Upside Drinks expands alcohol-free beer lineup past 250 products

By AI, Created 11:23 AM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – Upside Drinks has grown its non-alcoholic beer selection to more than 250 products as younger consumers keep pulling away from traditional beer. The Montreal retailer says the move makes it Canada’s largest source of alcohol-free beer and reflects a fast-growing category across the country.

Why it matters: - Upside Drinks is betting that the shift away from traditional beer is not a niche trend. - The retailer says its expanded lineup gives Canadian shoppers more alcohol-free choices across styles that are increasingly replacing conventional beer occasions. - Free shipping can make specialty non-alcoholic beer easier to buy outside major cities.

What happened: - Upside Drinks expanded its non-alcoholic beer selection to more than 250 products. - The Montreal-based retailer says that makes it the single largest source of alcohol-free beer in Canada. - The assortment includes IPAs, stouts, lagers, sours and wheat beers from producers across North America and Europe. - The expansion comes as demand from younger consumers accelerates a broader move away from traditional alcohol.

The details: - Upside Drinks now carries non-alcoholic beer from more than 30 producers. - Brands in the catalog include Athletic Brewing, Collective Arts, Bellwoods Brewery, Asahi, Blue Moon and Corona Cero. - The retailer says its beer catalog now includes styles that were not available in non-alcoholic format two years ago, including hazy IPAs, guava goses, fruit sours and barrel-aged stouts. - The company offers free shipping across Ontario and Quebec on orders over $75. - Upside Drinks offers Canada-wide free shipping on orders over $145. - The company says the shipping thresholds remove a barrier that has historically limited access to specialty non-alcoholic beverages outside major urban centres. - Drinking rates among adults under 35 have dropped significantly over the past two decades, with Gen Z leading the shift. - In Canada, non-alcoholic beverages are now among the fastest-growing retail categories. - The global alcohol-free beer market is on pace to more than double over the next decade.

Between the lines: - The assortment expansion suggests Upside Drinks sees alcohol-free beer becoming a core beverage category, not just an alternative for occasional buyers. - The mix of craft brands and mass-market names points to a strategy aimed at both premium shoppers and broader household adoption. - The wholesale channel, launched in September 2025, already accounts for about 10% of total sales, showing demand beyond direct-to-consumer orders.

What’s next: - Upside Drinks says the category’s growth supports the company’s long-term strategy. - The retailer is continuing to expand partnerships across hospitality groups and retailers nationwide. - The company’s broader catalog now includes more than 2,500 non-alcoholic wines, beers, spirits and cocktails for consumers and businesses across Canada. - Upside Drinks was ranked No. 12 out of 400 in The Globe and Mail’s Canada’s Top Growing Companies 2025. - Co-founder Simon Poulin was named to Maclean’s Top 40 Nation Makers 2025 and is a finalist in the Arista 2025 Awards for Young Entrepreneur in the Business Growth of Québec category. - More information is available on Upside Drinks’ social channels, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

The bottom line: - Upside Drinks is using the rapid rise of alcohol-free drinking to turn non-alcoholic beer into a larger, more mainstream retail business.