U.S. of N/A: Non-Alcoholic Beer

In this episode we sit down with Momentum Brewery and ProofNoMore’s co-owner Lars Dahlhaus to better understand the non-alcoholic beer category, where it may be headed, and how he’s working to build a brand around the ‘why’ and ‘where’ consumers are drinking the product. As the category continues to mature, understanding these motivations will be critical to finding success, and creating more brands for N/A drinkers to enjoy. Lars' many beverage experiences include bringing the Rothaus Beers from Bavaria to the U.S., and later launching Crabbie's Ginger beer for St. Killian.In our conversation Lars talks about some of the differences between the German and U.S. beer markets, his thoughts on branding and packaging (including how that may influence the consumer), as well as why Momentum would like to partner with smaller, local breweries to help them offer an N/A beer in their taprooms. 

We set out to explore the middle ground between N/A and the big, boozy imperials and extra-hopped beers that helped make American craft beer famous, and figure out if it offered any clues as to where non-alcoholic beer could be headed. While IPAs and the like aren’t going anywhere, in the traditional brewing world there’s undoubtedly been a movement toward lower gravity lagers, pilsners, English ales and related styles that dare to come in at 5% ABV or lower, at least inching a bit closer to their under .5% counterparts. We start our episode sitting down with the creator of Duluth, Georgia’s Little Beer Festival, having recently celebrated its 4th iteration this month. Todd DiMatteo is also the owner/brewer of Good Word Brewing & Public House, which itself focuses on these low gravity styles. Similar to a few other festivals that have popped up in recent years to focus on lighter brews, Little Beer offers festival-goers the opportunity to sample hordes of beers that won’t knock you over with alcohol, which may go against some perceptions of a beer festival.At the event we also talk with brewers and experts from Lupulin Brewing, Wren House Brewing, and The Whale Craft Beer Collective. All shared their own perspectives of non-alcoholic beer, where and how it’s going for them, and whether there may be an intersection of these movements within an overall trend toward moderation in craft beer consumption.

In our first N/A beer notebook episode, we're joined by Myles Faulkner of The Modern Substitute, an informative newsletter featuring weekly recommendations of N/A beers, wines and spirits. In this episode Myles and I talk about the rising non-alcoholic scene in the Pacific Northwest, expansions with Partake Brewing and Kit NA Brewing, a quick dive into what we're drinking, and lastly, with both of us being fans of the beautiful game, we end with a discussion around the parallels between the growth of N/A and the game of soccer in the U.S. 

While thus far the non-alcoholic brewing space has been dominated by Big Beer, Athletic Brewing, and dozens of other N/A-only brewers, the N/A movement is now showing up in local breweries around the country. In this episode we chat with our friend Tyler McMahon of Reducaholic on what's happening in this important part of the category, which breweries are already leading, what may be holding back others from jumping in, and why all of this is so important to the category's long-term growth.

In our first-ever N/ATION road trip, we headed to the mountain mecca of craft beer in the east, Asheville, North Carolina. In this two-part episode we first chatted with Jason Pedrick, owner of NoLo, Asheville's non-alcoholic bottle shop that was the first of its kind to open in the Southeast in 2021. In our conversation Jason gave us his perspective on the N/A movement in the city, where bottle shops like his may fit into future growth in the category, and what participation he'd love to see from the craft beer community locally.In the second-part of our episode we sat down with Doug Reiser, COO and Co-Founder of Burial Beer, Asheville's first (and currently only) local brewery to produce an N/A beer. Doug explained why Burial felt it was a priority to get into N/A, what it's done for both their customers and employees, and his thoughts on the role Asheville might play in the movement going forward.

In our inaugural episode we sit down with Atmosphere Brewery's Jonathan Zimmerman, known in some circles as Johnny Atmosphere, who shares his founder story around why he decided to launch a 0.0% ABV N/A beer brand in partnership with a 400 year-old German brewery, and how a silver sequin jacket and hat have become the perfect accessories to making the category more approachable. He also shares his thoughts on the various types of consumers he meets at Atmosphere sampling events, and what influence the European approach to drinking culture might have on the U.S. as the space continues to evolve.