Guinness 0.0 is to finally see the light of day almost one whole year after the non-alcoholic beer was due to hit shelves.
The drink, which Diageo announced with much fanfare in October 2020, began rolling out in November but was immediately recalled amid fears of what Diageo called a “microbiological contamination” that could have made some cans unsafe to drink.
Following an investigation, which discovered a production process failure, the business had put in place “additional quality assurance measures”, said Neil Shah, head of Guinness GB.
The beer itself featured “the same dark, ruby red liquid and creamy head, hints of chocolate and coffee, smoothly balanced with bitter, sweet and roasted notes” as alcoholic Guinness, it added.
Guinness 0.0 will now return to the shelves of Morrisons and the Co-op this week in 4x440ml multipacks, with further retailers to follow later in the month and the on-trade in September (rsp: £3.40-£4.50).
Diageo was “incredibly pleased to have Guinness 0.0 back on shelves”, added Shah. ”We firmly believe we have created a taste experience truly unrivalled in the world of alcohol-free beer.”
Its rebirth will be backed by a massive consumer marketing campaign, including a new TV advert.
Despite having to recall such a high-profile launch, Diageo has had solid success in the booming low & no category since the start of 2021.
It launched a non-alcoholic version of Gordon’s in December ahead of the annual Dry January, which, as our Britain’s Biggest Alcohol Brands 2021 report recently revealed, racked up roughly £3m in sales in its first five months on the market.
Diageo followed Gordon’s with the launch of a a zero-alcohol version of Gordon’s sister brand Tanqueray in February
William Reed – the publisher of The Grocer – runs a trade show exclusively for the low & non-alcoholic drinks industry. For more information visit low2nobev.com
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