Beer breakthrough: consumers embrace low-alcohol beer

Research by global marketing intelligence agency Mintel suggested European consumers enjoy the taste of beer containing low or no alcohol as much as full-strength beer.

The study found that 28% of French consumers and 27% of German consumers believe it tastes the same, and this has led to an increase in the consumption of non-alcoholic beer, with up to 33% of Spanish, 23% of German and 9% of French consumers drinking it.

Low alcohol content not only has its health benefits, but it also appeals to those avoiding the negative connotations of alcohol including a loss of control and painful hangovers. Although younger generations are assumed to be heavy drinkers, many are turning to non-alcoholic beer as opposed to regular beer for these reasons. The study illustrated this, as it found that 56% of French consumers agree that low- or no-alcohol beer allows the individual to stay in control when drinking.

This suggests that the stigma attached to it is slowly decreasing, with only one in 10 German consumers suggesting they would be embarrassed to be seen drinking low- or no-alcohol beer.

“As health and wellness trends influence alcohol consumption more and more, consumers are being drawn towards moderate beer options and the stigma of drinking low- or no-alcohol beer is being challenged. Looking to the future, the global beer market will see even more moderate innovation as millennials in particular seek healthier and less calorific beer options,” said Jonny Forsyth, global drinks analyst at Mintel.

However, many consumers rely on well-known brands when turning to low-alcohol alternatives as they trust their taste and quality over new or lesser known competitors. While China is the leading global innovator of low- or no-alcohol beer product launches, Mintel found that consumers in that region preferred low-alcohol beer in general. There is still much to be done in terms of worldwide innovation in this area, with Forsyth describing the progress so far as “limited”.

“This goes hand in hand with a number of brands working to raise the quality of the product, especially non-alcoholic beers. Germany, in particular, is now making high-quality non-alcoholic beers and, as a result, non-alcoholic beer has now become a mainstream option,” Forsyth stated.

The rising popularity of non-alcoholic beer could branch out into Middle Eastern and African markets, as according to Mintel GNPD, the number of low- or no-alcohol beer launches in these countries increased from 22% in 2015 to 30% in 2016.

“There is a strong case for further non-alcoholic beer growth potential in the Middle Eastern and Asian markets, especially those with a big Muslim population, such as Indonesia,” Forsyth said.