We Asked An Expert: This Is The Biggest Beer Trend You'll See Even More Of In 2025

If you asked craft brewing industry workers a decade ago whether beer lacking one of its defining characteristics — the resulting buzz — could successfully vie for shelf space and tap handles alongside those with alcohol, the very question likely would've resulted in a collective spit take. However, predicting a pandemic that reshaped drinking habits was nearly impossible; sales of non-alcohol beer (0.5% alcohol by volume or less) have soared over the last several years. And you can expect high demand for near-beers to continue into 2025. 

"It seems the NA beer market is going to continue to grow quickly," Beer Judge Certification Program master judge Geoff Bragg tells Tasting Table. "There are better and better options out there for folks who are looking to cut back on alcohol but still want to enjoy a beer."

Health concerns following a glut of drinking during the pandemic quarantine coupled with a rise in interest in the "sober curious" movement have driven more Americans to cut back on alcohol. According to a survey conducted this year by NCSolutions, 41% of respondents planned to drink less booze. Other studies indicate that younger adults (ages 18 to 34) simply don't indulge in as much alcohol. But all of those consumers might never have turned to NA beer as an alternative unless it actually, well, tasted good. What's available today is a far cry from the insipid bottles of O'Doul's once lurking in the back of your great-uncle's garage fridge. To produce modern-quality beer without alcohol, brewers did what they do best, and that was to innovate.

While NA beers may seem like a new invention, they were a necessary response to Prohibition as brewers sought ways to stay afloat. Today's producers, of course, have taken production to another level. For instance, Oregon-based Deschutes Brewery, one of the country's largest independently owned craft breweries, began its NA research and development five years ago. The company first packaged Black Butte Non-Alcoholic, based on its beloved flagship Black Butte Porter — a striking entry to a market filled with NA pale and golden ales. This year, Deschutes launched an NA version of the top-selling IPA Fresh Squeezed using the Sustainable Beverage Technologies BrewVo system, which removes alcohol from the beer before blending in another batch of wort to maintain flavor and aroma.

Slowly but surely, a growing number of comparatively small breweries are breaking into the NA market as they experiment with technology to cut alcohol out of the equation (which also curbs calories). There are also now well-established large non-alcoholic producers like Athletic Brewing, the 10th biggest craft brewing company in 2023 based on volume, according to the Brewers Association. If you're new to NA and intrigued by sober living, we've already ranked Athletic's beers to help point you in the right direction. JetBlue even became the first U.S. airline to begin serving non-alcoholic brews (also from Athletic), so you can experience everything you love about beer without the grogginess or headache upon landing.