What’s beer without the buzz?
A hot commodity, according to Philip Brandes. He’s the founder, chief executive and brewmaster of Bravus Brewing Co., Orange County’s only craft brewery focused on low-alcohol beer.
Since it started distributing about seven months ago, Santa Ana-based Bravus has found a market for its product, which contains just 0.5 percent alcohol.
“We’re doing about 150 to 200 cases a month; we’re on our third batch,” said Brandes. “We’re already looking for a larger facility.”
Bravus’ beers, which currently include an IPA, a stout and an amber ale, can be found in about 20 locations around Orange County, including Hi-Time Wine Cellars in Costa Mesa, Z Pizza and Royal Hen in Newport Beach, the Cliff Restaurant and Montage in Laguna Beach, Total Wine & More in Huntington Beach and Red Hill Liquor in Orange.
Making hangover-free brews wasn’t Brandes’ life’s ambition. It happened, as many good ideas do, by chance.
“My brother was a sales rep for a brewery,” Brandes said. “He was dragging me along to all these beer events and we’d stand in line for hours and hours for a sip of rare beer. I started to realize then how crazy this craft beer trend was.
“At the same time I had a friend who was a craft beer enthusiast, but he got into it a little too much. One day his wife said, ‘me or the beer,’ so he started drinking O’Doul’s.”
During a trip to Mexico, Brandes’ friend brought a large supply of O’Doul’s and Sharp’s along – two popular low-alcohol beer brands that weigh in at about half a percent ABV each.
“I tasted one, and I immediately spit it out. I thought, ‘This poor guy loves his IPAs and his ambers and his stouts, and now he’s relegated to drinking this. There’s a definite need here, and I’m sure I can do better than these guys.’”
Brandes, a programmer by trade, set up his first brewery in his home garage in 2014, learning by trial and error how to make a low-alcohol product that was tasty.
“We found a specialized strain of yeast that doesn’t produce a lot of alcohol. We worked with a molecular biologist to keep the fermentation slow and low (heat). It’s almost like cooking sous vide. We don’t distill our beer or run it through a filter.” Brandes also chose to make styles that have a robust characteristic taste.
“With stronger flavors like an IPA, you don’t notice the lack of alcohol as much.”
Typically, craft breweries don’t brew anything below 4-5 percent ABV (alcohol by volume). “We’ve made some session beers in the 4 percent range,” said Joel Kennedy, retail marketing manager for The Bruery in Placentia. “And we have some sour (beers) in the 3 percent range. But we’ve never made non-alcoholic beer.” It’s not a product that his brewery’s customers have ever demanded, Kennedy said.
Middle East is a huge market
Brandes is aiming at a tiny slice of the overall beer market, but one that shows promise.
According to Beverage Daily, nonalcoholic beers (those below 0.5 percent ABV) represented only 0.6 percent of the worldwide market in 2015. Low-alcohol beers (between 0.5 and 3 percent ABV) were only 2.2 percent of global consumption. But the two segments are growing much faster than beer demand overall. Low-alcohol beers increased their market share by about 5 percent in 2015, more than three times as big as the 1.57 percent in total growth experienced by the beer business.
A spokesperson for Total Wine & More in Huntington Beach, which began carrying Bravus a few weeks ago, said the demand for non-alcoholic beer is small but steady. At $7.99 for a four-pack, Bravus is pricey compared with most regular beer, but Total Wine & More is re-stocking it about once a month. Bravus is among about 10 brands of non-alcoholic beer the store sells.
Brandes has done his own research, and he’s convinced his company’s success is assured by several demographics. “People in recovery, pregnant women, people who abstain for religious reasons – we can sell in good conscience to them.”
He also believes his beer appeals to those who want to be part of the crowd during a get-together: “People who want to be included and don’t want a coke or iced tea when everyone else is drinking beer.”
Brandes thinks health aficionados will like Bravus beer, too. “Our beer is only 100 calories (per 12-ounce bottle). You could drink one after a yoga class or a surf session without feeling like you’re doing something unhealthy.” Brandes is planning to partner with some athletic events, including marathons. “Our core drinkers will jump on board after that.”
Another upside to his product: It isn’t subject to restrictive sales and consumption laws because it’s not considered an alcoholic beverage. Bravus beer can be shipped to any state – another dream that Brandes says is turning into a reality. “People from all over are paying $12 for a six-pack and another $12 to ship it. There’s such a demand for it. We can barely keep up with our orders.”
Once his production expands, Brandes is thinking about selling his beer nationally and even internationally. “One-third of all nonalcoholic beer in the world is consumed in the Middle East,” he said. “We’d love to be selling there.”
