Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. has released its first-ever line of non-alcoholic brews, Trail Pass IPA and Trail Pass Golden, hitting shelves across the United States this month. The drinks will be available to sell year-round.
The company said that the Trail Pass IPA “uses Amarillo, Bravo, CTZ, Magnum and Cascade hops for an impactful IPA flavor and aroma and comes in at 35 IBU,” while the Trail Pass Golden “has a light, crisp flavor with Centennial, Cascade and Bravo hops, and is an easy-going 15 IBU.”
"Our innovation brewers have been working for years to perfect a flavorful, satisfying non-alcoholic brew. What they've developed is truly best-in-class," says Lesley Albright, VP of marketing at Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. "We know that drinkers appreciate a wide variety of premium craft options to enjoy at different occasions. Trail Pass IPA and Golden are a great fit when the moment calls for a high-quality, non-alcoholic beverage that fully delivers on flavor and refreshment. We're so pleased to release this new collection of non-alcoholic offerings."
According to the company, instead of removing alcohol after the brewing process, both brews are made using traditional fermentation but with a yeast that produces low amounts of alcohol. Though more difficult to work with, this process results in a higher quality beverage more like traditional beer but with less than 0.5% ABV.
The company is also releasing a new line to its Hop Splash sparkling water, which debuted in 2022. Sierra Nevada introduced Hop Splash Citrus, which it says is “infused with Mosaic and Simcoe hops, and real grapefruit and blood orange juice to complement the prominent hoppy flavors and aromas.”
White Claw recently entered the zero-proof alcohol market with the launch of White Claw 0% Alcohol, a seltzer for adults that the company says “tastes, feels and looks like no other non-alcoholic drink.”
While still very small, non-alcoholic beer, wine and spirits sales are booming. NIQ reported that for the 52 weeks ended April 8, 2023, off-premise sales of non-alcoholic products reached $462 million, a 26% increase from the year prior. Non-alcoholic beers represent the lion’s share of the segment, but all three categories are registering double-digit growth, according to NIQ.
Learn more about the increasing demand for non-alcoholic options in “Damp Drinking,” an article from the September 2023 issue of NACS Magazine.