Sober sips: Sask. brewery redefining dry January with non-alcoholic beers

January isn’t just about New Year’s resolutions.

It’s a time to reset habits, improve health, and for some, a time to reflect on their relationship with alcohol after the indulgences of the holiday season.

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Local bars and breweries often notice a dip in customers during the first month of the year, due to the rise of the “dry January” challenge.

Listen to the story on Behind the Headlines:

According to to Time, the challenge officially launched as a campaign in 2013 under the organization Alcohol Change UK.

The campaign is a month-long challenge to remain sober, abstaining from all alcohol.

But Alcohol Change UK said dry January is not about avoiding socializing for 31 days.

“The whole point of a month off is that you’ll have a test at some point, an event or meal out and the trick is, can you turn that drink down?” the organization wrote.

Saskatoon’s Better Brother Brewing Company is one spot where those participating in dry January can still sit down for a pint, but without the alcohol.

“We do make craft beer, and so that’s our business, but we’re also just trying to cater to everyone and have a welcoming space for everyone, whether you drink alcohol or not,” explained co-owner Jocelyn Rushton.

Co-owner Jocelyn Rushton pours a pint of the Raspberry Lime Kettle Sour, an award-winning non-alcoholic beer. (Alex Brown/650 CKOM)

“Whether it’s for health, for money reasons, or for whatever, people are just turning to non-alcoholic options. We do notice it always in January and February, so whether somebody’s just doing it for a short term or it’s a life decision, a lot of people have adapted to the non-alcoholic life, and we’re here for it.”

Jocelyn’s husband, head brewer Jeff Rushton, said even though craft beer is his passion, he wanted to make sure his tap room offers something for everyone.

In 2023, Jeff said he decided to create a non-alcoholic kettle sour, which is a type of beer that involves souring the wort in the brew kettle.

“I was thinking about it since we opened. We knew that we wanted to do something non-alcoholic,” head brewer Jeff Rushton explained. (Alex Brown/650 CKOM)

“I was thinking about it since we opened. We knew that we wanted to do something non-alcoholic, and then a couple years ago we bit the bullet and I just decided to do it,” Jeff explained.

The non-alcoholic Raspberry Lime Kettle Sour has won a few awards, including gold at the Prairie Beer Awards, and has quickly become a favourite. Especially with one particular customer: Dennis McKee.

McKee said he’s been on a sobriety journey since March of 2024, mostly for health reasons.

“I quit drinking, but I still like beer, so much to the point that I’m really disappointed in a restaurant or a place I go that doesn’t have a non alcoholic beer option,” he said.

McKee and a group of friends have been getting together on Thursday nights for beers for the past couple of years, exploring the different breweries Saskatoon has to offer.

Listen and watch my @CKOMNews story on #DryJanuary here! ⤵️

Have you ever participated in the Dry January Challenge? #yxe #saskatoon pic.twitter.com/S4dyXSToJP

— Alex Brown (@AlexBrownYXE) January 29, 2025

“We went to Better Brother one night. Somebody said something about this non-alcoholic raspberry lime sour, and I’m like ‘What’s that?’” he recalled. “It’s basically non-alcoholic beer that’s unpasteurized, so it’s got all the B vitamins and things in it. It’s like the kombucha of beer. And it turned out to taste really good.”

Once he tried the Better Brother brew, he was hooked.

Much of the beer that Better Brother brews is canned and can be purchased in their taproom or at various liquor stores for consumption.

“It’s the four main ingredients still, so there’s still water, hops, barley and yeast,” explained Jeff. “Our yeast doesn’t metabolize sugar the way that a normal yeast would, so it stabilizes the beer, but it just doesn’t metabolize the sugar.”

Because the drink uses a yeast that doesn’t metabolize sugar, the sour is able to be made stable without alcohol. But that also means it can’t be canned.

“It used to be just for the big industry, because they would have to actually dealcoholize the drink, so meaning big machines and stuff. In the last five years, there’s been a lot of gravitation towards non-alcoholic beers, so there’s industry tools that have been made available to us,” added Jeff, who said they are hoping to can the beverage for the first time by the end of February.

Before this year, Better Brother was only able to offer the non-alcoholic beer via tap or growler.

“I went through a few months of picking up growlers of that beer whenever I wanted to take it home. And then one day, I was like, well, how much is a keg?” laughed McKee.

McKee invested in a kegerator adaptor and was able to create a home setup in his garage’s walk-in wine cooler.

Dennis McKee standing in his walk-in wine cooler, where he keeps his keg of Raspberry Lime Kettle Sour from Better Brother Brewing Co. (Alex Brown/650 CKOM)

“He actually picks up a 50-litre keg of it every three weeks, probably, and he goes through a lot of it,” said Jeff.

“I’m not the only one that drinks it. Lots of my nieces and nephews like it, and they drink it, and its like ‘Go help yourself,’” said McKee.

Dennis McKee invested in a kegerator adaptor and was able to create a home set up in his garage walk-in wine cooler for the Raspberry Lime Kettle Sour. (Alex Brown/650 CKOM)

While most of his friends still enjoy an alcoholic beverage, McKee said he’s seeing more and more people trying out dry January.

He said his friends often switch back and forth between regular and non-alcoholic pints when they get together.

McKee said he thinks non-alcoholic beers will become even more popular as more and more people explore sobriety.

“I think it’s going to be a trend that every craft brewery is going to have one or two or three,” Mckee reflected.

Meanwhile, the co-owner of Better Brother Brewing Co. said the company will continue to craft non-alcoholic options for those exploring sobriety.

“We have always offered some kind of non-alcoholic option. A year or two in, we made our craft root beer that was a nice option just to have for all ages. And then, as the years have gone on, we’ve kind of expanded our non-alcoholic menu,” explained Jocelyn.

“I’ve also just recently brought in (a brand) called Cedars, a brand that has non-alcoholic spirits. We actually have a few mocktails with that also.”

“I’ve also just recently brought in (a brand) called Cedars, a brand that has non-alcoholic spirits. We actually have a few mocktails with that that also, like, if you’re looking for the replacement,” said co-owner Jocelyn Rushton.

Jocelyn and Jeff have two children under age five, and agreed it’s important to their business to have a space that is family-friendly.

“We’ve never been that party bar scene,” said Jocelyn. “And I think just because of how we have been very family friendly, you will often see kids in here, and so it’s just a different vibe.”

“Craft breweries are more of a place to come and socialize with friends, maybe play a game of crib or cards,” Jeff added. “It’s been more of a socialization than the party scene.”

“We always want to be that place that everybody can come. Just because you don’t drink, a lot of people have that stigma that you can’t go out,” elaborated Jocelyn. “But you can still come out, have a great time, not drink alcohol, and that’s the place we want to be.”