The trade body claimed the low & no beer category now accounts for almost 3% of the UK’s total beer market and expects some 22m pints to be poured during the 2025 festive period alone.
This year has been the most successful year on record for the low & no beer market. In 2024, almost 170m low & no ABV beers were drunk so consumption of 200m pints in 2025 will be an increase of close to 20% on the previous year.
The new figures further support recent statistics reported by Drinkaware that almost one in two drinkers consumed low & no alcohol in the past 12 months (up from 22% in 2021).
The BBPA said the sector’s ability to adapt to trends and the increased number of options being produced has led to the uptick in sales and also supports the Government’s public health goals.
However, the BBPA has warned progress for the category is being held back somewhat by the UK’s “restrictive” definition of what ‘alcohol free’ means.
Currently, a beer must be below 0.05% ABV to be classified as alcohol-free, which the BBPA said is “a stricter definition than many other countries where the limit is 0.5%”.
Inspiring to see
BBPA CEO Emma McClarkin said: “The pub has always been about more than getting a drink and it is inspiring to see so many people choosing to moderate while still celebrating the occasion this festive season.
“Low & no beer has become one of the sector’s greatest success stories and its growth shows just how our well industry reacts and responds to emerging trends.”
She added the Government needs to recognise the importance of empowering people to make such choices and said updating the definition of alcohol-free to 0.5% ABV would unlock new investment and bring the UK in line with international markets and give customers more options when they want to moderate.
Meanwhile, Lucky Saint founder said: “We’ve seen record sales with more people buying Lucky Saint than ever before. We’re seeing this across every month of the year. It’s become engrained as part of how people are drinking.
“Next year (2026) is the year the Government should finally change the alcohol-free descriptor to 0.5% ABV, as it is across Europe and much of the rest of the world.
“We’ve seen how this change encourages greater take up of alcohol-free products, and the positive impact it has on the health of a nation.”
Amazing atmosphere
Greene King chief operating officer Clair Preston-Beer added: “Pubs really are the place to be over the festive season.
“The atmosphere is amazing as people gather to celebrate and we work hard to serve our customers a great choice of food, drinks and atmosphere over this time.
“Our research has found that lifestyle choices are prompting one in three pubgoers to moderate their drinking and select low & no alcohol alternatives when they are out.”
The BBPA said the low & no category has witnessed a volume growth of 750% since 2013 as more pubs than ever are welcoming customers that are choosing to moderate and brewers invest and innovate.
Research by Greene King has found total sales of alcohol-free drinks are up 36% over the past 12 months across Greene King’s 1,600 managed pubs with more than 70% of these sales being packaged low & no beers and ciders.
Draught low & no beer has seen strong growth with almost a quarter of managed pubs now serving an alcohol-free beer on draught.
Meanwhile, alcohol-free cocktails and wines have become the second largest category in low & no alcohol drinks, accounting for 16% sales of the category.
The 2025 Drinkaware monitor shows 45% of people have now consumed low & no alcohol drinks in the past 12 months, up from 22% in 2021.
