Heineken launches 0.0% in Ireland
The world’s second-largest brewer hopes to tap into the trend towards living a balanced lifestyle and engaging in lower alcohol consumption with the launch of the non-alcoholic lager here in Ireland.
Currently, the number one reason Irish consumers choose not to go alcohol-free on a night out is for fear of being seen as unsociable or not good fun and abstaining from alcohol completely is their primary moderating behaviour, states Heineken Ireland.
Heineken 0.0% gives Irish consumers more choice and variety for all occasions and empowers those who can’t or don’t want to drink alcohol to be involved in every beer and non-beer occasion without the fear of being seen as unsociable, states the company.
Heineken 0.0% is double-brewed using two different beers blended together.
“We then remove the alcohol and blend with natural flavours,” explained Willem van Waesberghe, Global Craft and Brew Master at Heineken.
“As a business we’re committed to introducing new and innovative products to meet our consumer needs,” commented Heineken Ireland’s Marketing Director Radina Shkutova, “Heineken has seen strong growth within the Low and No Alcohol segment and expects this to continue, driven by the global cultural trend of living a balanced, healthy lifestyle.
“Research shows that over 76% of Irish people state that having a balanced lifestyle is important, yet only 25% believe it’s easy to achieve this balance. We believe that Heineken 0.0% will help to provide a solution for this challenge.”
In order to push the boundaries within the non-alcoholic beer category, Heineken gave its Master Brewers a blank sheet of paper and challenged them to brew a distinctly flavoured, balanced non-alcoholic lager from scratch using just natural ingredients. The result is Heineken 0.0% that delivers a perfectly balanced taste with refreshing fruity notes and soft malty body, she said.
The European market for non-alcoholic beers has shown growth of around 5% between 2010 and 2015 and Heineken 0.0% was first announced in Barcelona last May before it went onto the market in a number of countries including Spain, the Netherlands and Russia. Heineken now intends to make it available across the Continent.
It will be available to the on-trade in 33cl bottle and in the off-trade in 4 x 33cl bottle and 6 x 33cl can.
The brand’s iconic green label has been turned blue – the colour associated with the alcohol free category – and the launch will be supported with a fully integrated multi-media campaign, including TV, Radio, Outdoor & Digital.
