Alcohol-free beer in cans, the best thing to come out of Sweden since…

When you think of all the fine things to have emerged from Sweden, two are probably foremost in your mind: ABBA and Volvo cars.

Even if you’re not a fan of the Swedish foursome, you must begrudgingly admit they knew how to make a catchy tune. And as for Volvos, while not the world’s most exciting vehicles, they are made of granite and are more secure than Fort Knox.

But there’s something else happening in Sweden which, not surprisingly, we absolutely love: the country is embracing a culture of enjoying flavoursome alcohol-free beers. Big Drop Brewing began its journey in 2016, and the Swedes have taken notice.

First, the country began importing our bottled beers last year. Now, in a further endorsement of our work to revolutionise alcohol-free craft beers, Sweden is importing our delicious drinks in cans. From June 1, the country’s giant monopoly retail chain for the sales of alcohol, Systembolaget, will stock Big Drop’s Pale Ale and Stout in 33cl cans in its hundreds of outlets.

We are continuing to see a strong and growing demand for alcohol-free beverages targeted to the adult consumer in Sweden.

The transition from glass bottle to can might not seem out of the ordinary at first, but in truth, it’s a ringing endorsement from a beer-loving country that is fast adopting the flavour-packed refreshment that Big Drop’s alcohol-free beer provides.

Our sales and marketing director in Northern Europe, Markus Keusen, knows a thing or two about the drinks industry trends in Sweden.

He says the sale of Big Drop in canned form is significant. “In Sweden, we have a long history of selling beer in cans as this is a superior way of keeping the beer fresh and flavourful.

“It is, however, only recently that we are starting to see alcohol-free beer in cans and with Big Drop Brewing Co, we want to be early out of the starting blocks with the beers in this format. The high quality, the big and bold flavours are all the same, and the beer is of course still alcohol-free.”

Markus says the growth is set to continue, with Swedes recognising they can drink great-tasting beer and still enjoy their life outside of work without feeling fuzzy-headed from alcohol. He explained: “We are continuing to see a strong and growing demand for alcohol-free beverages targeted to the adult consumer in Sweden.

“Beer as a product category is leading this growth very much due to professional and experienced brewers such as Big Drop Brewing Co that have brought in their knowledge from conventional brewing and adapted this to the production of alcohol-free beer.”

If you happen to be in Sweden, and we’d recommend visiting, you can pick up a can of Big Drop Pale Ale or Stout for 19.90 SEK. That’s Swedish Krona to you and me.

Elsewhere, the bottled variety of Big Drop’s popular alcohol-free beers spreads around the world as consumers continue to demand a flavoursome beer that lets them make the most of their leisure time without the drawbacks that come with too much booze.

If you’re travelling around the world, you’re already likely to find Big Drop on the shelves in the Netherlands, Finland, Denmark and France. On top of that, we’ll soon be adding Australia, Canada, Ireland, Norway and Switzerland to that list, so watch this space.

But for now, we celebrate Sweden. The people have spoken, and they love tasty alcohol-free beer. In a can. We’re moving with the times which, as ABBA declared, is the name of the game.