Sales of no or low alcohol beers rise in The Netherlands

And one in twelve beers in Dutch supermarkets is now alcohol-free, according to figures from market researcher Circana.

Transcript

00:00The sale of non-alcoholic specialty beer is on the rise in the Netherlands.

00:07Market research shows that 1 in 12 beers in Dutch supermarkets is now alcohol-free.

00:12Some Dutch brewers are making it their main source of income, such as van de Streek beer

00:17in the city of Utrecht.

00:19Its founder, Ronald van de Streek, says the low alcohol variety is just as good as an

00:23alcoholic beer.

00:26There are many generations in the Netherlands who still believe that alcohol-free or alcohol-free

00:32beer is missing something.

00:33And we try to convince them every day that that is absolutely not the case.

00:36I dare to say that with a lot of beers, the difference is no longer feasible.

00:40Many student associations in the Netherlands are trying to stimulate drinking non-alcoholic

00:45beer to combat alcohol overconsumption.

00:48At this student bar in Eindhoven, more and more students are now choosing it.

00:53Every week we sell a few shots of it, and it's really good.

00:57I myself now drink a beer like this more and more often with Dry January.

01:00I don't expect alcohol to completely disappear as a society.

01:03And I don't think we should expect that.

01:05I think we should accept that if someone makes the choice not to drink alcohol, it should

01:10be okay if you're back in the bar with your 0.0.

01:13The latest figures from the Dutch Brewers Association show that 5.8 percent of all beers

01:18sold in 2019 was alcohol-free.

01:21In 2023, that rose to 7 percent.

01:24Brewers are hoping to increase that number to 10 percent by 2030.