Heaps Normal

The brand was launched by Andy Miller, Ben Holdstock, Peter Brennan, and Kristian Harlow, with the first beer appearing in July 2020. Rather than brewing to conventional strength and then removing the alcohol, a process known as dealcoholisation (where finished beer is processed to separate out its alcohol content), the team built its recipe around a specific yeast strain that naturally produces very little alcohol during fermentation. That approach was developed by co-founder Ben Holdstock and defines how Heaps Normal presents its range: not as beer with something taken out, but as beer brewed to be alcohol-free from the start. This makes the brand unusual within the AF beer category, where dealcoholisation remains the dominant production method.

Heaps Normal raised $8.5 million AUD in 2021 to support its expansion and now reaches international markets through specialist alcohol-free retailers. The range spans XPAs, hazies, IPAs, stouts, and sours, giving the brand one of the wider style spreads among dedicated AF brewers to have emerged from Australia. As a wholly AF-only producer, the brand has no full-strength range, keeping the entire operation focused on making alcohol-free beer work as a craft product in its own right.

Heaps Normal is a member of 1% for the Planet, committing a share of sales to environmental causes, and operates as a fully independent company. The brand positions itself around the idea of normalising mindful drinking, reducing the social friction around choosing an alcohol-free beer at social occasions. That framing speaks directly to sober-curious drinkers who want a genuinely crafted option. Pricing sits in the premium bracket, reflecting the craft positioning and the international distribution reach.