Moncton brewery sees unexpected increase in non-alcoholic beer sales

Pumphouse Brewing in Moncton noticed a surprising shift in what customers order, after adding a zero-alcohol craft beer to their menu.

A Moncton brewery is seeing a shift in what people are ordering and it’s not just because of Dry January.

Pump House Brewing has been producing non-alcoholic craft beer for less than a year but those products already make up about 14 per cent of its total sales — a number the owners say they didn’t expect.

The idea started with Alex Noel, a former hockey player. He said multiple concussions during his career made alcohol a trigger for migraines and lingering symptoms and forced him to rethink his drinking habits but he didn’t want to give up the social side of having a beer.

“I’ve always been a big beer fan,” Noel said. “It was never about the effects. It was about being with friends.”

While studying brewing concepts in university, Noel began thinking about how non-alcoholic beer could be made at a craft level without sacrificing taste. That led to a partnership with the owners of Pump House Brewing and the purchase of Flying Boats Brewing, which now produces local non-alcoholic craft beer.

The process involves brewing full-strength beer then gently extracting the alcohol after, a method the brewery said helps preserve flavour. The company said it’s the only craft brewery in Canada using this approach.

Pump house co-owner Brian Harriman says the taste has been one of the biggest surprises.

“I’ve served it to friends without telling them,” he said. “They tell me that they taste great.”

The demand has grown beyond expectations. Harriman says January is typically a slower month for alcohol sales but non-alcoholic beer has remained popular year-round. Some of the strongest sales happened during the summer.

Harriman says the trend isn’t about quitting alcohol altogether but having more choice.

For Noel, that choice has made a big difference. He says non-alcoholic beer allows him to be part of social moments without putting his health at risk, something he said he believes more people are looking for.

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