Lotte Peplow, Brewers Association’s American Craft Beer Ambassador, looks at opportunities for non-alcoholic beer following Dry January

And that’s a wrap on another Dry January! Were you a complete abstainer, a ‘damp’ January occasional imbiber or someone who carried on with their normal alcohol intake? As we shake off the cold, gloomy days of the year’s first month it’s worth reflecting on how much impact Dry January actually made. 

Quite a lot it would seem!

In the U.S., 21% of legal drinking age adults reported participating in Dry January in 2024 (up six percent from the year prior), a figure that skews towards younger and more health-conscious consumers than the overall population. While CGA research suggested intent to participate in Dry January to be slightly down in 2025 (see chart below, current figures unavailable as yet), the impact of Dry January can certainly be felt across all beverage alcohol.

And it’s not just the USA, in Sweden this year the combined revenue of both on and off trade sales is predicted to be 403million SEK (USD $36.9million), and revenue is expected to grow annually by 1.65% between 2025 -2029 (CAGR) according to research.

In the U.S. off-trade, January consistently records the lowest share of annual alcohol sales. Between 2021-2024, January accounted for just 6.3-6.7% of total sales in those years —37-40% less than the highest sales month and 20-24% less than the average sales month. Financial strain after the festive season likely plays a role in this trend, with many opting to cut back on spending and, consequently, alcohol consumption.

Non-alcohol beer still accounts for just 2% of scan sales by volume, but it has more than doubled in the past four years, up 119% since 2020. In the last year alone, it has grown 28%. The trend has been for the first three months of the year to produce a bump in non-alcohol products that becomes the baseline for the year ahead.

Much of this growth has been driven by the phenomenal success of Athletic Brewing Co, from Stratford, CN. Established in 2017 by Bill Shufelt, with brewer John Walker, Athletic has grown to become a Top 10 small and independent American craft brewery in a market not far short of 10,000 breweries. Fortunately for Scandinavian beer lovers, Athletic is available in Sweden.

Another Top10 American craft brewery, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co has developed non-alcoholic Trail Pass IPA, a dry-hopped, full-flavoured, hoppy IPA made using traditional brewing methods (not alcohol removal) to craft a balanced product that tastes like beer. Also available from select outlets in Sweden.

The American Time Use Survey (ATUS), conducted annually by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), reveals a concerning trend: our inherently social species is socialising less and less over time. Between 2003-2023 in America, there has been a 20% decline in time spent socialising for adults aged 25-54. Even more striking, fewer than 30% of respondents in this age group reported engaging in any socialising on an average day. This shift poses challenges for the on-trade, which may need to adapt by creating safer spaces and expanding non-alcoholic offerings to encourage adults to venture out of their homes.

You’re Invited!

Don’t miss Craft Brewers Conference® & BrewExpo America® (CBC™), 28 April – 1 May 2025 in Indianapolis, IN, the largest industry-only gathering in the States. Attendees will hear from a wide range of speakers during seminars across 12 different educational tracks. More than 550 exhibitors will be displaying the latest and greatest product innovations, suppliers and services. Look out for the seminar on hop water, one of the new categories of non-alcoholic drinks. The conference culminates with the awards ceremony for the World Beer Cup, the world’s largest and most prestigious beer competition.

Look out for award-winning American craft beer in Systembolaget and throughout Scandinavia. Sweden is an important export market for American craft beer and the largest in the EU accounting for 4.6% of all exports.

The Brewers Association publishes a wealth of resources to understand and enjoy craft beer, downloadable free of charge from www.brewersassociation.org

* Statista.com