Firebrand Brewing Co, located in Launceston, Cornwall, is experiencing a surge in demand for its non-alcoholic beer. The company recently purchased four large vessels to meet this growing demand. The trend of low and no-alcohol beer is reflected in the wider market, with retail sales value in the UK growing by 28.7% and volume sales by 18.8% over the past two years, according to Mintel. However, creating a non-alcoholic beer that still maintains the taste of traditional beer presents a challenge. Firebrand uses arrested fermentation by adding less malted barley, while Impossibrew uses cryogenic methods to halt the fermentation process. Larger breweries like Heineken use vacuum distillation to remove alcohol, but this process results in a lower concentration of flavor compounds. Some breweries are also using specialized yeast strains that produce very little alcohol during fermentation. The non-alcoholic beer market is expected to continue growing, with brands potentially exploring fortification with added vitamins, relaxing ingredients, and protein and electrolytes for post-sports recovery.
Not for human consumption
