers, in particular, interested in healthier lifestyle choices, can beer remain relevant?
Historically, beer was referred to as liquid bread since it's made with similar ingredients. "It's cereal-based, so all those benefits we get with cereals are there", explains Steve. "To a certain extent for brewers, it's there in greater quantities because of the way we treat the cereal in the first place. Barley isn't milled in the same way as for bread-making, not to that fine level where it's broken up a little more. So in that sense, it's a less destructive process and it leads to more of that nutritional contribution in the final product. The hops and yeast provide a variety of different benefits. These ultimately create a drink with quite a high nutritional composition - vitamins (particularly B vitamins), amino acids and proteins. Beer is one of the very few things that is naturally rich in silicone which is fantastic for skin, hair and nails."
So if you're looking to avoid alcohol, it looks like you can still enjoy a beer, while potentially getting some health benefits.
"With just over 50 calories per bottle and zero sugar, it's healthier than orange juice!"
Steve has further good news for fitness enthusiasts! "It's a great sports drink too. Alcohol-free beer is a fantastic way to replace minerals and vitamins you lose through intensive exercise. The only thing missing is salt. So, a great combo is with pretzels or peanuts!"
Consumers are also increasingly looking for lower calorie products as part of their lifestyle choices. "When you brew beer", explains Luke, "you extract the sugar from the malt. The sugars are then fermented and turn to alcohol. It's the alcohol then that carries a lot of the calorie content. So, in our case when we go from 5% to 0.5%, we end up with a beer that contains less than half or even a third of the calories of its full-strength equivalent."
It clearly takes skill, effort and a good palate to create a flavourful, well-balanced drink by removing the alcohol. "The art of the brewer", says Steve, "is not about creating something nutritionally rich, but that's what happens. Alcohol is an important flavour characteristic. If you remove it, that upsets the whole balance of the drink. To be able to compensate for that loss and still have that wonderful flavour is in itself no mean feat. So, having reduced calorie content and all the other benefits is what's exciting about the category."
"Alcohol-free doesn't need to give you the same sensation necessarily as full strength beer", adds Luke. "However, the underlying flavours still need to be there and taste good. Making beer without alcohol is like walking a tightrope - getting the bitterness right without astringency from the hops. It's an incredibly fine tightrope you walk down, as there's no alcohol to hide behind!"
So there you have it - alcohol-free beer can taste great and potentially do you good. Now that's something to drink to!
