Non-alcoholic beer sales in Ontario up 69 per cent in 2024: LCBO

Non-alcoholic beers are shown at a grocery store in Toronto on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Staff

The LCBO has released its 2024 sales highlights and one type of product saw “standout” growth last year, despite containing little to no alcohol at all.

“De-alcoholic” beer saw a 69 per cent surge in sales, driven by offerings like Guinness 0, Bellwoods Brewery’s Jelly King Non-Alcoholic Sour, and Muskoka Brewery’s Veer Lager with Lime, the LCBO said, noting that the data was pulled from sales between Nov. 4, 2023, and Nov. 9, 2024.

Overall, products with no alcohol sold by the LCBO saw 73 per cent growth year-over-year. Since 2022, sales of those products have grown by 189 per cent.

According to the LCBO’s latest quarterly report, which reported total sales of $2.2 billion between June and October, non-alcoholic beers made up 0.5 per cent of net beer sales.

Demand for smaller format wines, spirits grows

Buying behaviors towards wines and spirits also changed in the last year, seeing customers shifting towards smaller format options instead of full-size bottles.

The LCBO said because of the “growing demand” for those products, it now offers more than 40 wine products packaged in 375 ml containers and 200 spirits in containers of 375 ml or less.

Wine preferences changing

Beyond bottle size, wine drinkers are also shifting away from heavier, full-body styles and leaning towards “fresher” types of vino, including lighter reds, and whites like Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio.

Icewine continued to be a popular choice in 2024, the LCBO said, noting that local Ontario-made products saw an upward trend of seven per cent last year. Since 2022, the dessert wine’s popularity has grown by 29 per cent.

Meanwhile, so called “value priced” reds and whites are attracting customers who are exploring options offering quality and affordability, the LCBO said.

Ready-to-Drink cocktails see ‘fastest’ growth

Ready-to-Drink products, or RTDs, remained a popular choice in 2024, but pre-mixed cocktails stood out as the “fastest growing segment” at 17 per cent, the LCBO said.

The last quarterly report shows seltzers and soda-style coolers made up 37 per cent of all sales, while traditional coolers and cocktail coolers accounted for 22 and 14 per cent, respectively.

The pre-mixed drinks were a sticking point during the 17-day LCBO strike in the summer, when the union representing more than 9,000 of the Crown corporation’s workers tried, but failed, to keep them out of convenience stores and gas stations as part of the provincial sales expansion.

Now, thousands of corner stores across the province can sell the popular drinks, as well as beer, wine, and cider.

Tequila, American whiskey popularity grows

Demand for tequila grew by six per cent in 2024, which the LCBO said was somewhat lower than the 16 per cent increase seen in 2023.

American whiskey also saw increased interest to the tune of seven per cent, fueled by limited releases in the last 12 months.

Asian spirits, including soju and whiskies, also saw growth year-over-year.

The LCBO said that the 2024 sales data may be understated due to the summer strike.