For Not Another Beer Co., 2020 has not been a bad year really.  Lucky Saint, their award-winning Superior Unfiltered Lager is winning many new fans and retaining its loyal fan base.  Independently and progressively brewed in Bavaria, the beer contains just four natural ingredients – Pilsner Malt, Hallertau Hops, Bavarian spring water and Lucky Saint’s own single-use yeast.  The beer is brewed, bottled and packaged in Germany.  Therefore, at 0.5% ABV, it can be labelled ‘alcohol-free’ rather than ‘low alcohol’ when sold in the UK.  Otherwise the limit is currently 0.05%.

Launch on draught in London

In January of this year, Lucky Saint was the first independent alcohol-free lager to be served on draught.  It was launched in 50 venues across London, including Hippo Inns and Electric Star Pubs and sold 30,000 pints in four weeks!  During lockdown, the beer became the second-biggest selling alcohol-free lager on Amazon.  It is also the first alcohol-free brand to join the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA).

Lucky Saint lists with Majestic

Then in August, the company announced its biggest off-trade listing to date with Majestic, the UK’s largest specialist wine retailer, launching into all 198 stores nationwide.  The partnership came at a significant time with consumer interest in the no and low category booming.  In March 2020, the no/low category saw growth of +33% year on year (Nielsen), with one-third of the UK opting to moderate or quit alcohol during lockdown.

Launch on draught nationwide

Lucky Saint has now become the first independent alcohol-free lager to be served on draught throughout the UK.  Pub listings include, for example, Brighton’s Lion and Lobster, Bristol’s King Street Brewhouse and other City Pub Co venues.

Luke Boase, Founder of Lucky Saint, gives his thoughts. “Since our successful launch on draught in January, Lucky Saint and the no-and-low category have grown phenomenally. When pubs reopened after lockdown, we wanted to make sure we were meeting consumer demand both on and off-trade.  So, rolling out draught listings nationwide was the next step for us, especially with Sober October just around the corner.”

Growth in no-and-low

The launch comes at a significant time for Lucky Saint and the no-and-low category, with 53% of customers saying pubs serving alcohol free draught would make them more appealing places to visit (KAM Media – July 2020).

Meanwhile, general interest in drinking less is at an all-time high.  Figures show that 36% of UK adults took part in Dry January 2020 or are interested in trying Sober October.  This compares with 10% in 2019 (KAM Media – April 2020).

Lucky Saint itself has seen extensive growth over the last few months, with direct to consumer e-commerce sales increasing 300% over the lockdown period.

You can read more information on how beer drinking habits have changed as a result of lockdown here.

Author: Robin Goldsmith of The Write Taste.