Sober sense is tingling: Tom Holland launches non-alcoholic beer brand

Tom Holland tried Dry January – a viral initiative from Alcohol Change UK to encourage Brits to abstain from alcohol for the month – in 2022 and never looked back. The 28-year-old actor has spoken openly about realising after that month how much alcohol had impacted his life.

“It’s a pretty generic story. I was drinking too much. I was the type of person that, when I’d have one beer, I couldn’t just have one beer. I knew I’d had a bit of a problem for a while,” he told Forbes in an interview about the launch.

After finding Dry January surprisingly tough, he decided to extend the challenge through February. “February was no easier. Then I did March, and I sort of said to myself, look, if I can do six months without drinking, I get to June 1, which is my birthday, and I would have proved to myself that I don’t have a problem,” Holland said.

When his birthday came around, he felt better than he had in years. It inspired him to cut out alcohol permanently. “It was very difficult, it has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and arguably the greatest achievement of my life. I’m very proud to be sober today.”

Now, over two years after that decision, Holland has this week launched the non-alcoholic beer brand Bero with the help of brewery Grant Wood.

During the brewing process, the company uses a maltose-negative yeast so that the beer can ferment as usual without the maltose sugars interacting with the yeast to create alcohol.

Three non-alcoholic beers are now available: Kingston Golden Pils, Edge Hill Hazy IPA, and Noon Wheat. The first two are nods to Holland’s south London home.

While the non-alcoholic beer market has a long way to go before it is in step with its alcoholic alternative, it is a steadily growing market. Last year, the global market was worth around €31.5 billion and is expected to continue to increase.

Starting alcohol brands is hardly new for celebrities. Snoop Dogg has his wine, Ryan Reynolds his gin, and Kendall Jenner her tequila. This is a rare example of a teetotal celebrity starting a non-alcoholic brand. Holland joins the ranks of Kylie Minogue with her No Alcohol Sparkling Rosé that mirrors her supremely popular alcoholic Prosecco Rosé.