Alaska Airlines teams up with Best Day Brewing to add craft non-alcoholic beer to its premium beverage lineup

December 11, 2023
Guest Experience
Alaska Airlines
3 min read

At just 55 calories per can, Best Day Brewing Kölsch offers guests in all cabins a healthier alternative to traditional beer without sacrificing the classic taste

We’re now offering happy hour without the hangover on every flight with its new and refreshing beverage offering. Just in time for Dry January, the premier West Coast carrier is serving Best Day Brewing Kölsch—the first non-alcoholic beverage to join Alaska’s premium beverage line-up.

Starting this month, Best Day Kölsch will be complimentary in First Class and Premium Class and available for purchase in the main cabin service on flights where a full beverage service is offered.

Born in the San Francisco Bay Area, Best Day Brewing holds the title of the #1 selling non-alcoholic Kölsch in the United States*. This distinctive Kölsch offers a crisp and refreshing experience, featuring a toasty malt character and lighter hoppiness with 55 calories per can. The non-alcoholic beer, like all of Best Day’s products, is non-GMO, Kosher and vegan.

We are always looking for healthier food and beverage options that allow our guests to maintain their lifestyles without sacrificing the taste or quality of the product they’re consuming,” said Todd Traynor-Corey, Alaska Airlines managing director of guest products. “Best Day Brewing achieves that with its craft non-alcoholic beers founded right here on the West Coast.”

Best Day Brewing embodies a tectonic shift in the world of beverages. As consumers’ relationship with alcohol evolves, the future of drinking is about having the freedom of choice without sacrificing quality or experience. Sales of non-alcoholic beers have surged, growing 31% each year for the past four years*. Even more emblematic of this shift, 94% of non-alcoholic beer consumers continue to buy beer, wine, and spirits*.

“At its core, the partnership with Alaska Airlines and Best Day Brewing is about celebrating life’s adventure. Having our non-alcoholic Kölsch at 30k feet is about enjoying all the upside of cracking open a great tasting beer and acknowledging that when you land your journey is just beginning,” said Tate Huffard, CEO of Best Day Brewing.

Best Day Brewing employs a unique brewing process, crafting all their beers first to full strength before carefully removing the alcohol. This method, conducted at temperatures no higher than fermentation temperature, preserves the aromas and flavors of exceptional beer.

Infused with Hallertau Blanc hops, Best Day Brewing Kölsch exudes fruity aromas with white grape characteristics, while traditional Cologne malts pay homage to the beer’s roots, delivering a premium non-alcoholic beverage.

“I’m excited to travel with an airline that’s inclusive and offers a drink to their passengers who live a sober life or like the taste of beer, but not the effects of alcohol,” said Brittney Childs, Alaska Airlines mileage plan member and loyal guest who tipped Alaska about the Best Day Brewing’s craft non-alcoholic beers when she posted a can on her social media account. “Breweries have come such a long way in making non-alcoholic beers taste good and Best Day Brewery has definitely achieved that. I like that I can enjoy a non-alcoholic beer on the ground and now, in the air when I fly Alaska Airlines.”