Mar 5, 2024 - News
It's not just Dry January
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For many, the "damp" or "dry" lifestyle has gone beyond January.
Why it matters: This year, huge interest in the annual booze-free challenge Dry January marked a change in the way American adults think about alcohol.
- The shift has to do with the fact that longevity and sleep have become major health priorities, write Axios' Carly Mallenbaum and Alice Feng.
By the numbers: Although alcoholic beer sales are fairly flat, non-alcoholic beer sales are on the rise in the U.S., according to NIQ, which tracks buying behavior.
- A major non-alcoholic beer brand driving the trend: Athletic Brewing Company. Austin-based Whole Foods Market now sells more non-alcoholic Athletic beer than any other brand of beer, with or without alcohol, The Wall Street Journal reports.
- Meanwhile, only 62% of adults under 35 say they drink, down from 72% two decades ago, according to the latest Gallup data.
The intrigue: Non-alcoholic beer sales in Austin in January jumped by more than five times between 2020 and 2024, per data from NIQ.
Yes, but: Sophisticated zero-proof beverages can actually be more costly than alcoholic drinks.
- For example, some alcohol-free wine involves the same grape fermentation process as traditional wine, plus an additional process: dealcoholization.
- Austin-based Surely, a non-alcoholic wine company, sells bottles starting around $26.
Go deeper: The best non-alcoholic beers