From NORT to 1110%: How a non-alcoholic beer went from side hustle to a craft brewery’s holy ale

Never get in the way of pregnant woman and her beer. Especially one who co-owns a craft brewery.

It was the enjoyment of a full-flavoured beer and having to forgo said pleasure while growing a small human inside her that brought co-founder of Modus Operandi Brewing Jaz Wearin to the precipice of the virtually unexplored territory of non-alcoholic beverages.

It was 2018 when zero alcohol beers, let’s just say, had a reputation for taking out the dishwater category in brewing (if there was such a class) and Wearin was intent on changing that with NORT.

So she jumped, pregnant and passionately into what we know as a side hustle, one that is now throwing its lightweight presence around the brewery’s full-strength operations.

Having an established brewery was obviously an advantage, based in New South Wales.

Along with her husband Grant, the pair had already created a series of popular craft beers under their Modus name so adding a non alcoholic option to the range was a no brainer, Wearin tells SmartCompany Plus.

A “little thing on the side”

“I wanted to flex my muscle, do my own little thing on the side. Now it turns out to be our biggest volume liquid coming out of the brewery. I’ve created a bit of monster for myself but very grateful,” she said.

Perfecting a full-flavoured non-alcoholic brew, wasn’t as simple as making another beer and then removing the alcohol according to Wearin.

“We worked with our brewer, pitched in a particular yeast that removes the alcohol naturally and brewed it exactly the same way as our other beers. That way it leaves all the original authentic aroma and taste.”

Wearin said there was a vast difference between the way they make their low alcohol beer (0.5%) and the mechanical removal of alcohol to achieve a zero rating (less than 0.04%).

“Doing it that way and then adding in flavour and aroma afterwards is not a natural brewing process. It’s artificial and doesn’t taste right. That’s why people often don’t return to the category.”

This understanding of low alcohol brewing is something Wearin is keen to get across in marketing campaigns, but why try and explain eye-glazing technical differences when you can just hand people a free beer?

That was the approach NORT took recently when it became the official beer of the Gold Coast Marathon — its signature event, a 42km body jarring exercise in endurance and PBs, culminating in a well-earned thirst.

When the battered and spent came over the finish line, NORT was there, not only as an alternative beverage to quell the parched but also a celebratory cheer for achieving the personal challenge.

This kind of well-placed marketing — the marathon also coincided with the beginning of Dry July — is the space where NORT is happy to be, says Wearin.

“Handing out icy cold NORTs at the end of a big marathon, everyone was loving it… ‘oh yes, beer’. When they realised it was non-alcoholic they weren’t sure about it, but they would come back to say ‘oh that’s good. It tastes like beer’.”

That ‘education’ paid immediate dividends in a 30% uplift in sales within the week.

“It’s great to do digital and outdoor [billboards], but when you’ve got 10,000 people grabbing your beer and drinking it, and resonating with it at a high adrenaline moment, you can’t ask for a better testing ground.”

Running its own race

Established relationships with Dan Murphy’s and BWS through their Modus range, and the pace in which NORT went from thought bubble to production has also contributed to its rapid growth Wearin said.

“We were one of the first movers in the non-alc. market so when NORT was released [September 2020] it went into major retailers across the country including grocery.”

Wearin says tapping into grocery has been a really interesting exercise to watch.

“It’s becoming almost like a staple item. You buy tonic water, Gatorades, Coke and now we’re seeing non alc. drinks in grocery really accelerate. Fever Tree is available is both Woolies and Dan’s. Having that same duopoly has also really contributed to our volume growth.”

NORT’s main point of difference within an increasingly saturated market also helps to cut through the noise.

“We’re the lowest calorie non-alcoholic beer on the market in Australia. Some of the low alcohol beers can be quite high in sugar to get the flavour but it was important for me that in order to cut down and moderate, I wasn’t willing to consume more sugar to do that.”

While Wearin still described NORT as being in its infancy phase (it was launched in September 2020 with a high profile radio, bus signage, outdoor campaign) the business is still finding out who its target audience was.

“NORT has the widest demographic I’ve ever seen. We’ve got the male craft drinkers. Younger 18-24 year olds that are choosing not to drink. The shift after COVID-19 going from drinking a lot at home, not feeling great and coming out the other side with a new appreciation for wellbeing and fitness, all the way up to 70-year-olds enjoying this beer.”

This of course makes Wearin’s heart skip a beat, not only because it means their NORT sales are reaching heights they were even shocked by, it validates the reason she went into the non alc. line in the first place.

“Three years ago if you went to a barbecue and pulled out a non alc. people would be oh, come on. Now every time I go to barbecue I’ll see someone with one. It’s not just about abstinence. It’s also around encouraging moderation.

“Who isn’t going to cheers to that?”