Delivery Rank: Ceria 2024: Alcohol Free Beer in its Truest Form

Ceria Brewmaster Keith Villa was recently interviewed by Sarah Kirton of DeliveryRank.

Keith Villa, legendary brewmaster and founder of Ceria Brewing Company, along with his wife Jodi and daughter Catherine, leads the charge at this family-run establishment. Inspired by the ancient Roman goddess of harvest, Ceres, Ceria's name symbolizes their commitment to brewing exceptional beer. With a dedication to craft and a penchant for innovation, Ceria offers a unique take on alcohol-free beer, delivering the flavor profile of a top-tier brewery. DeliveryRank finds out more.

Keith, what inspired the creation of Ceria and the decision to focus on alcohol-free craft beer?

The inspiration behind Ceria came when I retired from Molson Coors. My wife and I started a company dedicated to making alcohol-free (AF) beer in the United States. Our first venture was into the industry of alcohol-free beer with cannabis. We infused our Belgian white with five milligrams of THC, and our IPA had 10 milligrams of THC plus 10 milligrams of CBD. We were in the market for about two years, but the federal illegality of cannabis made business very difficult. We decided to pull back and wait on the sidelines until federal legalization. 

In the meantime, we noticed the growing NA (non-alcoholic) category and decided to offer our AF craft beers without cannabis. We launched our alcohol-free beers in 2020, and they have been growing nicely ever since. We believe we make some of the best alcohol-free beers in the world, with 0.00% alcohol, meaning absolutely no measurable alcohol. It's important to clarify that the legal definition of non-alcoholic beer in the US, per the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) means that the beer is less than 0.5% ABV (alcohol by volume); versus alcohol-free beer, which must contain no measurable alcohol whatsoever, per the TTB.  Most non-alcoholic beers in the United States are non-alcoholic, with some minimal amount of alcohol. Ceria’s beers are the only craft beers that are truly alcohol-free in the US that we know of.

Click here to check out Keith's full interview with Sarah Kirton!