After vowing he would never enter the nonalcoholic beer space, Sam Adams founder Jim Koch’s stance on the fast-growing category appears to have softened with Boston Beer set to debut offerings next year, even if the craft pioneer’s opinion of products already on the market remains resolute.
Koch said the basic problem with nonalcoholic beer was that they tasted terrible. “I don’t want to make beer that tastes like crap,” he decried on a recent video conference introducing the new beers. “If you want something that’s nonalcoholic you’ve got a lot of great choices, whether they’re called Diet Coke or orange juice or Monster.”
