Guinness taps into teetotal trends with non-alcoholic lager launch

19 Jan 2018 --- The first non-alcoholic lager has been launched by Guinness as the brand taps into the trend to strengthen its teetotal drinks offering with a full-flavored beer. Global alcohol consumption is declining and there is an increasing consumer trend towards cutting down on alcohol or cutting it out altogether. This is leading to more and more non-alcoholic or low ABV products hitting the market.

Now, the Diageo-owned brewers at St. James’s Gate in Dublin is introducing “Open Gate Pure Brew” a new, full flavored, non-alcoholic lager that has scored very well in independent taste tests and does not compromise on full-flavor.

Independent taste tests were conducted by MMR research in December 2017 among 130 lager drinkers aged between 25-40 years old. Over seven in 10 people were surprised to learn that “Open Gate Pure Brew” was a non-alcoholic beer.

“We’re extremely proud of this beer. It’s hoppy with lots of fruity aromas and a nice hint of citrus flavor, along with a smooth, malty finish. The overall taste is deliciously refreshing,” says Lead Brewer, John Casey.

“Whether you’re seeking alcohol or not, we think great-tasting beer is the goal. Many non-alcoholic beers are made by taking a conventional beer and boiling away the alcohol which can impact the taste.”

“From the start, we were determined to brew a non-alcoholic beer with the same process we’ve perfected over the last 259 years. It has taken two years of experimentation, but we’ve come up with a way to fully brew beer using a special yeast strain that only produces a very limited amount of alcohol,” says Casey.

Mark Sandys, Global Head of Beer, Diageo, stresses the importance of taste. “Consumers shouldn’t have to compromise on taste on occasions when choosing not to drink or to moderate their alcohol intake, so we are excited to be offering more choice with our latest innovation from the Open Gate Brewery,” he says.

“With Pure Brew, our brewers have developed a great tasting, fully brewed and fully fermented non-alcoholic lager that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with our other great beers. We’re proud to offer beer-drinkers and publicans more choice and we cannot wait for consumers to taste it.”

With an ABV of 0.5 percent, Open Gate Pure Brew’ is available in 330ml bottles and will be initially rolled out to 250 pubs in Dublin this month with wider distribution nationally in Ireland from March.