2025 might be the year of the sober Super Bowl.
With the championship game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles right around the corner, NielsenIQ (NIQ) reports that sales of non-alcoholic liquor, beer, and wine have jumped 26 percent in the U.S. this past year, coming in at $800 million.
Non-alcoholic beer represented 84 percent of all sales with Athletic Brewing, Bud Zero, and Heineken 0.0 being the top three brands loved by alcohol-free drinkers. Heineken 0.0 was famously introduced in the first non-alcoholic drink brand commercial during the 2023 Super Bowl. This year, Michelob Ultra Zero will debut during the commercial breaks.
Amid the rise in alcohol-free consumption, U.S. sales of alcohol have reportedly dropped by one percent for the first time since 2022. In fact, 41 percent of Gallup’s survey participants confessed they no longer consume alcohol. This was the highest percentage recorded in 25 years.
Coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic, alcohol consumption was at a high, with 67 percent of people saying they occasionally drink alcohol in 2022, up from 60 percent in 2021.
NIQ attributed the rise in non-alcoholic sales to an emerging “mindful drinking” trend in the country. To be a “mindful drinker,” you must be aware of how much alcohol you are consuming and when you may be consuming too much.
“Consumers have opted for a moderation mindset, where they may have overconsumed to their liking during the at-home period during Covid, and coming out of that, they were a little more focused on health and wellness,” NIQ’s Kaleigh Theriault said.
Other popular wellness fads with a focus on minimizing alcohol intake and overall health, specifically after the holidays, are “Dry January” and “75-hard.” Dry January is a challenge designed to give your body a reset by refraining from alcohol consumption that month. 75-Hard, on the other hand, is a program that includes a strict, everyday workout regimen, as well as diet modifications and reading requirements.
Surprisingly, Gen Z does not appear to be one of the driving generations behind the alcohol-free movement. NIQ found the generation of individuals aged 21 and up to be the “growing cohort in alcohol purchasing.”
“Gen Z emerged as a key player, influencing trends in consumption and premiumization,” the trend report reads.
That said, Tom Holland, a 28-year-old Gen Z star, is championing non-alcoholic drinking with a new alcohol-free beverage brand called Bero.
The Spider-Man lead’s idea for his company percolated amid his Dry January in 2022, a time that inspired his sobriety for the past three years.
“I was definitely addicted to alcohol. [I’m] not shying away from that at all,” Holland confessed on the Jay Shetty Podcast, noting how he’d originally planned to only extend Dry January until his birthday that June.
“A lot of low and non-alcoholic beers just don’t quite hit the mark, and that’s where Bero comes in,” Holland said. “We want people to feel good about drinking in moderation without missing out on anything fun. We focused on using top-notch ingredients and our brew master and his team have worked so hard at crafting beer that I am so proud of and love.”
