'Hard to keep in stock': Non-alcoholic beer and cocktails creating buzz on Vancouver Island
They’ve been pulling plenty of pints of non-alcoholic beer at Oak Bay’s Penny Farthing pub since they started carrying it this past December.
"We’ve actually been blown away by the reception – really hard to keep it in stock," said Daniel Lyder, one of the pub’s managers, on Tuesday.
The beer served there is made by Phillips Brewing. The Victoria brewery started selling it back in 2021.
"Non-alcoholic beer has seen a quite significant growth in the past two years," said Samantha Beck, who’s in charge of marketing for Phillips.
Meanwhile at Wind Cries Mary restaurant in Victoria, they serve up multiple non-alcoholic cocktails and "mocktails" for a clientele increasingly thirsty for non-boozy beverages.
"We’ve just see the demand growing in the past 2.5 to three years with people looking for alternate drinking options," said the restaurant's general manager, Clayton Thornber.
A report released this winter hammered home the potential harms of imbibing, advising Canadians that anything more than two drinks a week poses a moderate health risk, including for various types of cancer.
Dr. Tim Stockwell works as a scientist with the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research. He’s one of the authors of the report and thinks it might be impacting folks' drinking habits.
"I think it has sort of resonated with an increasing sense that we have to be careful of what we put in our bodies," said Stockwell on Tuesday.
Mike Manhas is a South Island man who seems to have tapped into a growing shift amongst young people not drinking alcohol as much as previous generations.
He organized the hugely successful SoberFest last summer, a music and comedy festival that didn't serve alcohol. It attracted hundreds of attendees and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to support free addictions treatment beds.
"I think the recovery community is growing, but I also think the younger generation is learning they don’t have to drink to have fun or be themselves," said Manhas on Tuesday, referring to a cultural shift that's creating its own buzz.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
'I may have some nightmares:' Man survives being bitten by 2 sharks in Bahamas
A man who was bitten by two sharks in the Bahamas said Thursday he's 'thankful that I'm here' while sharing his story of survival.
Amish youth experience a rite of passage called Rumspringa. It’s not what you might think
The idea of “Rumspringa” has a specific spot in the American imagination. A rite of passage for young people in some Amish communities, Rumspringa is seen by most outsiders as a wild time away from strict Amish rules, when teenagers can experiment with the modern vices of the world.