Non-alcoholic beer increasingly popular in the Netherlands
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By Simone Jacobs
Non-alcoholic beer sales have risen by 14 percent in the Netherlands, now accounting for up to 9 percent of all Dutch beer consumption.
Alcohol-free beer sales grow in the Netherlands
Alcohol-free or low-alcohol (maximum 0,5 percent alcohol) beer options are becoming increasingly popular in the Netherlands. So popular that Dutch brewers are set to reach targets ahead of schedule.
The goal was to have non-alcoholic beer make up 10 percent of all beer consumption in the Netherlands by 2030. "We'll achieve that target sooner," Abel van de Sluis of the Dutch brewers association told AD. In 2025, beer with little or no alcohol content made up 8 to 9 percent of the market share, creeping ever closer to the goal.
Improved taste and availability of non-alcoholic beer
Non-alcoholic beer sales are growing as more people, especially younger generations, decide not to drink alcohol and frequent coffee bars more often. The taste and availability of alcohol-free options have also improved in recent years.
"You hardly taste any difference between alcohol-free beer and the alcoholic version," said Van de Sluis. The selection in supermarkets and the hospitality industry is increasing. Speciality varieties of non-alcoholic beer are becoming quite popular, with sales increasing by 27,5 percent last year.
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Editor for the Netherlands at IamExpat Media. Simone studied Genetics and Zoology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa before moving to the Netherlands, where she has been working as a writer and editor since 2022. One thing she loves more than creating content is consuming it, mainly by reading books by the dozen. Other than being a book dragon, she is also a nature lover and enjoys hiking and animal training.Read more