The Booze-Free Beverage Industry Is Booming

First Craft Brewery To Brew Only Non-Alcoholic Beer — Cans of beer are packed at Athletic Brewing’s non-alcoholic brewery and production plant on March 20, 2019 in Stratford, Connecticut. The Stratford, Connecticut-based brewery only brews craft non-alcoholic beers and came about after co-founder Bill Shufelt quit drinking for a healthier lifestyle and felt there was a lack of high quality non-alcoholic beers being offered to American consumers.

August 13, 2021

Updated August 07, 2023

This week on Under The Radar:

Booze-free beverages are having a moment — and no, we’re not talking about your grandfather’s O’Doul’s or sugary sweet mocktails. A wide variety of non-alcoholic craft beers are popping up on liquor store shelves near you, while bar menus are expanding to make space for spirit-free cocktails.

Alcohol sales did spike last year, as Americans drank more during the pandemic. But millennials are driving a boom in the non-alcoholic beverage business, and industry leaders say these drinks aren’t just for the sober or sober-curious. But will the general public make a full culture shift to non-alcoholic drinks?

Guests:

Bill Shufelt is co-founder and CEO of Athletic Brewing Co., a Connecticut-based non-alcoholic brewery.

Julia Bainbridge is the author of “Good Drinks: Alcohol-Free Recipes for When You’re Not Drinking for Whatever Reason,” and a 2021 Food & Wine “Game Changer.”

Pauline Idogho is founder and CEO of Mocktail Club, a Black-owned non-alcoholic cocktail company based in Washington D.C.