Where It All Began: the BERO Origin Story

In early 2022, our founder, Tom Holland, decided to try Dry January. One month turned into one year, and the rest is history. It was during that first year that Tom was looking for something that just didn’t exist: a non-alcoholic beer that actually tastes great and looks as high-class as a perfectly poured pint. And so the idea for BERO was born.

It was at a bar that Tom and John met for the first time. We like to imagine it was a dark and stormy night in the middle of October, but in actuality it was a clear spring day in London. While a bar might seem an odd choice for a chat about non-alcoholic beer, that’s kind of the point. We didn’t make BERO to convince anyone of anything. We made it because we wanted the luxury of choice — to be able to drink something that rivaled our favorite beers in the world, without changing our state of mind. Whether you’re punctuating a brilliant day or kicking off a great night, sneaking in a quick nine, or out for a proper good time. 

Each one of our brews has a story, down to the name.

Our brewmaster, Grant Wood, spent the last 40 years mastering the art and science of beer. After an illustrious career running multiple breweries, he retired. But when we approached him with the idea of crafting a world-class, non-alcoholic beer, he couldn’t pass up the challenge. Because even after 40 years, he’s more excited about making brilliant beer than anyone we’ve ever met.

According to Grant, most non-alcoholic beer is made using a process that removes alcohol after its been brewed — and with it, most of the flavor that makes beer special (or what he lovingly calls “the soul of the beer”). So when Grant set out to make BERO, he found a different way. Using a naturally-selected yeast that’s maltose negative, he’s able to simply do what he does best: brew fantastic beer. Because of this special ingredient, the fermentation process stops on its own after reaching 0.4% alcohol. That means no alcohol removal, no soul extraction, no waving goodbye to all the flavor as it evaporates into the ether. The rest is technical, but the point is, our non-alcoholic beer is just great beer, without alcohol, and with a whole lot of soul.

The BERO crest is inspired by the official crest of Kingston-Upon-Thames, AKA the birthplace of England and our founder, Tom. Our humble trout pays homage to the natural life of the area, symbolizing harmony, balance, and vitality. Our colors are steeped in British heritage and hold special meaning: from British racing green on our European Pilsner, to the deep maroon of our Hazy IPA that harkens back to Tom’s school and covers his office walls. The bright gold across all our brews is a nod to the new gold standard we’re creating with BERO. 

Each one of our brews has a story, down to the name. Edge Hill, our Hazy IPA, is the street where Tom went to elementary school. Our Wheat is named after Tom and Zendaya’s dog, Noon, who some might consider the world’s greatest miniature schnauzer (they would be correct). And of course, our European Pilsner, named for Kingston-Upon-Thames. 

From the beginning, we’ve been all-in on the goal of making a non-alcoholic beer without any compromises. Our biggest hope is that we inspire you to go out and enjoy, create, play, work, celebrate, do whatever calls to you. To have it all without doing too much. To live life in the moment, on your own terms, without compromise.