The N/A movement spreads it wings

Considering the momentum for booze-free drinking beyond the USA

At the beginning of the year I shared a primer on my favorite brands in the growing non-alcoholic drinks space. For a load of reasons I am drinking very little these days, and those offerings make it easier. I’ve been keeping a diary tracking my drinking since January 1st (no guys, I’m super laid back) — to date I’ve had 18 drinks. That’s 1½ drinks a week.

To do this, I cut out mindless drinking. Instead of having a cold beer because it’s in front of me, I’m choosing to drink when the options are good. I don’t want just any beer - I want a great Pilsner. I don’t want a poorly made cocktail at a bad airport bar. I’m only jumping in if I can have a proper Margarita or a Negroni made by a well-trained bartender. Maybe this track is too stringent for you, but it’s working for me, and I’m appreciating the good drinks so much more.

And I’m here to tell you: I’m not alone. There is no denying this growing wave. The low/no alcohol movement is not a trend - it’s gaining momentum and it’s here to stay. In February the Wall Street Journal took a look at “the hottest beer in America,” Athletic Brewing, which is outselling ALL beers (with and without alcohol) at Whole Foods.

But America is one thing. We’re known for being “extra,” wellness obsessed on the coasts, and sometimes diving head first into things the rest of the world finds ridiculous. Conquering the the booze swilling continents beyond our borders is a difficult task.

Well, I was in Copenhagen this summer, and I’m just back from a trip to Tangier, bookended with a few nights in London, I’m here to report the embrace has bled far outside the USA.

In Copenhagen (a beer loving city) Mikkeller has been experimenting with low alcohol brews since my first visit almost a decade ago. And they seem to be leading a charge into the N/A space, as well.

In Tangier, at a cocktail party of British expats (normally a heavy drinking crowd) there were San Miguel 0.0% beers available, and I wasn’t the only one enjoying them.

Even London, a city that runs on beer and booze, has embraced the low and no alcohol movement. The pubs still swell with thirsty hordes downing post-work pints every evening, but now there are more options for those looking for a respite from the hard stuff.

An N/A beverage store in the middle on London.

Even the beloved Marble Arch, undergoing a facelift at the edge of Hyde Park, is blanketed in a MASSIVE ad for Peroni’s alcohol free beer:

The writing is quite literally on the wall. (Or, on the Arch.)

Perhaps it shouldn’t be a surprise, since Seedlip - a forebear to this category - was founded here a decade ago. A friend of mine who owns over a dozen very popular bars and high-volume venues in London says some N/A beers are outselling cider in several sites. Proper beer may be next to fall.

Various options at Granger & Co in Marylebone, including an NA beer and cider.

I’m here to report from the front lines and share new favorites. I assumed I’d spend my evenings nursing a soda water in the corner while I watched the Brits getting lashed and being awesome. Instead, I was front and center on a stage set with all manner of options for the non-drinker, or just an aging fellow like me, looking to cut back but still have a chuckle with friends. (California Sobriety ring a bell?)

Here are some new favorites I’m adding to my repertoire:

Lucky Saint Lager

Lucky Saint seems to be the clear winner in the N/A beer category in England. Nearly every pub and restaurant I visited had it on offer. Even St. John, whose Chef-Proprietor Fergus Henderson is a man of boozy appetites, offered Lucky Saint. It’s an unfiltered lager, properly bitter, beautifully hopped, and better than most mass market light lagers in the USA. (The ones WITH alcohol.)