How the Drinks List charted sales of low & no beers

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Data from The Drinks List – Top Brands to Stock in 2024 charted the start of when the sector appeared to appreciate how strong sales for Low & No beers were becoming.

Some nine months on, the Drinks List, which is set to be published in December 2024, will surely show how the category is flourishing.

Data compiled by insights expert CGA by NIQ showed Heineken 0.0 was the top seller at pubs, bars and restaurants with volume sales reaching 44,504 hectolitres (HL) – a rise of 19,6% from the previous year’s volume total of 37,205HL.

Meanwhile sales of Heineken’s zero percent alcohol beer was 167% that of its nearest rival, charting sales worth £38.4m – a close to 25% increase on the previous year’s £30.9m.

Five spots gained

And while Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0 had moved up from seventh best seller to second - knocking Becks LA Alcohol Free (Blue) into third place – the Peroni variant recorded a 396.7% uptick in volume sales and 426.3% hike in value from £2.7m in 2022 to £14.4m in 2023.

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Becks LA Alcohol-Free endured a tough year despite taking bronze in the category as volume sales dropped by 30.5% from 10,620HL to 7,378HL while sales of £7.7m represented a 29.3% fall from £10.9m.

Lucky Saint rose from eighth place to fourth in 2023 as volume sales enjoyed a huge 177% boost to reach 6,003HL and value leapt 180.3% to £7.4m.

Mammoth hikes

Birra Moretti Zero clocked up big increases in both volume and value sales while upward progress was more steady for established brands San Miguel 0% and Erdinger Alcololfrei.

The highest increases in both volume and value were from Diageo’s Guinness Draught 0.0 stout, which was new entrant to the sphere, reaching eighth spot. The brand saw mammoth hikes of 8526.9% in volume sales from 34HL to 2,950HL, in addition to an 8399.4% rise in value from £0m to £2.5m, with the product only launching for the on-trade at the end of 2022.

The top 10 was rounded off by BrewDog Punk AF and Brooklyn Special Effects, which both recorded mostly flat sales in volume and value.