Top zero alcohol beers consumers are sipping through Dry January

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It’s late January, which means many of us around the world have already given up on our new year’s resolutions. It also means that many people are taking part in Dry January — which involves abstaining from alcoholic beverages in the month of January.

Some do it for the health benefits, others do it just to prove to themselves that they can.

And while some may be giving up alcohol just for the month, others have been leaning into sobriety or moderation year-round. Some consumers are going completely alcohol-free, some are “sober curious,” while others are looking to cut back on their alcohol consumption and opt to switch between drinks with and without alcohol during the same drinking occasion.

It’s a trend that is only increasing in popularity. In a recent survey of 2,000 US consumers, we found that 42% are more likely to purchase a zero alcohol beverage this year compared to last year, while 63% believe zero alcohol beverages are becoming more socially acceptable.

For this Dry January, we wanted to take a look at some of the zero alcohol beers that have been launched in recent years to cater to this growing segment of consumers. What’s landing with consumers? Let’s find out!

What did we learn?

First, here’s a quick look at the key takeaways we uncovered in our analysis:

Importance of taste: Taste is always a key decision-making factor for consumers buying food and beverage products, but for zero alcohol beer it is particularly important — as consumers tend to worry the taste will be inferior compared to the alcohol alternatives they’re familiar with. Focusing on communicating (and delivering) great taste pays off. Consumers prefer refreshing profiles that mimic traditional beer tastes and welcome a fruity twist. "Great tasting" was the attribute that correlated highest to purchase choice in our research.
Established players have a competitive advantage: Zero-alcohol offerings from established brands like Michelob, Heineken and Guinness are favored over smaller brands. These brands have stronger brand equity, a larger consumer base and more loyal consumers which gives them a leg up to their new product launches. Smaller, newer brands suffer by Byron Sharp's Double Jeopardy Law: they attract fewer buyers (lower penetration) and those they do attract are less loyal (lower frequency of purchase). They also lack the level of brand trust that helps consumers overcome their suspicion around the potential taste inferiority of alcohol-free beer products.
Establishing distinctiveness is a challenge: It’s tough to stand out in the beer category when there are so many options and it’s clear that consumers struggle to differentiate between all of the new non-alcohol beers too. To succeed, brands must offer something distinctive (like taste twists or compelling packaging) that is not only memorable but also attractive — serving as a competitive advantage rather than appearing odd or off-putting.

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The beer rankings

For this analysis we looked at 12 zero alcohol beers, including:

Heineken 0.0
Michelob Ultra Zero
Guinness 0
Deschutes Brewery Black Butte Non-Alcoholic
Bero Kingston Golden Pils
Montauk Brewing Company N.A. IPA
Brooklyn Brewery Special Effects IPA
RationAle Brewing Mexican Cerveza
Firestone Walker Brewing Company 8ZERO5
Athletic Brewing Free Wave Hazy IPA
Bravus Brewing Company Peanut Butter Dark
Best Day Brewing Electro-Lime
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company Trail Pass Golden

In our ScreenIt solution we asked respondents to rank the beers according to which they would be most likely to purchase.

We saw that zero alcohol offerings from established brands like Michelob, Heineken, and Guinness were ranked as the first or second choices by over half of consumers.

Smaller breweries landed at the bottom of the ranking, including Bero, actor Tom Holland’s latest brand — suggesting more work is needed there to build up brand awareness. Of course this makes sense, as we found in our survey of 2,000 US consumers that 51% were willing to try a zero alcohol version of their favorite beer — which gives these bigger players that consumers are already familiar with an advantage.

What works well?

Now let’s dive into what seems to be working across all beers studied.

Flavor and taste

Consumers appreciate beers described with a clean, fruity, and refreshing taste, with specific mentions of citrus, tropical and lime flavors. There’s a notable preference for light and crisp profiles that mimic traditional beer tastes.

Respondents said things like:

“The fruity and clean notes is what draws me into it.”
“It has a clean taste and smooth taste and it's non-alcohol.”
“It's a nice refreshing non-alcohol beer.”

Flavors like malt, chocolate, coffee, caramel and peanut butter were also highlighted as enjoyable and distinct. These flavors add depth, especially in non-alcoholic stouts, porters and other darker beers.

Respondents said things like:

“I love malt, and the chocolate flavors sound amazing.”
“The peanut butter, chocolate, and malt for a fun different type of drink.”
“I’m a fan of Porters. I like the cocoa flavor infused in the drink.”

Beer-like experience, without alcohol

Unsurprisingly, consumers like that the alcohol-free beers offer a close experience to regular beer, with some mentioning the enjoyment of familiar taste profiles (like IPAs, pilsners and stouts).

The main draw overall is the ability to enjoy beer-like flavors without alcohol, especially for those who don’t drink alcohol but still want to enjoy the taste of beer.

Respondents said things like:

“That's it's a non-alcohol option of a beer I already enjoy.”
“I personally drink Ultras so a non-alcoholic version of it would be perfect for days when you need to drive or tend to other people.”
“I like that it’s a Mexican style NA beer.”

Healthier options

Many consumers appreciate the low-calorie and/or zero-alcohol aspects, particularly for active or health-conscious lifestyles.

Respondents said things like:

“It is designed for active lifestyle and everyday refreshment.”
“This is a new innovative drink that promotes health as well as digestion.”
“It looks healthy for you and it could be a drink you could drink every day.”

Design and presentation

Attractive, modern packaging and sleek designs are consistently mentioned as appealing and eye-catching.

Respondents said things like:

“I like the tall thin can and the colors.”
“Color of the can catches my eye.”
“It’s sleek and eye-catching.”
“Beautiful can and appealing colors.”

What can we learn from the top three beers?

Michelob, Heineken and Guinness came out on top in this analysis — ranked as the first or second choices by over half of consumers.

Ultimately their recognizable brand names give them a leg up on the smaller players. Respondents were mostly already familiar with the tastes of the alcoholic versions of the product, so they were more willing to try the zero alcohol versions.

And that’s important because when we look at the key factors driving success for these three brands, the beer being seen as “great tasting” and “a healthier option” were the most important factors.

The top three ranked products consistently excel across key metrics due to their strong relevance and distinct competitive advantages, making them more likely to be purchased. Additionally, Heineken and Michelob stand out as significantly more believable.

We also took a closer look at Michelob Ultra Zero, as it came out as our top product in this analysis and it has just launched this month!

More than 60% (Top 2 box: 64%) claim they would buy Michelob Ultra Zero if available at a reasonable price, which is in line with expectations for other US alcohol products.

But purchase likelihood jumps to 70% in females, which could be due to its perception as a healthier alternative to regular beer.