Damp January: The NA Beer Boom Hits Philly (But Not Philly Brewhouses)

As we round out Dry January—or in our case, “Damp January”—we wanted to take a moment to explore the evolving world of NA beer. We’ll touch on the growth of the market, share some insights into production trends, and of course highlight some of the best non-alcoholic options the Greater Philadelphia area has to offer, with a few nationwide brands mixed in.

The NA Beer Boom

There’s no denying the explosive growth of the NA beer market. Not all that long ago, the only option you might have found at your local liquor store was a warm six-pack of O’Doul’s. Fast forward to 2026, and the NA landscape has completely transformed—for the first time, we’re seeing local breweries rolling out NA options. Gone are the days when only craft giants like Samuel Adams or NA-only breweries such as Athletic dominated the shelves.

According to the Beer Institute, the NA beer category is up 22.2%. The double-digit growth of this segment year after year can, in part, be attributed to younger generations drinking less. While NA beer is still a relatively small portion of the U.S. beer market—about 2% of beer volume in 2025 (San Francisco Chronicle)—it’s a market that seems to be here to stay, and breweries in the Delaware Valley are taking notice.

Our Damp January Tastings

We spent the month of January sampling local NA beers to see what some of our favorite breweries had cooked up. Some standouts included NAlien Church from Tired Hands, Philthy Zero from Yards, All In from Other Half Brewing, and a golden ale and IPA from Love City. Most of these breweries are rolling out into the NA market for the first time, which made us curious about how they’re actually producing these beers.

The Contract Brewing Trend

After some digging, we noticed an interesting and somewhat unexpected trend: many of these local NA beers aren’t actually being brewed at their home breweries.

Both Love City and Tired Hands contract brew their NA offerings. Both cans read “brewed in Pittston, PA”—not Ardmore in Tired Hands’ case, or Philadelphia in Love City’s. Pittston is home to Susquehanna Brewing Co., a brewery that has taken on more contract brewing recently, notably producing for Flying Fish after the brand was acquired by Guilford Hall in Maryland.

For Love City, this makes sense—they currently operate just one brewhouse that’s nowhere near the largest in the area (though they are working on opening a second location). But we were more surprised to see Tired Hands contracting out their NA production, given they sport a much larger brewhouse in Ardmore.

While we purchased Other Half’s NA brew “All In” at their Philadelphia location, the can indicates it was brewed in New York. Given that Other Half currently operates seven locations, it’s not surprising that the physical tanks in Philadelphia weren’t used for this production run.

Yards also appears to be contracting their Philthy Zero NA brew, but under slightly different circumstances. Their can reads Stratford, CT—home to Two Roads Brewing. This makes sense when you consider that Yards is part of the B3 Beverage Company platform. Bald Birds Brewing Co. (Jersey Shore, PA), Two Roads Brewing (Stratford, CT), and Yards Brewing Co. (Philadelphia, PA) announced the formation of B3 Beverage Company—a contract manufacturing platform uniting three respected East Coast breweries. So while not technically brewed in Northern Liberties at Yards’ location, it’s still brewed within their B3 Beverage group.

What This Means for the Market

While we’re seeing a growth in NA beer offerings in local tasting rooms, many breweries are opting to produce them at larger-scale facilities rather than in-house. This likely comes down to economics and equipment—producing quality NA beer often requires specialized dealcoholization equipment and processes that may not be cost-effective for smaller operations to invest in.

As craft beer continues to evolve, it’s fascinating to see how different trends affect the places we love to visit, and how these breweries collaborate and consolidate to keep their businesses thriving.

Our Power Rankings

If you’ve tried an NA beer you love, please let us know—we’re continuing to grow our rankings!

1. Nothing but the Haze ~ Sam Adams

2. Philthy Zero ~ Yards

3. All In ~ Other Half Brewing

4. Low Key IPA ~ Love City

5. NAlien Church ~ Tired Hands

6. Road 2 Ruin Zero ~ Two Roads

7. Low Key Golden ~ Love City