Deschutes Brewery makes big bet on NA beer
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Grab a cold one. Photo: Courtesy of Deschutes Brewing
Deschutes Brewery is embracing Dry January.
Why it matters: The Oregon brewer's new nonalcoholic beer offerings tap into one of the hottest trends in the beer arena by appealing to new customers who prefer healthier beverage options.
State of play: Based in Bend with a location in Portland, Deschutes is making NA beer it's No. 1 priority in 2025, touting one of the widest — and best tasting — portfolios from a traditional beermaker, Peter Skrbek, Deschutes Brewery CEO, tells Axios.
- The nonalcoholic version of Fresh Squeezed IPA is one of the best sellers in its category, and the brewer's four-beer NA portfolio is expected to double in sales this year, he said.
What they're saying: "Far and away, it's where our energy is going," Skrbek says.
The big picture: Nonalcoholic beer sales is the fastest growing segment in craft beer, but it remains a fraction of overall sales, according to the Boulder-based Brewers Association, the industry's trade group.
Zoom in: The brewery's nonalcoholic journey began in earnest six years ago, and once brewers dialed the flavor profile for Fresh Squeezed in late 2023, the company decided to go full throttle in this direction, Skrbek says.
- Test batches of nonalcoholic Black Butte Porter, the No. 1 selling porter in the U.S., sold out almost immediately and exceeded sales expectations four times over.
- Now its partnership with Patagonia Provisions on a certified organic nonalcoholic beer called Golden Brew is making waves for its sustainability focus.
The intrigue: Deschutes boasts one of the only NA-beer making technologies in the world.
- Designed by Sustainable Beverage Technologies in Colorado, the equipment uses a nested series of reverse osmosis membranes to remove the alcohol but keep the flavor compounds that make it taste like beer.
- "Deciding to go in this direction was a big risk because the infrastructure it requires is substantial," Skrbek says.
The bottom line: The company is embracing a "if we don't build it, they won't come" mentality and meeting the desires of the new-age beer drinker.