Lower-strength beer is booming – and cider is joining the trend

Consumer attitudes towards alcohol continue to evolve, and the latest market data suggests the shift is becoming more than just a passing trend. 

Following changes to the UK's alcohol duty system in 2023, sales of lower-strength beers have risen significantly. Research suggests that beers at 3.4% ABV and below are enjoying rapid growth, with an estimated 150–200 million units of alcohol removed from annual consumption as drinkers increasingly opt for lower-strength alternatives. 

While duty reforms have undoubtedly encouraged innovation from breweries, they're only part of the story. Today's consumers are looking for greater choice, premium quality and drinks that suit a wider range of occasions. Whether it's a weekday pint, a lunchtime catch-up or an evening spent pacing alcohol intake, lower-strength and alcohol-free options are becoming part of everyday drinking habits. 

The trend extends beyond beer, too. Producers across the drinks industry are expanding their lower-alcohol and alcohol-free portfolios, from spirits and wine to cider. As consumer demand for greater choice continues to grow, more brands are investing in products that offer the same quality and character with lower or no alcohol. 

Moderation has moved beyond January 

For many years, conversations around alcohol moderation centred on campaigns such as Dry January or Sober October. While these initiatives continue to encourage people to reassess their drinking habits, moderation is no longer confined to a single month of the year. 

Earlier this year, we explored this changing landscape in our Beyond Dry January blog, looking at how moderation is becoming an increasingly established part of the global drinks market. 

Consumers are increasingly taking a more balanced approach, choosing lower-strength or alcohol-free drinks as part of their regular routines rather than as a temporary challenge. Recent data from the UK market reinforces this shift, with NIQ reporting that more than half (54%) of UK consumers are now moderating their alcohol intake. While consumer preferences vary between markets, the global drinks industry is responding to growing demand for lower and no alcohol options, with producers continuing to invest in new products that offer greater choice. 

Why lower-strength beer is growing 

The introduction of the UK's revised alcohol duty system created a financial incentive for breweries to produce beers below 3.5% ABV, making lower-strength products more commercially attractive. 

However, changing tax policy alone doesn't explain the success of the category. 

Brewers have invested heavily in improving recipes, brewing techniques and ingredients, resulting in lower-strength beers that deliver the flavour, body and character consumers expect from their favourite styles. 

Gone are the days when choosing a lower ABV beer meant compromising on quality. From crisp lagers and hop-forward pale ales to rich stouts and refreshing wheat beers, today's market offers a diverse selection that appeals to both dedicated beer enthusiasts and more casual drinkers. 

At the same time, changing lifestyles are influencing purchasing decisions. Many consumers are looking for drinks that allow them to enjoy social occasions while drinking more mindfully, making lower-strength beers an increasingly attractive option. 

Low & no goes beyond beer 

For years, consumers looking to moderate their alcohol intake had relatively limited alternatives to traditional alcoholic drinks. Today, the low and no category is considerably more diverse, spanning beer, cider, wine and spirits. 

Cider producers are increasingly responding to this demand, with alcohol-free and lower-alcohol ciders becoming an important part of many producers' portfolios. Cider makers are developing products that retain the flavour, character and refreshment consumers expect while meeting changing preferences around alcohol consumption. 

The growth in the category is reflected in the latest sales data. Low and no cider is still significantly smaller than the equivalent beer market, but is growing at a faster rate, with value sales up 40.1% and volume up 43.5%, according to data from NIQ reported by The Grocer. 

The growth of premium alcohol-free products has also helped change perceptions of the category. Rather than being viewed simply as substitutes for alcoholic drinks, low and no products are increasingly being developed – and chosen – for their own quality and flavour.

What this means for hospitality 

The continued growth of lower-strength beer and cider reflects broader changes in what customers expect from a drinks menu. Low and no products are increasingly moving beyond the role of a token alcohol-free alternative, becoming a more established part of a balanced drinks range. 

For hospitality businesses, offering products across different ABV levels allows venues to cater to a wider range of customers without requiring everyone in a group to make the same choice. This can be particularly relevant for: 

• Moderating drinkers, who want to reduce their alcohol intake without giving up beer, cider or other familiar drinks.  

• Designated drivers, who want something more substantial than a soft drink while still avoiding alcohol.  

• People avoiding alcohol altogether, whether for personal, lifestyle or health reasons.  

• Religious or cultural abstinence, where genuinely alcohol-free options can provide an alternative at shared meals, celebrations and other social gatherings.  

• Mixed groups, where offering a varied drinks range means everyone can find something that suits them.  

  
  

The opportunity is therefore not to replace established beer and cider favourites, but to broaden the overall offering. As the quality and variety of low and no products continues to improve, they are becoming an increasingly credible part of the drinks menu.

Product spotlight 

The growing demand for lower-strength and alcohol-free drinks is being reflected across the Cheers supplier portfolio, with producers offering a diverse range of products at lower ABVs than traditional equivalents. From 0% and 0.5% alcohol-free options to beers and ciders at lower strengths than many traditional products, there are increasingly more ways for consumers to enjoy familiar styles with less alcohol. 

Below are some of the lower-strength and low/no options currently available from our suppliers, demonstrating the breadth of the category and the different ways producers are responding to changing consumer preferences. 

Beer 

Jennings 

• Castle Bitter – 3.4% ABV 

Woodforde's 

• Wherry Amber Ale – 3.8% ABV – A Supreme Champion Beer of Britain 

• Woodforde's Low Alcohol Pale Ale – 0.5% ABV 

Loch Lomond 

• Southern Summit American Pale Ale Alcohol Free – 0.5% ABV 

• West Highland Way Pale Ale – 3.7% ABV 

Attic  

• Lucid Alcohol Free Pale – 0.5% ABV 

Cider 

Healeys 

• Rattler Zero Cider – 0.5% ABV 

• Rattler Zero Tropical Cider – 0.5% ABV 

• Rattler Strawberry & Lime Cider – 3.4% ABV  

• Rattler Berry Cider – 3.4% ABV  

• Rattler Tropical Cider – 3.4% ABV  

• Rattler Pineapple Cider – 3.4% ABV  

• Rattler Peach Cider – 3.4% ABV 

• Rattler Mango Cider – 3.4% ABV 

Stonewell 

• Stonewell Non-alcoholic Cider – 0% ABV  

Sandford 

• Red Zero Alcohol Free Cider – 0.5% ABV – Winner of Best Alcohol Free Cider in the World at The World Alcohol Free Awards 2026 

• Fanny's Bramble Blackberry Cider – 3.4% ABV 

• Wilde Cherry Cider – 3.4% ABV 

• Old Blossom Elderflower Cider – 3.4% ABV 

• Berry Lane Raspberry Cider – 3.4% ABV 

From traditional bitters and pale ales to alcohol-free cider and lower-strength fruit ciders, the range shows how much the category has expanded beyond a simple choice between full-strength drinks and soft drinks. For producers and buyers alike, that breadth creates more opportunities to respond to changing consumer preferences while keeping quality and flavour at the heart of the drinks offering. 

Looking ahead: a growing opportunity 

The momentum behind lower-strength and alcohol-free drinks shows little sign of slowing. The UK's alcohol duty changes helped create an incentive for breweries to develop lower-strength beers, but growing consumer demand and continued innovation are helping the wider category develop well beyond the original policy change. 

For producers, this creates opportunities to diversify portfolios and develop new products. For distributors, it means an increasingly important category to source and bring to buyers in markets where demand for low and no is growing. 

Rather than replacing traditional beer and cider, lower-strength and alcohol-free products are becoming an increasingly established part of the wider drinks market – creating opportunities across the supply chain. 

For drinks producers looking to develop their international presence, understanding where these trends are heading can help identify new opportunities. Get in touch with Cheers Global to explore how we can help you take your drinks portfolio into new markets. 

To the best of our knowledge, all information was accurate at the time of publishing in August 2026.