This article was originally published in the Winter 2024 issue of Hospitality Ireland magazine, in December of 2024.
Research shows that, in the past year, more consumers in Ireland have moderated their alcohol consumption than increased it. CGA by NIQ reveals the drivers behind moderation trends and advises on how to boost sales of no/low drinks during Dry January 2025, while Luke Boase, founder of premium alcohol-free beer Lucky Saint, talks to Hospitality Ireland about launching the product in Ireland.
Over a third (37%) of consumers in the Republic and Northern Ireland are drinking less alcohol than they did a year ago – more than triple the number (12%) who are drinking more, according to recent CGA by NIQ research, with 33% of those drinking less for health reasons and 34% of those drinking less doing so to save money.
Last January, 19% of Ireland’s consumers took part in the annual pledge to cut out alcohol and another 23% moderated their consumption. This saw the NAB/LAB category grow by 16.8% by volume in January 2024, compared to the previous year, gaining a 0.5pp (percentage point) share of LADs (long alcoholic drinks).
The research shows that, rather than reducing their visits to pubs, bars and restaurants, half of consumers still visit the on-premise at least once a week during Dry January, moving towards no-and low-alcohol alternatives to spirits, beer and wine, or switching to the soft-drink category.
CGA’s REACH research delivers deep insights into the habits of moderating consumers in Ireland, revealing that nearly a third (31%) try to only drink alcohol at weekends, while a quarter (25%) save it for special occasions.
Providing compelling alternatives to alcoholic drinks on casual midweek occasions is essential if venues and suppliers are to keep guests engaged on quieter days, before tapping into treat and trade-up mentalities on Fridays and Saturdays.
With no- and low-alcohol brands set for more sales growth in 2025, brand recognition is important in consumers’ choices, with 33% trialling no and low drinks in the on-premise – more than those doing so at home – making pubs and bars a vital channel for brand launches and promotions.
While beer is consumers’ most popular no- and low-alcohol option, it is closely followed by mocktails. With a quarter (26%) of consumers willing to try these, the incorporation of fruit juices and low-sugar mixers can appeal to those who are heavily motivated by health in Dry January. Mocktails can attract a particularly desirable consumer group, as 25- to 34-year-olds, females, and regular food-led visitors all over- index for them.
Katie Lawton, CGA’s senior client manager, Ireland, commented, “January always brings a comedown for on-premise sales, after the highs of festive occasions. Consumers are still keen to enjoy time in pubs, bars and restaurants, but they have some very different needs and motivations. It’s a great time to secure trial and loyalty of no and low brands, but it’s essential to find the
right ranging, serve styles, and pricing.
Understanding these moderating behaviours is key to formulating winning strategies in all categories – not just in Dry January, but throughout 2025.”
Luke Boase, founder of Lucky Saint, has further insight.
So, Luke, please tell us about your first 18 months in Ireland.
We launched in Ireland in the summer of 2023, and it’s flown by. Ireland was absolutely the first choice for us to launch into a new market outside of the UK, and the reception has been great.
I believe the greatest reward of drinking is the social connection, not the alcohol, and Ireland very much embraces that social-connection piece. The hospitality culture is unique, and it’s been a real joy to become a part of it over the last 18 months. Across every person at Lucky Saint, as a brand, we’re obsessed with delivering the very best alcohol-free proposition for drinkers.
We’re so honoured to work with some of the best operators in Irish hospitality – from institutions like the Shelbourne to Michelin-star listings at Dede at the Customs House, Chapter One and Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, through to iconic pubs and bars, like the Harbour Bar in Bray and Kodiak in Rathmines.
In the off-trade, we’ve had the same response from independent retailers, including Molloy’s, Blackrock Cellar and Redmond’s of Ranelagh, to the national supermarkets, like Dunnes, Tesco and, most recently, SuperValu.
Where, when and how did you start Lucky Saint? Please tell us about the beer.
Back in 2016, I looked at alcohol-free beer and thought, This is an amazing proposition, but I’m not actually even a consumer of it. I boiled it down to two things: first, there wasn’t a beer that was good enough to bring me into the category; and, second, there wasn’t a brand that made me feel positive about choosing to drink an alcohol-free beer.
Over the course of the next two years, I worked with six different breweries in three countries before I came across a 400-year-old Bavarian brewery with a traditional approach to brewing and the capability to produce alcohol-free beer. We focused on quality and delivering the very best alcohol-free beer possible. Lucky Saint is made with the four ingredients you’re supposed to find in lager: malted barley, hops, water, and our own single-use yeast.
The brewing process takes six weeks: two weeks of fermentation, then four weeks of lagering. We follow a very traditional method of brewing a lager, and then we leave it unfiltered, as well as remove the alcohol. This retains more flavour, body and character in the beer.
How is the alcohol-free market changing? How do you see this continuing?
We’ve spent several millennia building our social connections around alcohol.
A celebration is marked by raising a glass of champagne, all the way back to the festivals of drunkenness in Ancient Egypt. This is how human beings have interacted for thousands of years, and they’ve built social connections.
We are now going through this period of rapidly reappraising our relationship with alcohol, and attitudes are changing.
In years gone by, we’ve all been in that situation where you feel you have to apologise for not drinking. I’ve never felt that is something anyone should ever have to do. So, it’s an exciting time to be a brand in this space and playing a role in how our relationship with drinking evolves over time.
Even as little as five years ago, alcohol-free beer was about specific moments, e.g. sober challenges like Dry January, midweek occasions, or if someone is driving home. Now people are choosing alcohol-free throughout the year and right through the week.
It’s resonating in periods when traditional beer sees its strongest sales. For example, sales of alcohol-free beer are higher in December and in summer than in January, with more people incorporating it into their daily lives.
At whom is it aimed? How does this market intersect with other lifestyle choices?
With that context in mind, it means all the occasions where someone would drink full-strength beer, we want Lucky Saint to be an option for people.
Attitudes to drinking have shifted enormously in a short time, as people are looking for ways they can take care of their physical and mental health.
People are also looking to incorporate alcohol-free into occasions when they are drinking alcohol. We’ve seen a rise of ‘zebra striping’, the practice of alternating between alcohol-free and alcoholic drinks.
What are the main challenges of the sector?
We continue to have a huge job to bring people around to the fact that there are now great-tasting alcohol-free beers available. So, for me, physical and mental availability is extremely important, as well as having the support of retailers, which we’ve been seeing.
What are the differences between Ireland and the UK for the alcohol-free sector?
There’s lots of similarities with regards to changing attitudes to alcohol-free, but, of course, Guinness are doing an amazing job over here in helping to normalise alcohol-free among consumers.
People expect and look for alcohol-free in [a] venue, and that’s vital in order to help take the category forward.
Please tell us about your own career so far – where you were brought up, what you studied, early career, etc.
I was brought up in the UK, in a family of people who worked in advertising. I studied French at Newcastle University.
I worked in a few industries before a chance encounter with two entrepreneurs in a meeting, who were just so passionate about what they did that I decided I wanted to be on that side of the table.
A few ideas came and went, but the one I couldn’t shake was the idea of reinventing the alcohol-free beer category.
What other plans do you have for the next year at Lucky Saint?
It’s been five years, and it’s flown by. Twenty twenty-five [2025] is set to be an exciting year, with huge growth expected for the category, and we want to continue to bring people the best-tasting alcohol-free beer on as many occasions as we can.
What do you do when you’re not working?
I spend lots of time with my family.
