Four Ways To Differentiate Your N/A Beer Brand

Rapid growth in the N/A beverage category also comes with increased options for today’s consumer to choose from.

As the industry prepares for the start of what will perhaps be the largest Dry January yet, not surprisingly the last few months have seen a number of new entrants coming into the non-alcoholic beer space, as well as additional N/A beers from those already here. This includes new offerings from Big Alcohol (Blue Moon N/A, anyone?), lest we forget the major impact they have on the category, also. As this rapidly-growing market welcomes new evangelizers to the cause, differentiating brands is becoming increasingly important. We offer four tips for how to distinguish your N/A beer brand, whether you’re concentrated solely on non-alcoholic beer or not.

Focus On Product And Consistency

During the first iteration of non-alcoholic beer in the U.S. (as we like to call it, the O’Doul’s Era), simply making a beer that didn’t contain alcohol was the end goal, and the few N/A brands in existence then mostly followed the plot. In this utilitarian phase, simply offering a substitute for the relatively small percentage of the population that consumed N/A beer was good enough, but that is obviously no longer the case. Certainly non-alcoholic beers or mocktails are still a novelty in many restaurants and bars, and a future where there are consistently good AF options on the menu is still a bit out of reach for many parts of the country. However, as the landscape of available brands becomes more crowded, focusing on a consistent taste profile will pay dividends later on. While much of the industry is still reliant on contract brewing, it’s especially important that as brewing locations, canning labels and other elements of the brewing process may change, consumers feel like they can expect the same quality to remain.

Go Beyond The IPA

Now, don’t get us wrong - we love a good IPA as much as the next (beer) guy, but for IPA options in particular, the N/A space is getting really crowded. We get it - it’s a hoppy beer profile that continues to be the most popular for consumers of craft beer overall, with some estimates that it drives upwards of 40% of the craft beer market. But as more and more converts turn to the N/A aisle at the beverage store they will likely bring their style preferences with them, and for some, IPA just isn’t the fit. For those getting into the market with just one N/A style to start, perhaps an IPA still makes the most sense as an entry point, but be careful not to turn away those with other preferences. People like their pilsners, wheat beers, stouts, golden ales and even the occasional gose as well.

Establish A Unique Space In The Market

While certainly not the only ones successfully going after the health and wellness segment that is growing adjacent to the N/A beer boom, Milford, CT’s Athletic Brewing Company has become the benchmark for building a non-alcoholic beer brand around doing things that are, well, athletic. From sponsoring the N/A Beer Mile to conducting wellness events around their community, they have seemingly written the blueprint. But while health and wellness is a big enough tent to support many N/A brands that want to take cover beneath, it’s important to consider other audiences as well. While N/A beers may have fewer calories than their leaded counterparts in almost all cases, that’s not necessarily driving the decision by everyone to drink them. Just like any other product category, consumers will choose brands they feel represent who they are or at least what they aspire to be, and for many that will be something other than wellness.

Find Your People

Call this a corollary of establishing a unique market space, but finding the right people for your N/A beer brand is also critical. We have seen some great examples of N/A beer brands aligning with content creators and influencers in a host of areas, including travel, fashion, and yes, health and wellness. Building a brand that can connect with a specific audience is the first step, but finding that audience where they are is what will set apart those most successful. One important lesson in marketing is that in choosing market(s) to focus on, you are indirectly choosing markets not to invest in. This does not mean building a brand that is not inclusive to all, in fact, many brands enjoy success with a patchwork of audiences, not all of whom may be built into the brand ethos itself. Specifically for non-alcoholic beer brands, connecting with those audiences enables authentic relationships with the people you’ve crafted your beer for, whether they be runners, winter sports lovers, members of the sober community, or just people who really love craft beer and the culture that surrounds it.