On Tap

By James Figy

Ben Jordan, CEO of ABV Technology, began making NA beer while a graduate student in biology at Harvard as a way to stay social without the hangover. Photos by James Figy

Beer lover’s guide to Dry January and beyond

If you’re reading this, there’s a very high likelihood that you, like me, love beer. You probably want to learn more about beer styles, history and trends. And you’re not planning to stop drinking beer anytime soon.

Historically, bars, restaurants, taprooms and liquor stores depended on us to keep revenue flowing. So when Dry January emerged as a trend in recent years, many establishments were wary or resisted hopping on board. But that’s changing.

NA beer has exploded in recent years from a niche subset of lackluster offerings to a must-have category with myriad options. In Minnesota, one of the companies leading the way is ABV Technology.

ABV’s machines remove the intoxicating ethanol from beers while leaving their flavors intact. The company’s St. Paul headquarters offers a centralized processing facility for more than 60 local breweries, according to CEO Ben Jordan.

“Now there are thousands of different nonalcoholic beer brands in the country,” Jordan said. “Minnesota has become the state with the most nonalcoholic craft beer options. In fact, there's more density of nonalcoholic beer brands in Minnesota than anywhere in the world.”

Minnesota breweries of all sizes — from large, established operations like Bauhaus Brew Labs to smaller taprooms such as Torg Brewery or newer locations like Bucks Mill Brewing in Detroit Lakes — send their beers to ABV. In return, they get the NA version and the byproduct FMB (see sidebar) if desired. Around the U.S., regional sites with ABV machines are available.

NA beer, of course, is nothing new. In Germany and across Europe, serving at least one “alkoholfrei” option is standard. But the continental versions typically use processes like halted fermentation, which create no alcohol. Some Minnesota breweries have taken the same approach, which is a viable option depending on the beer style.

The fermentation process naturally creates ethanol, which is what makes beer alcoholic and provides feelings of euphoria. Ethanol also acts as a powerful solvent to incorporate flavors from hops, fruit, etc., so

The number of NA beer options — and ABV customers — continues to grow.

it’s often critical to produce.

The ABV machines increase flexibility and options.

They essentially boil out the aromatics and set them aside using a vacuum, then boil out the ethanol, and finally add the aromatics back into the beer. The ethanol remains separate, and the beer remains nearly identical in appearance and flavor. So, a hazy still looks and tastes like a hazy, but now it contains less than 0.5% alcohol.

As such, brewers can adapt their recipes more easily, meaning a greater diversity of options. That’s good — because Dry January isn’t going away.

Dry January started in 2013 as a public health initiative in the UK. About one-third of U.S. adults participated in 2022, according to a report from food and beverage research group CGA.

An overwhelming majority stuck with the goal of staying sober during the entire month, the report states. The expanding category of NA beverages raked in an estimated $295 million at bars, restaurants, etc., during that month.

Beyond January, most planned to continue drinking nonalcoholic options — to varying degrees — as a lifestyle shift. “Of those taking part in Dry January, nearly threequarters said they would continue drinking alcohol-free beer, spirits and mocktails while 64% planned to drink alcohol-free wine,” CGA states.

Whether you want to be lumped in with the Dry January crowd, people like you, me and Jordan himself are ABV’s target market. Those who are pregnant, in recovery from alcohol abuse disorder, not advised to drink for medical reasons or abstain for religious reasons are not, largely because this group is not growing.

“There's been no change in that demographic size in 30 years. It has grown proportional to the population,” Jordan said. “What has changed is that people who do drink are also consuming nonalcoholic products."

This is good! People are reconsidering their relationship to alcohol and trying to balance the health risks.

Excess alcohol use correlates to higher rates of head and neck, esophageal, liver, breast and colon cancers. In addition, a 2022 study from the Minnesota Department of Health estimated that excess drinking cost the state nearly $8 billion in 2019.

So how do you start? The organization that created Dry January suggests removing all alcohol from your house so there won’t be temptations — stock your beer fridge with Bauhaus Nah! or another NA option.

Make plans for social settings where you would normally drink. Get friends to join you to have some accountability. Reward yourself by using the money you’d normally spend on alcohol for fun activities or purchases.

If you slip up, don’t beat yourself up. And most importantly, use what you learn about your relationship to alcohol to give yourself more choices throughout the year.

“If we can get the people who drink to drink a little bit less, it's going to be a huge health improvement,” Jordan said. “For us, it (Dry January) is definitely a way that people are introduced to our products, and we like to see breweries selling more beer and wineries selling more wine when they normally wouldn't be.”

While ABV Technology’s machines have just one input for the original alcoholic beverage, they have two outputs: the NA version and fermented malt beverage (aka FMB).

FMB may not sound familiar, but it’s the base for the craft hard seltzers that have shown up in taprooms across the state. Ben Jordan originally thought FMB would be just a byproduct, creating disposal headaches. Instead, it became a revenue stream.

The company’s busiest time of year is right after the Minnesota State Fair. ABV produces an incredible amount of FMB and simply disposes of the NA versions per regulations. “Nobody wants an NA cookie beer,” Jordan said. “Well, most people don’t.”

The ABV system extracts ethanol without impacting a beer’s flavor.

James Figy is a writer and beer enthusiast based in St. Paul. In Mankato, he earned an MFA in creative writing from Minnesota State University and a World Beer Cruise captain’s jacket from Pub 500. Twitter and Instagram: @JamesBeered