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Busting Non-Alcoholic Beer Myths With Sam Adams Award-Winning NA Brewer
All the way on NA
Photography courtesy of The Boston Beer Company
This is a paid sponsored post from our friends at the Samuel Adams
Non-alcoholic beer is here to stay. That’s not a myth. According to NielsenIQ, off-premise non-alc sales from the last fifty-two weeks recorded $740 million, up a little over $175 million from the previous year. The report also stated that searches of non-alcoholic beverages and alternatives on Google reached 51.9 million.
Overall, NielsenIQ predicts that the non-alcoholic space in off-premise channels will reach over $1 billion in sales by the end of this year.
“The growth rate is about thirty percent,” says Tory Bratt, senior brand manager for non-alcohol, Samuel Adams. “Non-alc beer is definitely, on a percentage basis, the fastest-growing segment in all beer.”
You can see that trend reflected in Sam Adams’ own award-winning non-alcoholic beer, Just the Haze, which, according to Bratt, has seen double-digit growth.
Bratt also points out that everyone has gotten into the non-alcohol game, from the biggest beer brands in the world, like Michelob Ultra and Guinness, to celebrities, such as Tom Holland.
As we predicted in our “Top 11 Craft Beer Trends to Watch in 2025,” all signs point to the non-alcoholic segment not only growing but also diversifying (hello, functional beverages and THC-based drinks).
Despite all these stellar signs, when it comes to non-alcoholic beer, some myths still exist.
We sat down with Bratt and Boston Beer Co. Senior Manager, R&D Brewing and Operations Shelley Smith to bust some of the most common myths around non-alcoholic beverages and hear their predictions for what’s next in the fastest-growing segment of craft beer.
From Flavorless to Flavor-Packed
Photography courtesy of The Boston Beer Company
As a kid, I remember my grandfather drinking both brands around the family dinner table. Those are the non-alcoholic beers of yesteryear—certainly not the versions we see and can enjoy today.
“Up until a few years ago, the perception of non-alcoholic beer was definitely something bland, watery, a beverage that was a pretty far stretch from beer,” says Smith, who worked with her team for over two years to perfect Sam Adams’ first non-alcoholic award-winning beer, Just the Haze. “We wanted to change that perception when we developed Just the Haze, focusing on flavor and really creating a beverage that is truly as close to beer as you can get without the alcohol.”
That’s key here.
When Smith set out to create Sam Adams’ first non-alcoholic beer, she didn’t approach it as a “non-alcoholic beer,” but just as beer…without the alcohol.
At the risk of sounding pedantic, there is a big difference here.
When approaching non-alcoholic beer, Sam Adams adopts the tagline Non-Alc For Beer Lovers.
“Our intention is to create the same flavor you would expect from an IPA or a pilsner,” states Smith, emphasizing the key drivers are flavor and taste. “Having that mouthfeel, that full flavor, that hop aroma…just without the alcohol!”
Making this a reality is actually much more complicated than it sounds. “But I think, as brewers, we love that challenge,” says Smith with a little smile. “We took on [the challenge] with a little pride and a little ingenuity.”
Although Smith can’t remember exactly how many trial versions they went through with Just the Haze before nailing it, she said, “Definitely a lot over two years!”
Throughout the entire R&D phase, the sensory team wasn’t asked to score the trials as “non-alcoholic beer,” but just as beer. “We’d look at that sensory profile and really evaluate each of those prototypes against that gold star,” she says.
So far, Sam Adams’ approach has worked. Since launching in 2021, Just the Haze has picked up a plethora of awards, including a silver at the 2021 World Beer Awards, gold at the 2022 Great American Beer Festival, silver at the 2023 World Beer Cup, and gold at the 2024 World Beer Awards.
To back up the brewery’s first myth-busting non-alcoholic beer, Sam Adams released an NA pilsner called Golden in 2023.
And they’re just getting started.
When asked her thoughts on the NA segment today, Bratt immediately responded, “Honestly, the first two words that come to mind are growth and innovation.”
From Sober Stigma to Cool Culture
Photography courtesy of The Boston Beer Company
We’ve seen those somewhat belittling boxes completely shattered in the last half-decade or so.
According to data from IWSR Bevtrac, by last April, sixty-one percent of non-alcoholic beer consumers in the U.S. identified as Millennials, twenty-two percent as Gen X, and seven percent as Gen Z.
But what’s even more eye-opening is that those who are drinking NA beer aren’t solely drinking non-alcoholic options.
We’ve seen a new thing called “zebra striping” become popular. The practice includes going one-for-one between low- or no-alcohol beverages and alcoholic ones. The idea is that you moderate your drinking and help prevent a nasty hangover.
Smith says she does something similar when out with friends, going for a regular full-strength IPA before switching to a non-alcoholic one.
“We’re seeing that a lot of people mix non-alcoholic products into various drinking occasions,” says Smith. “[Non-alcoholic beer] is just a lot more versatile and can appeal to a pretty wide range of people and occasions.”
People aren’t giving up on drinking altogether. In fact, what’s slipping a bit under the radar is a similar rise in higher-ABV beverages alongside the explosive growth of non- or low-alcohol drinks.
“Non-alc has almost doubled in the last two years,” said 3 Tier Beverage Consultant Mary Mills during a presentation Hop Culture attended last December, “but we often skip past the high ABV—[which had] $256 million growth in the last year in the 7+% ABV space.”
Both Mills and NielsenIQ Associate Director of Beverage Alcohol Thought Leadership Kaleigh Theriault examined the numbers, discovering a lot of crossover between consumers looking for non-alcohol and high-alcohol options.
“We saw that a third of non-alc buyers purchased 7% ABV and above beer, so a pretty significant number of consumers are overlapping,” explained Theriault.
Mills picked up the thread, “This is consumer-driven by different occasions. Consumers aren’t just consuming one or the other; they find what fits them based on the occasion.”
Bratt says she’s seen something similar from Numerator at Sam Adams. “Over eighty percent of non-alc beer buyers also buy regular beer,” she shares. “Isn’t that surprising?!”
It’s a trend Bratt also sees with Sam Adams products, noting there is often overlap between those buying Sam Adams’ regular strength craft beer and Sam Adams’ non-alcoholic beer, according to Numerator data. “We see a fairly high overlap.”
Nowadays, you don’t need to feel ashamed or chastised for drinking a non-alcoholic beer. It’s not only accepted but pretty much considered cool.
From Dry January to Sober October and Every Day In Between
Photography courtesy of The Boston Beer Company
But it’s certainly not the only time we see people drinking non-alcoholic beer anymore.
“One other myth is that people only drink [non-alcoholic beer] during January,” says Bratt, citing Circana data. “Actually, if you look at seasonality, non-alc beer spikes the most in the summer, when regular beer spikes.”
People drink non-alcoholic beer as a part of their everyday habits. “It’s not just certain times during the year,” says Bratt. “We know that people are drinking non-alc beer year round.”
Although events like Dry January and Sober October have become popular in mainstream media and consumption culture, they aren’t the only times of the year when people are drinking non-alcoholic beer.
What Is the Future of Non-Alcoholic Beer?
We might venture to say the future for this segment is as bright as an NA West Coast IPA.
Bratt says to expect to see more big beer brands entering the space along with more celebrity endorsements.
She also predicts we’ll see more investment in NA spirits, fifth-category beverages, such as CBD- or THC-infused drinks, and adaptogen or functional beverages.
“There will be a huge divergence of options within the non-alc space,” says Bratt.
For the foreseeable future, Sam Adams plans to double down on its current offerings. “We’re focusing on continuing to build our foundation with those two flagships,” says Bratt, noting they plan to eventually expand on their NA portfolio but don’t have anything official to share quite yet. “At Sam Adams, people really want good, craft-tasting, non-alcoholic beer!”
Ready to Try Some Non-Alcoholic Beer?
Photography courtesy of The Boston Beer Company
We think Sam Adams’ two offerings are a great place to start.
Sam Adams Just the Haze
Sam Adams’ first-ever non-alcoholic beer is a banger. We’ve personally had this beer many times, naming it to our list of “The Top 10 New Non-Alcoholic Beverages We’re Drinking for Dry January,” “The Best Non-Alcoholic Brands to Watch in 2024,” and “The Best Non-Alcoholic Beers Available in Most Stores Right Now,” among others.
We’ve recommended this beer to folks pretty much every year since it first launched—that’s how much we love it.
It’s the juicy flavor that stood out most to us.
“We really wanted a juicy, fruity, big, bold, full-flavored IPA,” says Smith.
Right off the bat, when you crack the can, you’ll notice a huge hop aroma courtesy of what Smith calls a “classic IPA backbone of Cascade, Citra, and Mosaic hops.”
Smith says they also added Sabro to bring in some tropical characteristics.
Everything gives you that look, taste, and feel of a hazy, juicy IPA.
“You get a lot of fruity character—lemony citrus, tangerine, grapefruit, juicy orange—with a little bit of that tropical [note] from the Sabro,” shares Smith. “Sometimes you even get a little peach or stone fruit.”
What is perhaps most impressive about Just the Haze, and why we think it’s won so many awards, is that Sam Adams nailed the body and mouthfeel.
Oftentimes, with non-alcoholic beers we try, we feel that the body just doesn’t live up to the real thing.
Not with Just the Haze. “It’s got a medium body,” says Smith, “so it’s got a little bit more mouthfeel to it than what you might expect from a typical non-alcoholic beer.”
Everything ends with a smooth, clean, easy finish.
Whether you’ve never tried NA beer before or are just looking for your next six-pack to grab, Just the Haze should be at the top of your list.
Sam Adams Golden
While Just the Haze has hogged the spotlight, Sam Adams Golden is another NA beer you shouldn’t sleep on.
“Think golden lager, a pilsner,” says Smith. “We wanted that really crisp, clean, subtle malt that had a little bit lighter body, medium carbonation, and was very easy-drinking.”
When it comes to the aroma, you’ll find that maltier character comes through. Smith describes the scent as “white bread, a little cracker, and a really subtle citrus.”
On the sip, you’ll notice a slight malt sweetness balanced with low bitterness and a touch of acidity. “And then again, that really clean, fast finish,” says Smith, mentioning this NA beer would also pair really well with food.
About The Author
Grace Lee-Weitz
Currently Drinking:
Fort Point Beer Co. KSA
Grace is the Senior Content Editor for Hop Culture and Untappd. She also organizes and produces the largest weeklong women, femme-identifying, and non-binary folx in craft beer festival in the country, Beers With(out) Beards, and the first-ever festival celebrating the colorful, vibrant voices in the queer community in craft beer, Queer Beer. An avid craft beer nerd Grace always found a way to work with beer. After graduating with a journalism degree from Northwestern University, she attended culinary school before working in restaurant management. She moonlighted as a brand ambassador at 3 Sheeps Brewing Co. on the weekends before moving into the beer industry full-time as an account coordinator at 5 Rabbit Cerveceria. Grace holds her Masters degree in the Food Studies program at NYU.
