Cornwall-based Firebrand Brewing Co’s focus on alcohol-free beer has seen its 0.5% ABV Shorebreak Hazy Pale Ale overtake the brewery’s flagship lager to become its best-selling beer.


Over the past 12 months, Shorebreak has accounted for 23.9% of Firebrand’s total sales, making it the brewery’s number one beer across all channels, generating around 37% more revenue than its previously best-selling beer, Helles Beach Cornish Lager, which comes in at 4.4% ABV.

The growth, the company said, is particularly pronounced online, where Shorebreak sales have increased by 69.1% year- on-year, with units sold up 67.4%.

The beer now accounts for 61% of the brewery’s online sales, compared with 53% the previous year, and sells almost four times more than the next-best-selling product.

The performance is part of a broader shift towards alcohol-free beer within Firebrand’s business. Its wider alcohol-free range has grown by 63.8% online and now represents 84.3% of all online sales, up from 75.6% the previous year.

By comparison, total online sales for the business grew by 47%, meaning the alcohol-free category is growing substantially faster than the business overall.

For Firebrand, Shorebreak’s performance provides a clear commercial indication of the changing role of alcohol-free beer, which is now competing directly with their established core beers for consumers’ attention and spend.

Joe Thomson, founder and head brewer at Firebrand Brewing Co, said: “Shorebreak becoming our best-selling beer demonstrates that alcohol-free is no longer simply a niche product or an occasional alternative.

“We’ve been seeing the love for Shorebreak right across the board, from pubs and retail to our own online shop, and it’s really exciting to see this translate into real commercial opportunity for our business now”.