Non-alcoholic beer gets own, hilarious Super Bowl commercial as sales surge

It will be a less spirited Super Bowl.Sales of non-alcoholic beer, wine and spirits surged 26% over the past year to top $800 million in the US, market research firm NIQ told NBC.Non-alcoholic beer is the most popular in the category, making up 84% of total sales.

The upward trend can even be seen in one of this year’s Super Bowl commercials.Michelob Ultra Zero — an alcohol-free beer that boasts only 29 calories — will be making a cameo appearance in a Michelob Ultra commercial during Super Bowl LIX, where ads cost a reported $8 million on average for a 30-second spot.The star-studded ad features actor Willem Dafoe, his “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice” castmate Catherine O’Hara, WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu, Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss and Olympic shot put gold medalist Ryan Crouser.In 2023, Heineken 0.0 made history when it aired a commercial during the Big Game — the first ad for nonalcoholic beer during the Super Bowl.Non-alcoholic beer is so beloved because “it actually tastes good,” Nadine Sarwat, alcoholic beverages analyst at global research firm Bernstein, told the outlet.Since regular beer only has 4% to 5% alcohol, a non-alcoholic alternative can “generate a huge amount of the flavor without the alcohol, in a way that feels very similar,” she continued.Over the past year, alcohol sales slipped by less than 1%, the first drop in three years, with consumers reporting they indulge in less alcohol now than during the pandemic.Americans are citing economic and health reasons for their recent aversion.

“We do see that inflation has impacted purchasing,” Kaleigh Theriault, alcohol and beverage thought leader at NIQ, explained to the outlet.“Consumers have opted for a moderation mindset, where they may have overconsumed to their liking during the at-home period during COVID, and coming out of that, they were a little more focused on health and wellness.”At Amity Hall, a sports bar on the Upper West Side, one out of every 20 drink...