'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
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.