The No or Low Alcohol (NoLo) beer category is booming, forecast to grow 6.5% over the next four years and now makes up 3.5% of the global beer market. That’s a staggering 70 million hL out of a total 2 billion hL, with a market value exceeding $13 billion worldwide.
Why Is LoNo Thriving?
- Moderation:
Consumers everywhere are embracing moderation. With health and wellness top of mind, drinkers are reassessing their habits and choosing NoLo beers to fit healthier lifestyles. This trend isn’t going anywhere,1 in 4 UK adults now avoid alcohol entirely, and the number of 18–30-year-olds choosing NoLo options keeps climbing. - Expanding Occasions:
NoLo beers aren’t just for teetotalers. Their non-alcoholic nature means they’re welcome at working lunches, brunches, and weeknight gatherings, expanding the occasions for beer enjoyment and helping the category grow.
Definitions: What Counts as NoLo?
- Alcohol-Free / Zero Alcohol: <0.05% abv (UK); <0.5% – 12% abv (Europe)
- De-Alcoholised: <0.5% abv
- Low Alcohol: <1.2% abv
- Anything over 1.2% abv is taxed as regular beer.
Market Trends
- Alcoholic strength in beer has steadily declined since 1918.
- NoLo is the fastest growing drinks sector in Western Europe.
- Big brands, like Guinness 0 and Heineken 0, are growing >30% year on year.
How Is NoLo Beer Made?
There are two main approaches:
- De-Alcoholization: Brew a regular beer, then remove alcohol using high-tech (and expensive) equipment:
- Reverse osmosis
- Vacuum distillation
- Ultra-filtration
- Spinning cone technology
- Reduced or Limited Fermentation: Change the brewing process to keep alcohol low:
- Use special yeasts (like Lallemand LalBrew LoNa, Fermentis SafBrew LA-01 or Pinnacle Low Alcohol) that can’t ferment maltose or maltotriose.
- Adjust mash temperatures (often higher, 80°C+) or use non-fermentable grains.
- Shorten fermentation time (cold contact, 12–24 hours at 0°C).
- Use enzymes like Imoboom which is based on transglucosidase activity that offers an innovative approach for achieving reduced fermentability. When added during mashing, it will create unfermentable isomalto-oligosaccharides (IMO) and reduce the fermentability of the wort.
Challenges & Solutions
Making NoLo beer isn’t easy. The process can require major investment in equipment. Beers brewed by removing alcohol often need additional steps for microbial stability, sterile filtration or pasteurisation. Pasteurisation (heat treatment) is most effective, though chemical options exist but aren’t ideal.
Lab Services
To guarantee safety and quality, NoLo brewers should rely on:
- ABV testing
- Microbiological services (e.g. for Saccharomyces Diastaticus)
- PCR testing
The Future Is Bright
With NoLo’s rapid growth, ongoing innovation in yeast, enzymes, and production techniques is helping brewers deliver better, tastier, and more stable low and no alcohol beers. The category’s expansion proves that moderation is here to stay and there’s never been a better time to join the NoLo revolution!
Want to learn more or improve your own NoLo brewing? Contact Murphy & Son’s technical team today on 0115 978 5494!
