Want the taste of craft beer without the hangover? MadTree Brewing has started the process of crafting non-alcoholic options — becoming one of the first major Cincinnati-based breweries to delve into the non-alcoholic beer scene.
The brewing team at MadTree is researching and developing non-alcoholic beers that “actually taste good and fall below the threshold,” says Trevor Self, associate brand manager for MadTree Brewery.
“Non-alcoholic” beer can contain up to 0.5% alcohol by volume (ABV), whereas truly alcohol-free beer must contain no detectable levels of alcohol and should be labeled 0.0% ABV, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
“We’re keeping track of what people want, and we’re definitely seeing an increased interest in seltzers and non-alcoholic beers,” Self says. “It has to be appealing and taste good. If we are going to do this, we want to do this right. It has to be enjoyable for the consumer.”
The team has been working for several months on developing a non-alcoholic pale ale “with some hoppy notes that aren’t overpowering,” Self says. Consumers could see it on tap at MadTree’s bustling taproom in Oakley before the end of the year.
While no branding or name has been finalized, Self says the brewing team is thinking about calling the non-alcoholic option “Leave No Trace.” It’s a play on MadTree’s commitment to sustainability and “leaving no trace behind” when campers leave a campground or park, while connecting it to the idea of having “no trace” of alcohol in the beer. MadTree donates 1% of sales to nonprofits focused on environmental sustainability, and the brewery was responsible for planting more than 2,000 trees in 2020.
According to market research firm IRI, U.S. sales of non-alcoholic beer were up 38% in 2020 to roughly $188 million in total sales, even as regular beer sales have declined in the past four years. MadTree’s team said the brewery and bar industries are affected significantly during Dry January, a month when many people take a break from alcohol after indulging during the holiday season.
“People are more health-conscious but still want to be social. We want to give them an option to drink something different and go out with their friends without feeling like they’re missing out,” Self says.
“What we’re seeing is a moderation trend. That’s bringing with it increased demand for reduced alcohol, or alcohol-free drinks,” says Mark Meek, chief of global beverage market analysis company IWSR, in a news release.
MadTree will be one of the first Cincinnati-based breweries to try a non-alcoholic option. Scotland-based BrewDog, which has a taproom in Pendleton, does offer a couple of low ABV brews. Representatives from breweries like Listermann Brewing Company and Rhinegeist Brewery said there were no plans in the near future to add any non-alcoholic options to their brewing schedules, but smaller breweries in the region say they’re interested in the concept.
“We definitely get people asking for NA (non-alcoholic) beer, but we haven’t pulled the trigger just yet. It may be something we do early 2022,” a representative from Esoteric Brewing says in an email. “We’re really intrigued by the NA beer option. The beer industry is simply adapting to the trend of healthy lifestyles.”
MadTree, 3301 Madison Road, Oakley, madtreebrewing.com.
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This article appears in Sep 15-28, 2021.
