Beer brands at every scale, from craft to macro, are making the logical step to develop a 0.0 SKUs of their core products. In the on-premise, it’s becoming standard to see a non-alcoholic option on the pumps. It is expected by consumers; a signal that a venue is a developed and well-rounded offering suitable for any social group.

Being on tap is major opportunity to be the go-to 0.0 option in the on-premise channel, it gets the NAB category out from the backbar fridge and into the front of minds of consumers at the point of purchase. Being on tap also works hard to reduce the stigma and increase the authenticity of a NAB choice; the same ritual, same amount of liquid, same size glass, same round cadence, the same experience. If done well, NAB on tap is everything consumers love about a pint, just without the alcohol.

The interesting development now is the relationship between alcoholic beer and its non-alc counterpart. The market is not a binary collection of abstainers and drinkers; it is full of moderators experimenting with the way they consume and manage alcohol intake.

The behaviours of ‘zebra striping’ (switching between non-alc and alc expressions within a single occasion), ‘bookending’ (punctuating an occasion by starting or ending on a non-alc product) and the 60/40 trend (blending an alcoholic beer with its non-alcoholic counterpart to bring the ABV down) are now commonplace.

This all pushes the narrative that the ‘total brand’ can benefit from a faithful, high quality  0.0 version on tap.

A good quality 0.0 twin, alongside an alcoholic option, facilitates the above behaviours of switching and mixing without leaving the brand. It provides a broader offering that the consumers and trade are looking for and gives the brand a bigger footprint on the bar with two taps.

So that leads me to the question, if you are launching an alcoholic beer (or any other dispensed product to be fair) with aspirations of on-premise volumes, does it now make sense to develop the inevitable ‘0.0 on tap’ version from the outset and launch them simultaneously? Yes it adds complexity, increases NPD costs, stretches timelines and places pressure on quality control. And yes the rate of sale for 0.0 on tap will initially be slower, but given how consumers are drinking today and how strongly moderation behaviours are shaping brand choice, surely it is the most logical way to launch a successful beer that is set up for growth in today’s market?    

Written by: Toby Chantrell, Director of Beer and Pilots