Dry January Is Evolving And Your Taproom Menu Should Too

What Dry January, moderation trends, and non alcoholic beer mean for craft breweries heading into 2027

Last updated: September 10, 2026

Every January, taproom traffic drops and most brewers chalk it up to consumer participation in Dry January. The assumption is that February will bring them back, but that might not be the case anymore. The practice of cutting out alcohol for the month of January has grown from a niche wellness challenge into a mainstream cultural event, and the moderation trends it builds are starting to become year-long habits.

According to Numerator, alcohol's share of total beverage sales fell three percentage points over three years, from 46% in 2022 to 41% in 2025 with January driving that decline consistently. Thirteen percent of respondents planned to continue cutting back on alcohol after January, and 42% said they're undecided about returning to alcohol.¹ 

A meaningful segment of your customers are rethinking their relationship with alcohol year-round. The breweries navigating this well are building menus that work for every round, expanding into non-alcoholic formats with the same attention they bring to their core lineup, and capturing customers who would otherwise end their visit early or not come in at all. 

What is Dry January?

Dry January is a month-long commitment to abstain from alcohol that started in 2013 as a public health campaign run by Alcohol Change UK.² The premise was simple, it spread fast, and by the mid-2020s it was a mainstream cultural event. Last year, according to Numerator, more than one in four alcohol buyers planned to participate in January 2026, with 43% doing it for the first time. Among repeat participants, the majority had successfully reduced or eliminated alcohol during prior attempts.¹ 

Dry January now describes a spectrum of drinking choices rather than a single commitment. Some fully abstain from alcohol, others practice Damp January meaning they cut back without fully cutting alcohol out. Data from Curion found their motivations look similar to those of strict abstainers with the majority citing physical health (56%), mental clarity (44%), and habit reset (43%). Those who participate describe it as a more sustainable shift compared to fully ditching alcohol.³

Zebra striping is alternating alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages within the same drinking occasion. This moderation strategy shows up year-round in taprooms, at dinner tables, and bars. Some consumers go Cali Sober for the month of January, where they skip alcohol in favor of cannabis or THC beverages.

January used to mean a predictable dip in taproom sales that breweries had to wait out. Data from Civic Science suggests that idea may be outdated. Among surveyed 2026 Dry January participants, the share planning to "return to normal drinking habits" after January rose from 27% to 35% year over year.⁴ However, a growing number say they plan to drink less without eliminating alcohol altogether.

For brewers, it means people may be finishing January with a permanently adjusted relationship with alcohol, not a renewed one. What used to be a slow month has now become a year-round menu question. 

Dry January is Just the Beginning: Year-Round Moderation

Reduced alcohol consumption makes sense in January, but what's happening the other eleven months of the year requires a strategy shift for brewers. 

Gallup's August 2026 survey found that just 54% of Americans say they drink alcohol, the lowest figure in the poll's history dating back to 1939. That’s the second consecutive year at that level, and it’s down from 62% in 2023.⁵ Gallup's director of U.S. social research told Time the decline represents a sustained change across all age groups.⁶

Health awareness is driving a lot of these changes, with fifty-one percent of U.S. adults now saying that drinking one or two alcoholic beverages a day is bad for their health. In 2001, that figure was 27%.⁵ 

This hasn’t necessarily led to mass sobriety, but to intentional drinking. Consumers are actively curating their relationship with alcohol rather than defaulting to it. They're asking how they want to feel on a given night and choosing beverages accordingly. 

Diageo's Distilled 2025 report found that six in ten U.S. and U.K. adults were definitely or likely to use zebra striping to moderate their alcohol consumption in 2025. Over 50% of those who had adopted it in previous years reported doing so more in 2024 than ever before.⁷ According to Euromonitor International's World Market for Alcoholic Drinks 2025 report, zebra striping is growing across all ages and demographics, with younger consumers leading the way.⁸

On top of that, Kaleigh Theriault, NIQ’s Director of Beverage Alcohol Thought Leadership explains that almost half of on-premise customers report switching between alcoholic and NA drinks on the same occasion.⁹

If half the people who walk into your taproom on a given Friday night are open to alternating between an alcoholic and a non alcoholic option, the question is whether you have something they want to order when they get to that second, non-alcoholic round.

What Moderation Means for Your Taproom

The moderation trend is arriving at a time when taprooms are already under pressure. According to the Brewers Association, the craft beer industry closed 2025 with its second consecutive year of production decline, more brewery closures than openings, and sixty percent of breweries reported volume decreases.¹⁰

In taprooms, draught beer has nearly double the average value velocity of packaged product in on-premise settings. For craft draught specifically, that figure is over four times greater than packaged product, according to data from NIQ and Draftline Technologies.¹¹ A taproom visit is your highest-margin transaction, so when a portion of your customers start ordering differently (fewer rounds, lower ABV, or no alcohol) that's a major revenue problem.

Fortunately, this isn’t a craft brewing apocalypse. The Brewers Association's consumer survey found that 14% of regular craft beer drinkers are now consuming less craft because they're drinking more non-alcoholic beer.¹² Theriault explains that “95% of non-alcoholic buyers also buy alcohol, so it’s often a complement, not a replacement.”¹³

Offering strong NA options now means keeping customers at your table for another round instead of ending the visit early. A customer who orders two pints and two hop waters spends more money than one who orders two pints and leaves.

The breweries that navigate this well aren't treating NA as a consolation offering. They're treating it as a menu category with its own occasion logic, its own flavor standards, and its own customer. 

Build a Menu That Works Beyond Dry January

Navigating year-long moderation trends doesn't require a complete menu overhaul. It means offering a premium NA option for different drinking occasions. A customer alternating rounds wants something just as enjoyable when they skip the alcohol.

Hop Water: The Fastest Entry Point into NA Beverages

For breweries that don't yet have anything non-alcoholic, hop water is the lowest-friction place to start. There's no fermentation involved, minimal equipment required, and the iteration cycle is fast. More importantly, a house hop water tied to your house character is a taproom exclusive customers won’t get anywhere else.

How to Make Hop Water: An Abstrax Brand Guide for the Best Non Alcoholic Drinks

Non-Alcoholic Beer: A Natural Extension

For breweries already set up for fermentation, adding non alcoholic beer is a natural extension. According to 2024 data from NIQ, on-remise NA beer sales grew by 33.7% year over year, with IPAs up over 170% and stouts up over 130%.¹⁴ An NA IPA or NA stout covers the two fastest-growing styles and gives your taproom a house-made option that fits the same occasion as its alcoholic counterpart. 

Brew the Best Non Alcoholic Beer Using These 5 Trending Hops

NA Mocktails and RTDs: Covering the Occasion Drinker

Not everyone who walks into your taproom during January is a beer drinker. Some want something that feels intentional and sophisticated, and they have no interest in ordering a soda. A dedicated mocktail menu or a house NA RTD covers that customer and extends your taproom's reach beyond its core beer audience.

Herb and Spice Flavors for Non-Alcoholic Beer, Hop Water, and RTDs

Adaptogen Beverages: Mood-Forward and Functional

Today's functional beverage buyer isn't just looking for hydration or a caffeine lift, they're looking for a drink that supports how they want to feel. Sound familiar? Beverages built around adaptogens, nootropics, or mood-oriented ingredients make sense for taprooms looking to expand offerings for wellness-focused consumers during Dry January and beyond.

Making Adaptogen Drinks with Terpenes: A Formulation Guide for Beverage Producers

Infused Beverages: THC, CBD, and the Cali Sober Customer

A growing number of customers moderating their alcohol consumption are looking for a different kind of buzz entirely. While the Cali Sober movement started as a West Coast cultural shorthand, the consumption pattern it describes is now national and measurable.

According to Future Markets Insights, THC beverage sales reached roughly $850 million in 2024, with projections toward $4 billion by 2028. Stew Leonard's Wine & Spirits, a mainstream retailer, carried fewer than ten THC beverage brands just three years ago. Today it stocks up to 75, with sales running 25% higher this January than last year, according to reporting from the New York Times.¹⁵

For Dry January consumers, THC beverages occupy a distinct position on the moderation spectrum. They're not abstaining from the social occasion, and they're not drinking alcohol. They want a beverage that feels adult and intentional without the next-morning effects of alcohol. 

Numerator found that, among Gen Z and Millennials participating in Dry January 2026, almost half were more likely to purchase THC or CBD products.¹ Instead of losing sales from those customers, a premium infused beverage offering gives them an occasion-worthy drink to enjoy in your taproom.

How to Formulate THC Drinks That Taste Great: A Guide for Beverage Manufacturers

Any brewery exploring the infused-beverage category must review all state regulations regarding retail channels, potency limits, and formulation requirements. 

Keep Non Alc Customers Coming Back All Year with Flavor

Alcohol carries bitterness, delivers warmth, adds viscosity, and acts as a solvent that pulls aromatic compounds into the glass in ways water can't. Strip it out and you're not just removing ABV, you're removing a significant part of what makes an occasion-based drink feel complete. Across all non-alcoholic formats, flavors and aromas from hops and fruit to herbs and spices can create the taproom-quality experience customers are looking for.

For hop water and NA beer, formulating with varietal-specific hop extracts gives you the familiar flavors and aromas customers are expecting from alcoholic beers. The authentic candy-like stone fruit of Dolcita™ or the citrus and pine of Centennial helps to create the sensory experience that keeps NA beers and hop waters from feeling like a consolation prize.

To avoid offering NA RTDs, functional beverages, and THC drinks that come across more as soft drinks than adult beverages, botanical flavors can create sophisticated drinks without any alcohol. Pair Strawberry with Rosemary for herbal depth, Blood Orange with Cardamom for complex warmth, and Lemon with Ginger for vibrant citrus with a bite. Push botanical profiles further into craft territory with the evergreen notes of Spruce Tips. Fruit flavors alone can’t do that.

The Dry January customer who orders and enjoys a botanical hop water in week one is a different customer than one who settles for a soda water with lime. The first one comes back in February, but the second one waits until next January. Flavor is the differentiator. 

Partner with Abstrax to Build Dry January Beverages with Year-Long Revenue

Formulating an NA beverage that tastes premium, satisfies Dry January drinkers, and earns a year-round purchase is tricky. That’s the kind of problem we solve at Abstrax.

The Skyfarm Series delivers TTB-approved, shelf-stable herb, spice, and fruit flavors with 100% utilization, no added sugars or calories, and no workflow modifications. The Quantum Series is a suite of hop-derived, varietal-specific solutions utilizing our innovative, ultra-low temp extraction technology to create the finest, most aromatic hop extracts on the market.

Whether you're building a non alcoholic beer, hop water, or RTD mocktail, these flavors are designed to perform consistently from benchtop to production scale.

If you're ready to start benchtop testing or want to talk through formulation goals, contact us today and let's get to work.

References

1. Numerator. (2026, January). Dry January 2026. https://www.numerator.com/resources/blog/dry-january-2026/ 

2. Alcohol Change UK. (n.d.). The Dry January® story. https://alcoholchange.org.uk/help-and-support/managing-your-drinking/dry-january/about-dry-january/the-dry-january-story 

3. Fellows, K. (2026, January 10). Dry January is dead. Long live intentional drinking. Food Dive. https://www.fooddive.com/news/dry-january-nonalcoholic-consumer-demand-alcohol-opinion/810816/ 

4. Civic Science. (2026, January). Dry January on the rocks: Participation is up but completion rates slip. https://civicscience.com/dry-january-on-the-rocks-participation-is-up-but-completion-rates-slip/ 

5. Saad, L. (2026, August). Americans' drinking remains at record low. Gallup. https://news.gallup.com/poll/713534/americans-drinking-remains-record-low.aspx 

6. Mosbergen, D. (2026, August 20). Americans are (still) drinking less than ever before, Gallup finds. Time. https://time.com/article/2026/08/20/americans-drinking-less-gallup-poll/ 

7. The Spirits Business. (2025, January 8). Diageo: Zebra striping tops 2025 trends. https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2025/01/diageo-zebra-striping-tops-2025-trends/ 

8. Euromonitor International. (2025, October 21). Zebra striping trend reshapes drinking habits as alcohol market flatlines at 0.6% growth. https://www.euromonitor.com/newsroom/press-releases/october-2025/zebra-striping-trend-reshapes-drinking-habits-as-alcohol-market-flatlines-at-0.6-growth 

9. Theriault, K. (2025, September 17). Moderation-focused drinkers balance alcohol and NA options with zebra striping [Interview]. ECRM. https://ecrm.marketgate.com/Blog/2025/09/Moderation-Focused-Drinkers-Balance-Alcohol-and-NA-Options-with-Zebra-Striping 

10. Brewers Association. (2026, April 14). A year of correction for craft beer, with early signals of recovery. https://www.brewersassociation.org/association-news/a-year-of-correction-for-craft-beer-with-early-signals-of-recovery/ 

11. NielsenIQ & Draftline Technologies. (2026, May 7). Draft beer beats packaged in US on-premise as consumers chase better flavor and value. NIQ. https://nielseniq.com/global/en/news-center/2026/draft-beer-beats-packaged-in-us-on-premise-as-consumers-chase-better-flavor-and-value/ 

12. Brewers Association. (2026). The state of non-alc. https://www.brewersassociation.org/insights/the-state-of-non-alc/ 

13. Sabetta, L. (2026, April 2). Spirits market faces shifting landscape, RTDs continue to drive growth. Beverage Industry. https://www.bevindustry.com/articles/98268-spirits-market-faces-shifting-landscape-rtds-continue-to-drive-growth 

14. Craft Brewing Business. (2026). The year in craft beer: Growth slows, strategy shifts, but success still brews. https://www.craftbrewingbusiness.com/business-marketing/the-year-in-craft-beer-growth-slows-strategy-shifts-but-success-still-brews/ 

15. Metz, C. (2026, January 25). THC beverages are booming — and reshaping how Americans get a buzz. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/25/business/cannabis-thc-alcoholic-beverages.html