Irish drinkers are turning their backs on booze – as less than 20 years ago alcohol-free beer sold alcohol-free beers and the nation’s drinks tripled

Irish drinkers continue to ditch booze, with millions opting for soft drinks.

Sales of zero percent beer have tripled from under 2 million liters to over 5.5 million liters between 2017 and 2021, new statistics from Drinks Ireland show.

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The market share of alcohol-free beer increased by 275 percent during this period and now accounts for 1.5 percent of beer sales.

We now drink 33 percent less as a nation than we did 20 years ago.

Cormac Healy, Director of Drinks Ireland, said: “We are seeing consumers in Ireland looking for more balance when drinking, which is positive.

“Revenue data also show that overall alcohol consumption continues to decline, by about 33 percent over 20 years. We see that young people in particular are backing down and making changes.

“Beverage manufacturers across the country are responding to growing consumer demand by innovating and creating these great-tasting alternatives.”

As Dry January grows in popularity, the latest data shows Irish people continue to favor soft drinks.

Abstinents have more choices than ever before, with Heineken 0.0 and Guinness 0.0 leading the way.

The industry expects alcohol-free beer to grow in popularity this year and beyond as Irish consumers seek a more balanced drinking pattern and opt for the growing range of alternatives now available.

Minimum prices for alcohol were put in place in January last year – meaning canned records selling for €18 doubled their price to at least €39.77.

Ireland became one of only a few countries in the world to introduce minimum unit prices for the retail sale of alcohol.

The new pricing sets a minimum price below which alcohol cannot legally be sold.

It targets products that are cheap relative to their strength. The minimum price is determined by the amount of pure alcohol in the drink.

The aim is to prevent cheap, strong alcohol from harming young people by making it available at ‘pocket money’ prices.

At the minimum unit price, the lowest price that can be charged for a gram of alcohol is ten cents.

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