The game changer

Party goers enjoying a refreshing beverage after ‘pinching’ a Heaps Normal from Sean’s esky!

Covid has been a maintenance period for many, fixing up homes, businesses, relationships and personal health.

Article by Sean Edwards

I too looked at fixing some long-term health issues whilst I had the spare time to recover. I had an accident when I was a teenager resulting in a broken nose and have been putting off nasal surgery for years. Before my operation I was determined to have a massive detox and gave away things like sugar, coffee, carbs and alcohol. I am not a big drinker but like most Aussie men I have one or two beers a day. This established habit was going to be a hard one to kick.

I gave up drinking two weeks before surgery, not surprisingly came the constant urges to have a beer every afternoon after work. I had the surgery, which was horrific, and it took two weeks before I could even think about having a beer again. I then realized it had been a full month since I’d had a drink, so was still craving having a refreshing beer. My Son Charlie runs a restaurant cocktail bar called “Stick” and he had had many requests for nonalcoholic beer, he did his research and came up with a beer called “Heaps Normal”. I grabbed a four pack from him and was absolutely shocked that this zero alcohol beer tasted so damn real. The beer is brewed as an XPA and is hoppy and has enough gas in it to let you have a good beer burp. Thank you Heaps Normal as you made giving up alcohol very easy and I have now gone three months without the urge to have a drink. I take my fake beers with me to parties and don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything. I am even finding my mates pinching them out of the communal BBQ esky, not even realising they are zero alcohol and low in calories.

The health benefits of no alcohol in the mix are, I have lost 10kgs and now sleep through the night which I have not done for years. My wife even said I am a much nicer person and not the stress head she had been putting up with.

Low alcohol beers are not new, but the quality has become a lot better and there are also now a bigger range to choose from. Most of the mainstream brewers are making an option as health trends has moved young people to drink less than their ancestors.

The NA craft beer market is huge around the world and it’s already grown in the USA to a two hundred million dollar year revenue-making since 2019 to 2020. Australia has seen many Brewers taking up the challenge to design a good tasting beer that will appease this lucrative space. The price of a carton is still close to a fullstrength beer, so it makes sense for brewers to invest in the health trend.

Heaps Normal was created by four guys who all had had enough of the world of real booze and could see a way they could produce a good tasting beer, with the added benefit of waking up in the morning with a clear head. The team is led by CEO Andy Miller who had many years in craft brewing. Andy’s brewing mates Peter Brennan and Ben Holdstock also joined the team after meeting each other in the craft beer industry. Peter’s long-term mate and pro-surfer Jordy Smith became the final member of the Heaps Normal crew. This fabulous four have lots of plans to create more great tasting beers over the next few years as the brand and segment grows.

I am excited to be on this trend, getting back to good health and well-being while still enjoying a well brewed beer.