Thinking about a Dry January for 2021? Maybe you have already started and are creating your plan for the coming month or season. If you are creating your plan now, check out Strategies for Dry January for tips on skills to develop in social settings to make your challenge a success. Read on for what’s new in 2021.
Inspired by the challenge and in a hope to train better for an annual Half Marathon goal in spring, I did Dry January in 2018, 2019 and in 2020, and am opting-in for Dry January 2021. Are you? But this is a beer blog! Yes, indeed it is. And there are now new alcohol-free beer options for Dry January and beyond, as well as new apps and new app features, plus a podcast. All of this to just take a short period of time to re-set your relationship with alcohol.
Dry January Stats
First, a quick refresher: Alcohol Change in the UK coined the term Dry January in 2013. This government entity is not an anti- alcohol group, but rather has a goal of increasing the health of country by focusing on the benefits of creating a healthy relationship with drinking.
Dry January is their campaign to rally to the cause and the effects are real: A study published in the UK shows, that even for a temporary period of time, we can see mental and physical benefits of backing off the booze: 6 months after January, more than 70% of people who take on the Dry challenge with Alcohol Change UK’s support continue to drink more healthily. 70% report sleeping better and 65% report better health. Since 2013, Britons doing Dry January went from 4,000 to over 4 million in 2020. In a recent US survey, people report that 14% (yougov.com) expect to participate in Dry January 2021.
What’s New in Non-Alcoholic Beer
One of the tools in your kit to success will be non-alcoholic beverages. There are many options, including beer. Several craft beer breweries are producing non-alcoholic beers. And there are also brewers dedicated to non-alcohol beer production.
Athletic Brewing Co. out of Connecticut produces a full line of non-alcoholic craft beer, including IPAs, Stouts, Goldens, and more. Born out of a desire to gain more balance in life and enjoy the greatness of exercise and good beer, Athletic Brewing came to life in 2017 to meet that goal. A fantastic line up with Run Wild IPA, All Out Stout, Cerveza Atletica, Upside Dawn Golden, and several more seasonal options, there is a lot to chose from. They also donate 2% of sales to the upkeep of local trails. Noted that they use four ingredients: water, hops, yeast, barley for a pure experience. This is one I tested for gluten, you can see the outcome in the Non-Alcoholic Beer post.
Bravus Brewing Co, out of Newport Beach, CA, and currently offers: Bravus IPA, Oatmeal Stout, Raspberry Gose, White Ale, Amber Ale, and a Cerveza. They also have a 6-pack sampler. It’s worth noting that all the beers sold are around 100 calories per 12oz can, and while , not labeled gluten free or low gluten, they are brewed to reduce gluten. Bravus has decent distribution. You can also order on-line, which maybe worth a try. If you do, enjoy a 10% off coupon from Beer Science for your first order, just click on the link and it will automatically fill in the coupon for you, or enter in the code.
Most NA brewers adhere to a 0.5% or less standard to qualify as a NA beer. Hairless Dog Brewing Co out of Minnesota is one of the few NA brewers that offers 0.0% alcohol. their line includes: IPA, Citra Lager, Black Ale, and Coffee Stout.
In the UK, Big Drop Brewing offers an extensive line with Pine Trail Pale Ale, Galactic Milk Stout, and seasonal offerings such as Good Things Irish Stout, and Firesider Pumpkin Spiced. They also have some nifty collaborations producing Jam Session Raspberry Gose and Big River Black IPA. Their beer is widely distributed in Europe and available on-line. Also, in the UK and in US is Brew Dog, with 6 alcohol free options such as Nanny State Pale ale, and Punk AF at <.48% ABV.
For more, see LIST OF NON-ALCOHOLIC CRAFT BEERS.
Mainstream Macro-breweries
But even with non-alcoholic craft brewers growing in number, sometimes it’s just easier to look for the mainstream in your local store to support your Dry month or whatever dry period you choose.
In 2020 Budweiser released Budweiser Zero, which touts 0.0% alcohol, 0g of sugar, 11.5g of carbs, and just 50 calories per 12 oz. Coors Edge competes with this and is a steal for the calorie conscious at 41 calories per 12oz, <0.5% ABV and 8g of carbs. Beck’s Blue offers a <0.5% NA brew at 46 calories and 10.2g carbs.
In 2017, Heineken launched Heineken 0.0, a zero alcohol malt beverage. It is <0.5% ABV, has the lowest carb count at 3.2g, and comes in at 42 calories. Click the image below for on-line delivery.
Gluten in Non-Alcoholic beer
Last year I wrote a post that covered gluten free, non-alcoholic beverages, you can find the reviews here. As of this writing, Athletic’s Run Wild IPA and Beck’s Blue were the only ones I tested for gluten out of the beers in this post, so I would assume the others are not unless stated on the package. See here for the post on test outcomes and beer reviews. I will be posting more throughout the month of January.
What’s New in the App?
You don’t need to be a UK citizen to download and use the Try Dry app. Anyone can, and its free. It has been in production for a few years now and you can get it in iOS or Android. For more on the basics on the app, see the post on Dry January App. The app is fairly functional and easy to use; since the last Dry January (2020), some new features have been added including the ability to set custom goals, meaning by number of days or date range. You can also now sign-up more easily, and translate into French and German.
Reminders show up on your iWatch, so you can easily log your daily status and keep on track.
Blogs and Podcasts
The Dry January Blog is a great resource for information, tips and a number of inspirational stories. In addition, there is a Try Dry podcast that is available on Soundcloud. While it is older, it has a few episodes that may be helpful to start. It is hosted by Lauren Booker, author of Try Dry: The Official Guide to a Month Off Booze, and features a number of guest speakers to guide you through your driest January yet. Lastly you can sign up for email support for a daily connection to the goal you are trying to achieve.
Dry January in a Pandemic
2020 saw world wide alcohol store purchases increase dramatically as lockdown sent us and kept us at home. Part of that was offset by the reduction in restaurant and event alcohol sales as the lockdown closed many of these establishments and large venues such as football matches. But in the US, purchase intent for alcohol hasn’t changed significantly from 2019 to 2020 despite closures (yougov.com). So people are not necessarily drinking a bunch more. It also shows 32% adopting sobriety as a lifestyle choice. Also, the drunk driving rate fell in many states in the US, as much as by 50%.
But by most accounts, it has been a terrible year. And while dotted with awful moments, it has also had some brilliant moments, and moments of hope. With 2020 behind us, it may be the perfect time to start the year on our best foot. Maybe this is your year to start a Dry January tradition, or to help someone else achieve theirs.
Whatever you choose, good luck to you in 2021!
Photo credit: pni on Visualhunt / CC BY-NC-SA
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