Don’t fear near-beer It’s full-scale mocktail at Søbr Market Uncorked
By: Ben Sigurdson Posted: 4:10 PM CST Friday, Jan. 12, 2024

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/01/2024 (605 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In January 2023, Shane and Jessie Halliburton were operating the Søbr Market on their own out of the garage of their south Winnipeg home, selling non-alcoholic wine, beer, spirits and canned mocktails primarily through their website (thesobrmarket.com).

Fast forward 12 months, and in addition to the online store, the couple now have a fully stocked and staffed bottle shop, a proper warehouse and even established a location in Toronto.

Located at 484 Academy Rd., the Søbr Market offers upwards of 750 non-alcoholic beers, wines, spirits and mocktails, meaning anyone doing a Dry January (or even “Damp January” — cutting back on booze rather than avoiding it entirely) has more options than ever.

And it’s not just January: moderation is a trend for 2024, according to a recent report by Bacardi. About one-third of younger respondents in France, Germany, Toyko and Canada said they were planning to seek out zero-proof options this year.

The global market for NoLo (no- or low-alcohol) beverages is set to grow by 67 per cent to US$359 million by 2026, “far outpacing traditional alcohol’s volume growth,” according to the trend report.

“Non-alcoholic offerings may have previously been reserved for moderate months or sober occasions, but consumers are now harnessing a flexitarian approach to their consumption — making the choice that is right for them, whenever and wherever they see fit,” the Bacardi report states.

While private wine stores and grocery stores have increased the number of non-alcoholic drinks they carry, what they’re offering is a drop in the bucket compared to what the Søbr Market has on hand.

In February 2023, the Halliburtons (who are both 36) set up a modest bottle shop in the Goodlocal storefront on McDermot Avenue. But it wasn’t long before they realized they would need far more space than Goodlocal could offer.

“We had more SKUs (stock keeping units) in the garage, in the warehouse, than we did in the store,” says Jessie, who is expecting twins in March. “Often we’d find ourselves recommending products to someone and then realizing, ‘Oh yes, we don’t have that here.’ We quickly learned a full-blown bottle shop was needed, so we started looking for our own space.”

The couple opened the Academy Road shop in May 2023, shutting down at Goodlocal a couple months later.

“We were hoping to see greater foot traffic when the weather turned nice in the summer,” says Jessie of the downtown location. “But we also quickly learned that people wanted the full selection.”

In November, the Toronto location of the Søbr Market opened inside Beatrice Society, a coffee shop on Richmond Street West. The result of a connection made with one of their suppliers, the Toronto shop carries about two-thirds of the selections available at the Winnipeg store.

“The nice thing about that space is that because it’s in a café, there’s the option and space to hold completely alcohol-free events,” says Jessie.

The Søbr Market’s Winnipeg location isn’t equipped for hosting events, so they’ve taken to partnering with local eateries to hold mocktail workshops and similar events off-site.

Foot traffic at the Academy Road store continues to increase, thanks in large part to referrals and word of mouth — particularly from other local businesses.

“The small business community here is so supportive. Over the holidays, over 50 per cent of the people who came in here would say, ‘It’s my first time here … I’m hosting, and a friend told me to come here rather than going to the grocery store.’ It’s nice to see a lot of new faces,” Jessie says.

December saw a big increase in sales, mostly owing to people looking for alternatives to alcohol for holiday dinners.

“Wine was the big one — people were coming in wanting table wine, to be able to have equal offerings. We also found a lot of people coming in looking for spirits so people could still make some of the traditional cocktails,” says Jessie.

Business has continued to be brisk in early 2024, thanks in large part to those doing Dry (or Damp) January, a no- or low-alcohol trend that has taken off via social media.

“Everyone’s looking for options, whether they’re completely going dry or they’re doing moderation during January,” says Jessie.

The Søbr Market has also seen an increase in sales to lounges, restaurants and local breweries looking to offer more than just coffee or pop for those who aren’t drinking.

“Every week it’s picking up more and more,” says Shane, who handles wholesale and distribution.

Because they don’t make their own non-alcoholic beers, he says most of the local breweries are getting their low/no-alcohol selections from the Søbr Market, often opting for selections from Canadian producers such as Bellwoods and Collective Arts.

“The breweries are really cool environments, but for Shane and I, we wouldn’t often go to one because there was nothing for us to sit down and actually feel like we could enjoy,” Jessie says.

Adds Shane, “It makes it easier for someone like me to go along with three friends when I know that there’s actually a good-tasting option. It’s a lot easier for a DD (designated driver) to be a true DD and not drink any alcohol.”

Beer continues to be one of the biggest categories in non-alcoholic options. Along with bigger names such as Athletic Brewing Company and Sober Carpenter, an increasing number of small- to mid-sized Canadian producers are entering the fray, bringing a wide range of styles for lovers of lagers, ales, stouts, sours and more — as evidenced by the fact that the Søbr Market has an entire cooler dedicated to non-alcoholic brews.

Those looking for alternatives to gin, tequila, whisky and other spirits can try most of the offerings at the Søbr Market’s in-store tasting bar before purchasing.

‘The great thing with the spirits is that most of them are shelf-stable — so you treat them just like you would on your normal bar cart,” says Jessie. “Someone will walk in here and say, ‘I’m looking for a gin,’ and they might have one in mind. And we’ll just line up a few, talk about them, get their impression — whether they want more citrus, or more bite — and go from there.”

Because the flavours in gin typically come from botanicals, non-alcoholic versions often taste quite a bit like the real thing.

“We’re also finding a lot of success in the tequila. They still use the agave plants — they just don’t ferment them, so they have those same flavours,” says Jessie.

The Halliburtons are constantly sampling new non-alcoholic products to potentially stock at the Søbr Market; rather than simply filling a void or an empty shelf with any old product, their focus is on offering non-alcoholic alternatives that actually taste good.

“We’re trying at least 20 new products every month, and maybe six will pass the test,” says Shane.

Occasionally they’ll trial a product in-store before adding it to their website or sending it to the Toronto location.

“We can see if a product starts to fly. It’s not totally up to us anymore — and it’s fun to see what everyone else’s thoughts are on something you bring in,” says Jessie.

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Drinks of the week

All the beers and wines tasted were noted as containing 0.5 per cent alcohol or “less than 0.5 per cent alcohol,” while the canned mocktails are all completely free of alcohol.

 

Beer

Bellwoods Brewery Stay Classy IPA (Toronto, Ont. — $5/473ml can, Søbr Market)

This is one of the go-to non-alcoholic beers at local craft breweries; it’s medium straw in colour and hazy, offering bright grassy and resinous/slightly dank hoppy aromas with subtle malt notes.

It’s dry and crisp, with those fresh, hoppy notes providing zip.

Very good (and on sale right now for $4.25). 4/5

Banded Peak Brewing Dry Camp Pale Ale (Calgary, Alta. — around $10/4x355ml cans, grocery stores)

Medium gold in colour and clear, aromatically this is a malt-forward brew, with modest citrus and grassy notes.

On the mainly dry, light-plus bodied palate there’s a slightly clunky caramel note that takes charge, followed by a malty component and very low bitterness. 2.5/5

 

 

Grüvi Mocha Nitro Stout (California — $4.50/355ml can, Søbr Market)

Infused with lactose and “natural mocha flavouring,” this beer is cola brown in colour and aromatically offers a decided mocha note along with graham cracker, dark malt and vanilla.

It’s rich and full-bodied, with soft subtle bubbles coming with s’mores notes, plus dark malt and mocha components.

A solid stout replacement. 3.5/5

 

Wine

Lautus Sauvignon Blanc (South Africa — around $10-$12/250ml can or around $25/bottle Søbr Market and private wine stores)

Pale gold in colour, with muted aromas of lime rind, chalk and green apple skins.

Light-bodied and off-dry, with more pronounced lemon, lime and gooseberry flavours and bringing medium acidity and an underlying chalky note on the finish. 3/5

 

 

Goodvines Black Label Sauvignon Blanc (Germany — $30, Søbr Market)

Pale gold in colour, there’s a nice combination of bell pepper, grapefruit rind and gooseberry notes that come through aromatically.

It’s light-bodied and zippy, just a touch sweet but with loads of tart citrus and gooseberry flavours, as well as some jalapeño notes that come with just a touch of sweetness.

Elegant, well made and true to the grape variety. 3.5/5

 

Leitz Zero Point Five Pinot Noir (Germany — around $7/250ml can or around $19/bottle, Søbr Market and private wine stores)

Pale brick-ish cherry in colour, with earth, cherry, mushroom and plum aromas — pretty typical for the grape variety.

Light-bodied, with moderate sweetness that comes with a splash of acidity and light tannins.

Flavour-wise it’s mainly sweet cherry, raspberry candy and some underlying umami-like notes. 3/5

 

Edenvale Premium Reserve Selection Grenache Shiraz Mataro (Flerieu/Barossa, Australia — $40, Søbr Market)

Deep bright purple in colour, aromatically this brings ripe cherry, iron, blackberry, violet and plum notes — it’s pretty much spot-on.

It’s medium-plus bodied and the modest acidity and light tannins offset the bit of sweetness that comes with the ripe red and dark fruit notes.

Quite impressive. 4/5

 

Canned mocktails, etc.

Ghia Le Spritz — Ginger (California — $6.50/236ml can, Søbr Market)

Murky deep pink in colour, this faux-aperitif offers lovely ginger and spice notes as well as loads of fresh citrus and berry aromas.

It’s mainly dry and spicy, with the ginger beer and chilies bringing lively peppery notes and the ripe fruit flavours coming with loads of fizzy energy.

Delicious. 4.5/5

 

Barrfly Sunny Margarita (Laval, Que. — around $10/4x355ml cans, grocery stores)

Pale lime green-yellow in appearance, this brings the bright, vibrant citrus aromas of a margarita in a big way.

It’s crisp and fresh, not excessively sweet and delivers all the fun lime-margarita flavours one could want. 3/5

 

 

Atypique Spiced Rum & Cola (Mississauga, Ont. — around $10/4x355ml cans, grocery stores)

There’s some modest spice aromatically that comes with the caramel-driven cola notes.

It’s medium-bodied and on the sweeter side, and while the spiced component works well and the flavours are nice, it doesn’t quite live up to the spiced rum and cola moniker.

Still more fun that a regular can of pop. 3.5/5

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