Less and less alcohol in our beer

Non-alcoholic beer is gaining momentum in Quebec, where sales have tripled since 2019 and the product now occupies 15% of the entire beer market.

• Also read: Minimum price of beer: an economic absurdity

“It’s an increase of 300% in four years,” exclaims the director of the Quebec Brewers Association (ABQ), Philippe Roy, on the occasion of the sixth Canadian Beer Day.

The ABQ represents Labatt, Molson Coors, Sleeman, Unibroue and Brasseurs de Montréal, which together dominate the market with 90% of beer sales in Quebec.

In 2019, these breweries sold 245,000 hectoliters of non-alcoholic beer. In 2023, it was 765,000 hectoliters.

These data date from last August 30, indicates Philippe Roy, who can only note the enthusiasm of Quebecers for the product.

Competition is fierce in the sector. Businessman, commentator and television star Nicolas Duvernois saw this to his cost.

After purchasing the Bockale microbrewery, specializing in non-alcoholic beer, in 2021, the entrepreneur invested around ten million dollars in a new production center in Drummondville.

But last September, Bockale announced that it was pausing its activities “in order to analyze options for its future, including a permanent closure”.

Basically, Bockale got eaten whole. The “booming market” for non-alcoholic beer has got the better of his ambitions, the businessman wrote on his newspaper blog Business.

Beer costs more

Sales of regular beer, the kind that works poorly if you abuse it, follow the opposite path to its non-alcoholic little sister. The fall is 10% since 2019 in Quebec.

Beer sales in Quebec (in hectoliters)

2019: 5 545 432
2023: 4 999 492
_{Source: ABQ}

The SAQ also sells less alcohol, with a decreasing sales volume in 2023. The trend is towards healthy lifestyle habits.

Consumers also have to pay more for their good old cases of beer. The increase, for a case of 12 cans at 5% alcohol, is $2.52 since 2019 in Quebec.

This increase of almost 20% is calculated based on the minimum beer prices imposed by the Régie des alcools, des courses et des jeux (RACJ).

Minimum price of 12 cans of beer with 5% alcohol

2019: 14,22$
2020: 14,49$
2021: 14,59$
2022: 15,09$
2023: 16,11$
2024: 16,74$
_{Source: RACJ}