Lotte Peplow, the Brewers Association’s American craft beer ambassador for Europe, explores the fast-growing world of non-alcoholic beer and looks at the latest data from the States
Photograph: Brewers Association
The non-alcoholic (NA) beer market is continuing its upwards trajectory on both sides of the Atlantic, and in America the concept of Dry January continues to take hold, with some polls finding that more Americans than ever considered participating this year. The Adult Non-Alcoholic Beverage Association (ANBA) estimates that more than 90% of consumers who purchase non-alcoholic (NA) products are also buying alcoholic beverages.
Even outside of January, the majority of American adults in 2025 reported intent to cut back on alcohol consumption in the coming year (see chart above). Additionally, the Brewers Association’s latest consumer survey (conducted by The Harris Poll) found that 14% of regular craft beer drinkers are consuming less craft because they’re drinking more NA.
Within the industry, there’s an expectation that NA will be around for the long haul as 40% of Brewers Association newsletter survey respondents felt craft NA has staying power (compared to 31% who said it doesn’t). Consumers are looking to non-alcoholic options, whether full-time, for parts of the year, or for certain occasions.
Over the past few years, sales of NA products have been growing in America. While beer has been down low single digits, NA has experienced double-digit growth in both dollar sales and volume for at least the last four years. In fact, from 2021 to 2025, volume sales of NA lifted 111%, while dollar sales exploded +159% over that period. Although NA accounted for just 2.5% of beer sales by volume in 2025, this share has more than doubled since 2021 (when it was 1.1%).
And while much of this growth is attributed to existing NA producers (92% of volume in 2024-2025 came from NA brands launched prior to 2024), there’s no shortage of newcomers entering the space.
NIQ tracked 213 companies producing NA brands in 2025, up 134% from 2021 when there were just 91. It’s important to note that NIQ’s definition of non-alcoholic includes NA beer, hop water, NA cider, and NA cocktails produced by beer companies. It also does not include any NA brands produced and sold on-site at brewery taprooms (ie not at typical off-premise retailers). And while the number of companies has climbed over the past four years, the rate of brand growth has accelerated even faster.
As shown in the chart above, craft NA is over-indexing in terms of sales and volume growth. It also represents the vast majority of growth in new NA producers and brands. All of this combined shows craft beer taking share of the NA category. In 2025, craft made up 31% of NA sales volume and 36% of NA dollar sales. That compares to craft beer’s roughly 13% share of beer overall.
With so much momentum, continued growth looks likely in the year ahead. With more investment behind the category by large multinational brewers, we can expect overall sales to continue growing even if it means a slight drop in craft beer’s share of the pie.
Updated Beer Style Guidelines
In other news, the Brewers Association has released the 2026 Beer Style Guidelines with one new style addition: rice lager.
Rice lagers have been growing in popularity as consumers trend toward lighter bodied, easier drinking options. While rice lagers aren’t new, craft brewers are putting their own spin on this familiar style by exploring the diverse flavours available from different rice varieties.
These sessionable beers work especially well in warmer weather and pair nicely with rich or spicy foods. The 2026 guidelines include particular attention to Belgian and German styles, with updates to better reflect both traditional brewing practices and how these styles continue to evolve.
Discover more
The UK is an important export market for American craft beer, accounting for 8.2% of all exports and ranking as the third largest market globally. It is available through selected bars, pubs, and dining venues, as well as bottle shops, off-licences, and online from Beer Merchants, Athletic Brewing, Sierra Nevada shop, Brew Export, Hop the Pond, Distant Lands, and Cave Direct.
America’s largest gathering for alcoholic beverage producers, the Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America, will take place in Philadelphia, Pennyslvania, from 20th-22nd April. This year’s conference will feature curated educational sessions and deliver a more streamlined programme that better matches the needs of today’s beverage professionals, while fostering a more structured conference experience. Find out more at craftbrewersconference.com
About the author
Lotte Peplow is the American craft beer ambassador for Europe for the Brewers Association and is based in London. She is a certified cicerone, BDI-accredited beer sommelier, beer writer, author, beer communicator, international beer judge, homebrewer, and beer lover.
