A new non-alcoholic beverage trend
There’s a refreshing new drink being poured in bars and homes across the land. It tastes a lot like beer, although it’s not actually beer. It contains zero alcohol as well as zero calories, carbs, sugar or gluten, making it a marketer’s dream.
This hop water beverage has a seltzer-like consistency and is infused with hops—the stuff that gives beer its distinctive taste. This makes it a fun and flavor-packed new drink option for consumers who are watching their weight, avoiding alcohol or gluten in their diet, or who just want to enjoy the bitter, beer-like flavor and fizz without the buzz.
Hop water sales are flying
According to NielsenIQ’s Off Premises data, over the past year, non-alcoholic hop water beverages have pulled in $5.5 million sales in the U.S., jumping from $2.3 million just two years before—up by a huge 142.5%.
Despite sales of craft beer dropping by 7.2% within the past year, hop water sales are up by 43.9%, and hop water is now the 5th biggest growing craft-style beverage in the U.S.
Is it just alcohol-free beer?
Along with hard seltzers and 100-calorie IPAs, these new hop water trends are part of a wider fashion for lighter and generally healthier alternatives to traditional beer and even non-alcoholic beer.
So, what’s the actual difference between hop water beverages and alcohol-free beer?
Non-alcoholic beer is a classically brewed beer with the alcohol removed, whereas hop water is made using a totally different process that doesn’t produce any alcohol. It is also made without grains, which is why the gluten-free claims can be made.
It’s simpler to make and less wasteful in terms of water and electricity usage, so as hop water trends become more well-known among consumers, brands could even consider using eco-friendly claims alongside health claims.
A closer look at hop water trends
Want to know more?
Interested in accessing alcohol industry trends like this whenever you’d like? NielsenIQ BevAl Solutions are coded to display the alcohol trends and data you need in a friendly, easy to use platform. Empowering you with actionable data at your fingertips.
