Non-alcoholic offerings on the rise: Harpoon launches sober-friendly IPA

Simcoe, citra and mosaic hops, with added toasted buckwheat, chia seeds, and sea salt (for electrolytes) all went into Harpoon Brewery’s new hazy IPA — not an ingredient list one used to find on a non-alcoholic beer can.

But as more and more breweries like Harpoon are seeing the benefits of the option, non-alcoholic beverages have started to step up.

Harpoon’s offering, called Open League, is the brewery’s first non-alcoholic beverage.

Dan Kenary, Harpoon’s CEO and co-founder, said that beer-drinker’s increasing interest in health and wellness has opened the industry’s eyes to non-alcoholic options.

“We’ve seen from the positive consumer feedback of our fan-favorite Rec. League that consumers are looking for better-for-you options when it comes to their beer,” Kenary said. “We wanted to take that a step further and offer folks another better-for-you option that’s even lighter, still hop-forward and flavorful, and made without alcohol.”

Non-alcoholic beers originally came on the market through only a couple beverage companies, with what one reviewer called “bland, flavorless, near-beer brews.”

But in recent years the sober-friendly options have been adopted in more varied form by an array of producers, from bigger retailers to discerning microbreweries. The substitutes are now mostly crafted as actual beers with very low alcohol content — less than 0.5% ABV per can.

With Open League, Kenary said, Harpoon “worked to get the recipe and taste as close to a traditional beer as possible.”

Non-alcoholic offerings have a built in appeal to a specific audience and open up new occasions to enjoy the beverages, Kenary said.

“The category is constantly expanding,” Kenary said, “and we’re excited to now be a part of it with the launch of Open League.”

The brewery is launching the beer at a free kickboxing event on Aug. 28.