Craft beers, without the booze? Non-alcoholic drinks from independent brewers are becoming more common - PennLive

As January nears its end - and with it, the Dry January trend of people abstaining from alcohol for the month - a new trend is on the rise.

Non-alcoholic beers have long been an alternative for those who are looking to enjoy a drink. But as independent breweries and craft beer become more and more common, so too do the craft non-alcoholic beers.

At Glenn Miller’s Beer & Soda Warehouse in Lemoyne, two recent additions to the stock are Lagunitas’ Hoppy Refresher and Athletic Brewing’s Upside Dawn. Both drinks are non-alcoholic.

“They sell well,” said Glenn Miller, warehouse manager of the family business. “With the Athletic Brewing, we had three different types at one point.”

Miller admitted that the majority of the non-alcoholic drink sales are still usually the “cheap budget beer” variety - something more like O’Douls or Old Milwaukee lines of NA beers. But he also said that had something to do with the ages of the customers who were buying them.

“The demographic of people buying non-alcoholic beer is usually older people, who don’t drink microbrews period,” he said, adding that the older customers were also more likely to buy larger quantities in one purchase - and thus, more likely to go with a cheaper option than craft beers.

Even so, Miller said, it’s clear that interest is growing for craft NA options.

“This last year, two came out from completely different companies out of nowhere,” he said. “Before that I’ve never seen non-alcoholic craft. The younger demographic that wants a non-alcoholic beer is going to go for that.”

J.B. Lovedrafts in Harrisburg has also started carrying the Lagunitas Hoppy Refresher, as well as having options for non-alcoholic spirits like gin or vodka.

Joshua Stambaugh, general manager of J.B. Lovedrafts, said that they’ve had NA options for roughly two years, though the Hoppy Refresher is a relatively new addition, having come to the bar about a month ago.

“We alternate various NA things for a lot of shows that we do, because there’s a lot of straight edge [customers], especially in the hardcore community,” Stambaugh said. “In the metal and hardcore scene, there are a lot of younger groups that don’t drink. But they still want to come out listen to the music, and have something different than just water.”

Bars that serve craft NA beers are still uncommon in our region, though more and more retailers are stocking them. Beer distributors and even grocery stores like Wegmans are carrying both the Lagunitas and Athletic Brewing Company NA beers.

And with more craft NA beers being produced, it’s more likely that more of them will be available. So by the time next Dry January rolls around, those looking to enjoy a beer without the alcohol will likely have even more options.

“I alternate different things, see what works, see what people like,” Stambaugh said. “Whenever people bring me something, I’ll typically give it a try at least. See what works.”

“We try to have everything,” Miller said. “Not only that, but I think it makes sense to have a variety, as long as it sells.”

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Craft beers, without the booze? Non-alcoholic drinks from independent brewers are becoming more common - PennLive
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