Why there is (still) no alcohol-free brewery in the Netherlands

We've been selling non-alcoholic beer* for over five years. During this time, we've noticed one thing: Breweries specializing in non-alcoholic beer are springing up in almost every country around us. Except in the Netherlands.

In Belgium, there's Force Majeure , Belgian Balance, God , and Thrive . In Germany, there's Uwe. Switzerland has Zeer Brewing, Denmark has Teedawn, and even Russia has one with Zero Point Brewing. In the US, there's Bravus, Go Brewing, Kit NA, Wellbeing, and, of course, Athletic Brewing , the market leader in this segment. And the UK takes the crown with around ten breweries that brew exclusively non-alcoholic beers.

In the Netherlands? Nothing. There used to be Braxzz (2016–2020), known for the world's first completely alcohol-free porter, but that's since disappeared.***

Why does it work elsewhere?

The explanation lies in the history of craft beer. Home brewing was legalized in the United States in 1978, which led to the birth of the craft beer revolution in the 1980s. This trend spread to Europe via Great Britain, thanks to cultural and linguistic proximity, as well as an existing pub and ale culture. Scandinavia and the Netherlands followed suit. Belgium and Germany joined later, as their traditional beer cultures offered less scope for experimentation.

The pattern is clear: Countries where the craft brewing scene matured early also saw the emergence of the first specialized non-alcoholic breweries. Therefore, the USA and Great Britain are in the lead group.

And what about the Netherlands?

The fact that there is (still) no non-alcoholic brewery in this country that exclusively serves alcohol has to do with the history of the Dutch beer market. For a long time, it was dominated by a few large players, which limited creativity. However, with the rise of craft beer, there was plenty of room for experimentation, and hundreds of new breweries did just that. This also means that more and more breweries are adding one or more non-alcoholic beers to their range. VandeStreek, with its Playground IPA and Lowlander, were pioneers in this field. With such strong products from existing breweries, the space for a 100% non-alcoholic brewery is limited. Demand is lower because the supply is already there.

Why not do it yourself at OnderNulPuntVijf?

We're often asked this question. Of course, we know which varieties are popular and what's in demand. But home brewing is a craft in itself: consistency, discipline, and production equipment require a different level of expertise than we have. Furthermore, we don't want to compete with the beers we sell in our shop. We prefer to focus on selecting the best non-alcoholic beers from around the world and making them accessible.

Are you planning a non-alcoholic brewery? We'd be happy to accept your beer and advise you.

Long story short

The fact that there is (still) no brewery in the Netherlands that specializes exclusively in non-alcoholic beer is due to the history of our beer market and the strength of existing breweries that already produce excellent non-alcoholic beers. However, given the developments around us, it is only a matter of time before a dedicated non-alcoholic beer brewery is established in the Netherlands as well.

* For simplicity, we count anything up to 0.5% as alcohol-free, although this is formally referred to as “low alcohol.”

** Examples from the UK: Mash Gang , Nirvana, Big Drop , Drop Bear, Below Brew Co, Brulo , Impossibrew, We Can Be Friends.

*** In 2023, Mr. Henry was released: a non-alcoholic beer by a Dutchman in Bosnia and Herzegovina. JayJay Boske also released a non-alcoholic beer (with protein) called Beer with Benefits , but it doesn't seem to have a successor.