AB InBev appears to be readying a relaunch for its Michelob beer brand in the UK.
The Budweiser and Corona brewer has applied for trademarks for Michelob and its most recent US innovation Michelob Ultra Zero under a class 32 mark covering beers and non-alcoholic beers.
AB InBev declined to comment when approached by The Grocer.
A UK launch for Michelob Ultra Zero would not come as a surprise, however, with the zero-alcohol, low-calorie lager having been unveiled by AB InBev in the US last month.
The 29-calorie-per-can tipple, positioned by the brewer as a “superior alcohol-free brew for an active lifestyle”, is set roll out nationwide in the US from January 2025.
Presently, the low & no-alcohol portfolio of AB InBev’s UK arm Budweiser Brewing Group (BBG) consists of Budweiser Zero, Corona Cero, Stella Artois Alcohol-Free and Becks Blue, as well as the 3.4% abv Bud Light and 3.3% Corona Ligera.
BBG previously launched Michelob Ultra, a 3.5% abv version of its US-brewed light beer of the same name, in the UK in 2018, but the beer failed to gain traction.
It was last stocked on Ocado in September 2022, according to Assosia data, having previously also been delisted by all of the major mults between 2019 and March 2022.
A message on the UK Michelob website states the site is currently down for maintenance.
Michelob Ultra was the number two bestselling beer in the US (after Modelo) in the year to July, accounting for 7.1% of all beer dollar sales in stores, according to data from NIQ.
Its rise has come amid a decline in popularity of Bud Light, caused by boycotts of the brand following its decision to partner with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
Bud Light accounted for 7.0% of all beer dollar sales in US stores in the year to July, NIQ data showed.
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