A curious thing is happening to boozy Boulder, a city whose committed, long-term relationship with alcohol dates back to the end of Prohibition.
In the birthplace of the American craft brew movement, Boulder bars and restaurants are full of sober-curious folks celebrating Dry January at zero-proof game, trivia or comedy nights, and highly caffeinated open mics.
Even the famously beer-soaked CU Boulder is drying out. In 2003, CU was named America’s Top Party School by the Princeton Review, but in recent years the university has barely made the Top 25.
Boulder menus are now packed with nonalcoholic (N/A) beers, wines and mocktails. You’ll also find plenty of beverages with benefits, i.e., functional ingredients ranging from calming ashwagandha to energizing maca as well as kombucha (gut health), ceremonial cacao (bioflavonoids), kava (relaxation) and various mushroom varieties.
These are sobering times for Boulder County businesses that sell or produce alcoholic beverages. We asked representatives of five local establishments to reflect on the challenges and opportunities they face during this sea change in public attitudes toward alcohol.
Brewing something for everyone at Left Hand
Young people aren’t drinking like their parents, and it shows. Total Colorado beer, wine and liquor sales were down 6% through the first six months of 2024 compared to 2023, according to the Colorado Department of Revenue.
“We’re finding that Gen Z and especially younger Millennials are drinking much less, whether that’s because of inflation and they’re spending their dollars on other things, or they want to be healthier, or they’re moving toward marijuana,” says Jill Preston, director of marketing at Left Hand Brewing Company.
“It’s just a different time,” she continues. “As a brewery, we have had to pivot.”
The Longmont brewpub’s menu features a much wider variety of beverage choices than in the craft brew-focused past.
“We have our ales, but we also offer cocktails, cider [and] wine because people want options,” Preston says. “That includes lighter ales brewed with less than 5% alcohol.”
The brewpub also offers nonalcoholic beers from other breweries and a CBD-infused sparkling water called Present.
“A lot of the people in their twenties are gravitating toward these beverages with functional ingredients,” she says. “It’s big at our tasting room.”
Brewpubs are also emphasizing their community connections.
“What we’re focused on is giving people a reason to come to our brewery every single day,” she says. “Whether we have food, live music or yoga or trivia or an event.”
One dark cloud hangs over the future: “As these generations get older, will they circle back and rediscover beer?” Preston said. “That’s the big industry question right now.”
Boulder Social: Having fun with sobriety
Dry January, a tradition of abstaining from alcohol for the first month of the year, started as a footnote in the U.K. and became a movement in the U.S. It grew over time to include Sober October.
“Now, there’s an upswing in people coming in seeking nonalcoholic options throughout the year,” says Amy McCulley, bar manager at Boulder Social.
The zero-proof crowd of 2025 isn’t limited to Gen Z. “Many people are finding sobriety later in life, too,” she says.
McCulley has a personal interest in the growing trend.
“I just celebrated a full year of sobriety,” she says. “I’m around alcohol all day every day at work, and I didn’t know how my not drinking would be received. I’m very fortunate that I have a great support group around me.”
The zero-proof choices have multiplied on the menu at Boulder Social, including a N/A rosé and sangria, along with a booze-free beer from Denver-bottled Grüvi.
“Some of the new beverages taste so real that we have to reassure guests that their drink is, in fact, zero-proof,” McCulley says. “Our mocktails use many of the same skills, ingredients and presentation as the cocktails.”
For many guests, drinking less has become routine. “Some switch to lower-alcohol beverages,” she continues. “Or they will have a cocktail and then switch to a mocktail.”
The options mean guests who choose not to drink alcohol don’t feel spotlighted or stigmatized, according to McCulley.
“It’s nice when you can walk into a restaurant or bar and not feel like the odd person out, just sipping soda water,” she says. “I can still have fun and still have a drink in my hand and nobody necessarily knows that I’m not partaking.”
Postino pops the zero-proof cork
Even though “wine” is part of the name of this popular downtown Boulder restaurant, Postino WineCafe has thoroughly embraced zero-proof culture.
The Phoenix-based chain’s January menu includes an extensive selection of mocktails and N/A wine and beers for one simple reason.
“There’s a huge shift in society right now, and we’re just trying to stay in front of the change,” says Mollie Jacobs, director of Colorado’s Postino locations.
“If you’re a restaurant and you aren’t making these changes the public wants,” she continues, “it will fly right past you.”
According to NielsenIQ statistics, U.S. sales of nonalcoholic beer, wine and spirits increased by 27% to $818 million last year. Mentions on menus of mocktails have increased by 37.4% since 2019, according to food industry research group Technomic.
The impetus behind the trend is the pursuit of overall wellness, according to Jacobs.
Alcohol was already regarded as a health threat for various reasons when the U.S. Surgeon General called for cancer warnings on alcoholic beverages earlier this month, characterizing alcohol as a “leading preventable cause of cancer.”
“Given the current state of the world, people are trying to be better about personal health,” she says. “You can enjoy a mocktail and know you’re going to get home safe.”
It’s also a financial consideration, according to Jacobs.
“When you go out and drink a lot, you tend to spend a lot of money, maybe more than you want sometimes.”
Postino’s five new mocktails include The Mockingbird, made with pineapple, Italian orange, and toasted almond bitters, but one surprising customer favorite is a sparkling N/A rosé.
“We cannot keep it on our shelves,” Jacobs says. “A lot of the zero-proof wines don’t taste very good. Our beverage directors searched high and low to find a rosé that was light, refreshing and not super fruity.”
Uplifting the brunch booze at Snooze
From the moment its first location opened in Denver in 2006, the casual breakfast spot Snooze was built on making leisurely weekend brunches an everyday option.
“Having mimosas and Bloody Marys and really fun boozy brunch cocktails has always been critical to the Snooze experience,” says Andrew Jaffe, chief marketing officer of the restaurant chain that now has more than 70 locations.
However, Snooze’s original target clientele has matured along with a menu famous for its pancake flights.
“In 2006, Millennials were the prized generation for restaurants, including Snooze,” Jaffe says. “Now, they are becoming young parents and their dining habits and needs have changed.”
Snooze has launched a major menu effort to bolster its nonalcoholic beverage offerings without offering zero-proof wine or beer, according to Jaffe.
Snooze already featured barista-made drinks like its vanilla almond matcha tea latte. The chain’s year-old fresh juice program added good-for-you choices like Super Greens, made from kale, cucumber, celery, ginger, apple, agave and lemon. The current mocktail selections range from Blood Orange Punch to Butterfly Lemonade made with fresh pear juice and butterfly pea flower that changes colors when you serve it.
“It means that every customer can have an amazing brunch experience including beverages,” Jaffe says. “We believe this trend is here to stay, especially on the mocktail side. We’re already looking at new drinks including other adaptogens like functional mushrooms.”
John Lehndorff hosts Radio Nibbles on KGNU. Podcasts: kgnu.org/category/radio-nibbles