It seems logical that a post-New Year’s Day release of a new, alcohol-free beer would aim to capitalize on the “Dry January” campaign. After all, what better time to sell an alcohol-free beer than a month when some folks are attempting to abstain from alcohol? In the case of Yukon Brewing’s first-ever non-alcoholic beer, however, the timing is purely coincidental.
“You know, as sober October and these other initiatives come up — which are fine, we’ve never really noticed an impact from those […] Instead, this beer came about because we had time to make it, and the fact that it’s out at the beginning of January is 100 per cent a coincidence,” Bob Baxter, co-founder of Yukon Brewing, told the News.
According to Baxter, brewery staff have been talking about making a non-alcoholic beer for a while. In the final months of 2023, the time and tank space finally materialized, and a trial batch was initiated.
This trial batch resulted in a pale ale with an alcohol by volume (ABV) of 0.5 per cent. Under Canadian government guidelines, a non-alcoholic beer cannot contain more than 0.5 per cent absolute ethyl alcohol by volume.
“We’ve been talking about [making a non-alcoholic beer] for a while, and in the fall, early winter, we had the opportunity, we had the tank space to be able to do a trial batch and just see whether we’d be dumping it straight down the drain or not. We really had no idea,” Baxter said, adding that he’s happy with the finished product, which tastes a lot like regular beer and has a malty sweetness.
“I would say, oddly, it turned out pretty tasty. At least in our minds.”
The new alcohol-free pale ale is currently available for purchase at the Yukon Brewing taproom in Whitehorse. The beverage is not sold in cans, so patrons must enjoy a drink in-store or bring a growler to fill if they want to take the beer home.
Baxter said the non-alcoholic beer is only served in the taproom for several reasons. For one, Yukon Brewing staff are keen to solicit customer feedback, which is easier to do when they are in-store. Additionally, the beer is not pasteurized, and because of its low alcohol content, it is thus not stable enough to be canned.
“Alcohol is a preservative in beer, and when I say preservative, it eliminates bacterial growth or retards bacterial growth. No alcohol equals the potential for infection. If we were a big brewer, like O’Doul’s or someone like that, we would pasteurize and take care of any bacteria in the can that way. But again, we don’t have room for pasteurizing equipment. So, we would have to find some other way of making it shelf stable,” Baxter said, adding that the beer is kept stable in-store by being stored in refrigerated kegs.
“So, for now, we can keep it on tap in the fridge and completely under our nose. So, if we get a whiff of anything starting to vary in terms of stability, we can get rid of it right away — that’s pretty important for us.”
Asked whether non-alcoholic beers could become a Yukon Brewing staple in the future, Baxter said he is uncertain. He highlighted the issue of non-alcoholic beers’ shelf stability in cans, something he called a “big problem to solve.” The future of non-alcoholic beers at Yukon Brewing also hinges on demand, like the success of all products in a capitalist economy.
“It’s a baby step on the trail, and we don’t want anyone to think it’s anything but that, but you never know. What’s the saying: every journey starts with the first step? So here we are,” Baxter said.
For now, though, those looking to indulge in a 100-per-cent-Yukon-made non-alcoholic beer can do so at Yukon Brewing’s taproom. All of the proceeds from sales of the non-alcoholic pale ale will be donated to charity, according to Baxter, although the brewery is not ready to announce the charity that will receive the funds.
Contact Matthew Bossons at matthew.bossons@yukon-news.com