Non-alcoholic beer is gaining popularity in the Czech Republic, with nearly one in ten beers consumed being a soft, frequently enough flavored, variety. Domestic breweries produced and sold 1.6 million hectoliters of non-alcoholic beer last year, a trend that benefits them due to the absence of excise duty, unlike customary alcoholic beer.

A shift in consumer preferences is underway, as traditional lager drinkers are being replaced by a generation favoring lower or zero-alcohol content beers, sometimes mixed with lemonade or fruit juice for added flavor. This trend, coupled with increased exports, is helping to sustain overall beer production in the Czech Republic, offsetting declines in traditional beer consumption.

The absence of excise duty on beers with up to 0.5% alcohol content provides a significant financial advantage for breweries. While the duty on classic beers is relatively low (1.60 crowns per pint), the large volumes of non-alcoholic beer sold result in substantial annual tax savings for major breweries.

Despite an overall decrease in Czech beer consumption to 126 liters per capita, the non-alcoholic segment is experiencing rapid growth, with a 14% year-on-year increase.Annual consumption has risen from over one million hectoliters five years ago to 1.6 million hectoliters last year, representing approximately 320 million non-alcoholic beers, primarily consumed