With the increase in the nonalcoholic drink category, beer manufacturers have become part of the nonalcoholic trend with the rise of nonalcoholic beer. For Super Bowl LVII there was the first nonalcoholic beer commercial for Heineken 0.0. On a recent trip to BevMo, I was greeted with a diverse selection of nonalcoholic beers. Some of the products on the shelves were made by the other big players - Sapporo, Corona and Sam Adams, but I was also pleasantly surprised to see some local breweries take up shelf space with their nonalcoholic beer formulations. 

In the nonalcoholic beer sector, Athletic Brewing Company sets the standards. They are the largest non-alcoholic brewery and non-alcoholic beer co-packer in the US and raised $50 million, this summer, to invest into their non-alcoholic brand. It is reported that Athletic has 19% of the market share in the non-alcoholic beer category. When starting to make a non-alcoholic beer, Athletic Brewing is a company to study and gather market research on. They have over 17 different non-alcoholic beers with styles of alcohol free beer including a Belgian style white non-alcoholic beer, an Italian style pale non-alcoholic beer, a alcohol free IPA, and also a non-alcoholic sour beer. They also have a large flavor profile with their non-alcoholic beers. Their non-alcoholic beers are available in various flavors like: blood orange, cherry, blackberry, fruit, coffee, mango, and peach. 

Some nonalcoholic beer formulations use hops to flavor their nonalcoholic beer recipes. A popular alcoholic beer brand, Laganitas, has their hop water. The hop water nonalcoholic beers are a refreshing taste for warm summer days. 

When it comes to formulating a non-alcoholic beer, what’s need for the beverage formulation process?

The beverage formulation process for a non-alcoholic beer is the same as any other beverage. A formula is a recipe of sorts. In the beverage formulation process the ingredients are decided on, the amounts of those ingredients are figured out based on mass producing the product, and also the formulation process includes how the non-alcoholic beer is to be batched, mixed, and packed. During the formulation process, the taste profile is also worked on and perfected. 

Consider your ingredients

Non-alcoholic beers are made with water, malt, hops, and yeast. The hops is where you’ll find most of the flavor for an alcohol free beer. Other flavorings like spices can be used for flavor profiles of your non-alcoholic beer.  

The amounts of alcohol

For a beer to be considered non-alcoholic, it has to have less than 0.5% alcoholic by volume. For a beer to be considered zero proof, alcohol free beer, it has to have 0% alcohol.  

We’ve highlighted some other non-alcoholic beers and alcohol free beers, a favorite non-alcoholic beer we recently tasted was Clausthaler. They company has a great story too! Their website says that in the 1970’s they started the push for non-alcoholic beers. In the 80’s they created a light beer. The 80’s were the time of light beers and this brewing company took to that trend. They became one of the very early players in the n on-alcoholic marketplace with marketing non-alcoholic beer to doctors and truck drivers in Germany. They continued to push forward in making non-alcoholic beers in the 90’s in Germany. Clauhouser and came into the US marketplace in 2023 and is now are available in retailers in the US. This non-alcoholic beer copacker has a worldwide presence and has 3 nonalcoholic beers that it offers.

If you are thinking of formulating and copacking a non-alcoholic beer or you are just starting a brand consider specializing in one kind of non-alcoholic beer or creating a few different types of nonalcoholic beers. Consider your target market, the customer that you want to see to. Do you only like IPAs? Or do your customers like a variety like a pale ale, stout, white ale. Another option when considering making a nonalcoholic beer would be to try something different. What nonalcoholic beers are missing for consumers? I like a spice forward white ale. By doing this xx, you are differentiating yourself from the competition. You are not going along with the other brands, but creating a unique and different alcohol free beer . I like a variety pack. These non-alcoholic variety packs are boxed after the non-alcoholic beer copacking process. The variety is perfect for the non-alcoholic beer consumer who has enjoyed different types of beers. 

Parktake, another non-alcoholic beer manufacturer has a variety pack that they sell. Their non-alcoholic beer packaging is seen below.

Ready to for non-alcoholic beer co-packing? Here’s how:

• Start with the concept, flavor and type
• Next, have your non-alcoholic beer formulated with the manufacturing ready recipe
• Then, the design process with the label design and packaging design
• Finally, the non-alcoholic beer copacking process gives you a finished product to sell to consumers

Contact Big Brands for your non-alcoholic beer copacking needs.