The first Eastern European non-alcoholic beer turns 50

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 12. 26. 15:00

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Half a century ago, in 1975, the first non-alcoholic beer, Pitó, was brewed in Czechoslovakia, which was considered a pioneer not only in the Eastern Bloc, but also only the third such product in Europe. The name of the beer, originally developed for professional drivers, was born from the combination of the Slovak words “beer” and “car”, and its production is linked to the Aranyfácán brewery in Ógyalla and the Prague Beer Research Institute, writes Infostart.

The alcohol content of Pito was kept at 0.6 percent by stopping fermentation early, while the malty flavor was retained. Although the product did not become a mass favorite in the 1970s, the trend has now reversed dramatically: in 2024, 768 thousand hectoliters of non-alcoholic and radler beer were produced in Slovakia, which represents more than a quarter of the total production of nearly 3 million hectoliters. Currently, about a quarter of breweries – including small breweries – deal with this category.

According to the Slovak Association of Brewers and Malt Producers, more than 25 percent of the population regularly consumes non-alcoholic or radler beer, which clearly shows the transformation of consumer preferences. This is particularly significant given that the European beer market as a whole has been shrinking for the fifth year in a row, with the proportion of consumption measured in traditional channels – hospitality and retail – falling from a third to around a quarter. The non-alcoholic segment is thus becoming an increasingly important growth pillar in the region’s beer industry.