Low and no alcohol beers are taking off and Alvarado Street has them -- until they sell out.

Back in January, Esquire made a declaration that would have been unthinkable 10 or 20 years ago: “A good NA beer is no longer hard to find.”

NA, of course, stands for non-alcoholic – although in labeling terms, a fraction of alcohol is permitted. There’s a reason the magazine could make such a statement. It’s the same reason that demand for no-buzz brews has been growing steadily since 2014 – with the exception of a 2020-21 blip when we all needed to drown out the world. Craft breweries have taken to the style.

Alvarado Street Brewery recently launched a line that barely ticks the ABV meter at less than 0.5 percent. Their first batch was Barely Biggie’s Blueberry Bubbly Beverage in cans, which quickly sold out. According to Statista, sales of no – and low-alcohol brands are expected to increase by almost 7 percent a year for the foreseeable future, so it fits the trend. The brewery followed up with a blood orange version. It embraces the palate with an exuberant burst of fruit soon tamed by creamy vanilla, giving the impression of an effervescent creamsicle. At the same time, however, the familiar notes of grain remind you that this is a mild sour beer.

Predictably, Alvarado Street just sold out of the blood orange beverage. So it’s best to be quick when the next round hits the shelves.

ALVARADO STREET BREWERY has four locations: 426 Alvarado St., Monterey. 655-2337; Ocean and Mission, Carmel. 293-8621; 301 Main St., Salinas. 356-0219; and the taproom at 1315 Dayton St., Salinas. 800-3332, asb.beer.