Despite proclamations from brands and retailers that the trend towards moderation is happening year-round, Dry January remains a cornerstone of the alcohol-free calendar for UK consumers.
It’s a moment when many shoppers consider their own health, whether that’s taking a brief booze break after festive overindulgence, or looking to make habits endure beyond the first month of the year.
It is therefore no surprise to see a rise in new alcohol-free launches as January looms nearer. Early in December, Lucky Saint announced its first piece of NPD since 2018 – a Hazy IPA made with New World hops.
Yet Lucky Saint isn’t the only brewer adding to its alcohol-free offer – many others are bolstering their booze stables with sin-free options
Wiper & True Kaleidoscope
Wiper & True is betting big on alcohol-free. The Bristol-based brewer debuted Tomorrow, a 0.5% German lager, last December after investing in its own ‘dealcoholiser’ machine (a piece of kit rarely seen in the UK and outside of the biggest breweries). The equipment enables it to remove the alcohol over a 60-hour period, resulting in the “truest and best expression of an alcohol-free lager”.
Next to receive the dealcoholisation treatment is its best-selling Kaleidoscope. The 4.2% brew, made with Citra, Simcoe and Mosaic hops, has had its alcohol content dialled down to 0.5% while maintaining its “bright citrus and vibrant fruit flavours”, according to Wiper & True.
- Style: pale ale
- Rsp: £2.90/440ml
- Abv: 0.5%
Brulo Highway To Hell
Founded in 2019 by James Brown with the desire to create quality, hop-forward alcohol-free craft beer, Brulo’s colourful cast of tipples includes its 7 Hop 7 Grain DDH IPA, Lust For Life DDH IPA and Cascadian Tides Stout. Next in its sights is lager, having brewed a 0.5% helles called Highway To Hell using oak chips and noble hops. The brew offers “light malt, grassy, floral” notes and “a touch of dry bitterness on the finish,” according to Brulo.
- Style: lager
- Rsp: £16.99/6x330ml
- Abv: 0.5%
Lucky Saint Hazy IPA
Five years after launching, alcohol-free specialist Lucky Saint has finally bitten the bullet on some NPD. The brand announced last week it is to launch a 0.5% Hazy IPA. The beer will make its retail debut this week, and be in all major grocers in time for Dry January. A “juicy, hazy IPA” that offers “notes of tropical fruit, zesty citrus, and fresh pine”, the brew is the result of two years of research and development, according to Lucky Saint.
- Style: IPA
- Rsp: £6/4x330ml
- Abv: 0.5%
Fierce Beer Ghost
Scotland’s Fierce Beer is no stranger to alcohol-free. In fact, it produces beers for some of the UK’s best-known alcohol-free breweries under contract. It entered the category with its own brand in November last year, debuting 0.5% versions of its Cerveza and Hazy. Ghost is its first dedicated alcohol-free beer, brewed with a big malt bill to create “depth of flavour and body” and cutting-edge hopping technology from Yakima Chief. This gives it “big aromas of nectarine and orange peel”, according to the brewer.
- Style: pale ale
- Rsp: £3.30/440ml
- Abv: 0.5%
Budvar Lime
New for this Dry January is Czech brewer Budvar’s second alcohol-free effort, Bud Lime. This 0.3% brew is a “unique thirst-quenching, non-alcoholic, lime-flavoured beer” according to Budvar, which imports it from the Czech Republic in chunky 500ml cans. It’s a tweak on Budvar’s ‘Birgo’ offering in its domestic market, and joins Budvar Nealko in the brewery’s UK alcohol-free roster.
- Style: lager
- Rsp: £19.95/24x500ml
- Abv: 0.3%
Hammerton Crunch AF / Fudge City
Hammerton’s Zed alcohol-free pale already comes highly commended, having been voted best canned alcohol-free beer in the UK by the Society of Independent Brewers this year. Now the north London brewery is turning its attention to stout, with a duo of decadent booze-free brews. Crunch AF is the result of three months work and it took 37 iterations before Hammerton landed on “the perfect ratio of peanut butter, lactose and biscuit”. Fudge City, meanwhile, is a “deep and rich chocolate milk stout” with “fudge and caramel aromas”.
- Style: stout
- Rsp: £12.60/4x330ml / £15.80/4x440ml
- Abv: 0.5%
Tiny Rebel Easy Livin’ Non-Alc
Welsh craft stalwart Tiny Rebel made its first move in alcohol-free in January 2020, launching a 0.5% version of its flagship Tropical IPA, Clwb Tropica. This year, the brewer is releasing four beers between 2.5% and 0.5% as part of a bid to showcase and grow the wider low & no category. Among them is Easy Livin Non Alc – a 0.5% version of its session pale of the same name. The brew offers “a tropical taste and a perfectly smooth finish”, according to Tiny Rebel.
- Style: pale ale
- Rsp: £2/440ml
- Abv: 0.5%
Butcombe Brewery Goram IPA Zero
Launced quietly 18 months ago, this alcohol-free version of Butcombe’s Goram IPA is now a priority beer for the Bristol-based brewer. It’s made with UK, US and New Zealand hops and offers a balance of “stone fruit, citrus and bitter notes”, according to Butcombe. It is being launched in 440ml cans this January to sit alongside the 330ml bottles previously available.
- Style: IPA
- Rsp: £2.25/440ml
- Abv: 0.5%
Attic Brew Co Lucid
Birmingham-based Attic Brew Co’s first attempt at alcohol-free is a 0.3% abv pale ale it describes as “vibrant and juicy, with flavours of passion fruit and lime”. The beer was designed “as a beer to drink whenever the mood takes you, without having to worry about the consequences”, according to Attic co-founder Oli Hurlow.
- Style: pale ale
- Rsp: £2.75/330ml
- Abv: 0.3%
Good Chemistry Tiny Dancer
Another craft brewer to dip its toe into the alcohol-free waters is Bristol’s Good Chemistry. Last year, it debuted Zero Gravity, a 0.5% brew made with Columbus, Citra, Amarillo hops. The beer has been added to its flagship range thanks to its popularity, leading Good Chemistry to work on a follow-up to launch in January 2024. Tiny Dancer is a “deliciously sessionable pale ale” brewed with Citra, Mosaic & Bru-1 hops. It’s available in both 440ml can and keg formats, mainly via the brand’s webshop and other independent bars and retailers.
- Style: pale ale
- Rsp: £2.80/440ml
- Abv: 0.5%
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