A 70 Billion Won Market: Non-Alcoholic Beer Showdown Heats Up Between Hite and Cass

Estimated Purchases of Non-Alcoholic Beer Reach 73.3 Billion Won in the Past Year
Up 32.6% from Three Years Ago
"Sober Curious" Culture Spreads, Non-Alcoholic Beers Gain Popularity as Alcohol Alternatives
Cass Preferred by Consumers in Their 20s, Hite Leads Among Those in Their 30s to 60s
Beverage Makers Expand Their Non-Alcoholic Product Lines

As the "Sober Curious" culture, which encourages people to avoid excessive drinking while still enjoying the social atmosphere of drinking, spreads, the non-alcoholic beer market in Korea's alcoholic beverage industry has grown to around 70 billion won. With Hite and Cass—both dominant players in the traditional beer market—establishing themselves as leaders in the non-alcoholic category as well, both domestic and global beverage manufacturers are expanding their product lines to strengthen their positions in this market.

Non-alcoholic beer is displayed on a supermarket shelf in downtown Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

According to a ranking analysis based on purchasing deep data by market research firm Embrain, the estimated purchase amount for the non-alcoholic beer market over the most recent year (MAT), as of May 2026, was calculated at 73.3 billion won. This represents a 32.6% increase compared to the 55.3 billion won estimated for the year from June 2022 to May 2023. Three years ago, women (31.1 billion won) outspent men (24.2 billion won) on non-alcoholic beer purchases, but since last year, the situation has reversed, with men's combined estimated purchases (40.0 billion won) surpassing women's (33.3 billion won) over the past year.

Under Korea's current Liquor Tax Act, beverages with less than 1% alcohol by volume are classified as drinks, while those with 1% or more are considered alcoholic beverages. Among beverages with less than 1% alcohol, those with an alcohol content below 0.00% (calculated to two decimal places) are classified as non-alcoholic, while those between 0.0% and less than 1% are classified as alcohol-free. The rise of non-alcoholic beers—beer-flavored drinks containing no alcohol—can largely be attributed to changing consumption habits among younger consumers who prioritize health and wellness.

In fact, according to the "2025 Liquor Industry Survey" conducted by Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT), which surveyed 2,000 adult men and women who consume alcoholic beverages at least once a month, the average monthly drinking frequency among respondents was 8.8 days, down from 9.0 days two years ago. By age group, both men and women in their 20s drank on average 7.7 and 7.2 days per month, respectively, fewer days than other generations.

Instead, sales of alcohol-free and non-alcoholic beers from major manufacturers are on the rise. For example, OB Beer's sales of non-alcoholic and alcohol-free beer in the first quarter of this year increased by 27.7% compared to the same period last year. Sales of HiteJinro Beverage's non-alcoholic beer "Hite Zero 0.00" grew by 21.8% year-on-year last year, and by 64.7% compared to 2023.

Non-alcoholic beer from these manufacturers is also a top choice among consumers in each age group within the market. According to Embrain's purchasing deep data, the estimated purchase amount for non-alcoholic beer among people in their 20s over the past year (from June last year to May this year) was 8.4 billion won, with Cass ranking first at 3.2 billion won and Hite following at 2.0 billion won. Among consumers in their 30s, Hite accounted for 8.6 billion won of the total 17.9 billion won, nearly four times higher than Cass (2.2 billion won). In the 40s age group, Hite and Cass split the 21.9 billion won market at 7.5 billion won and 3.8 billion won, respectively. For those in their 50s and 60s, the rankings of Hite and Cass have fluctuated in the past, but over the past year, Hite led with 5.3 billion won and 3.1 billion won, respectively, ahead of Cass with 3.9 billion won and 2.3 billion won.

An industry official commented, "Hite Zero 0.00 is credited with pioneering the non-alcoholic beer-flavored beverage market in 2012, while Cass has leveraged its brand recognition as the number one household beer to drive demand for its alcohol-free products."

Major manufacturers are focusing on expanding their alcohol-free and non-alcoholic product lines to strengthen their market share. HiteJinro Beverage has recently launched the alcohol-free beer "Terra Zero," in addition to its alcohol-free beer "Hite Nonalcoholic 0.7%" and non-alcoholic beers "Hite Zero 0.00" and "Hite Zero 0.00 Pomelo Flavor." OB Beer, following "Cass 0.0," introduced "Cass Lemon Squeeze 0.0" in 2024 and launched the non-alcoholic beer "Cass All Zero" last year. They also offer global brands such as "Hoegaarden Zero" and "Budweiser Zero." Lotte Chilsung Beverage has also been targeting the non-alcoholic market since launching "Kloud Clear Zero" in 2017, and recently introduced "Kloud Nonalcoholic," which unifies its existing product lines.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.