Diageo-owned Guinness has unveiled Guinness 0.0, a new non-alcoholic, low calorie version of its iconic stout beer.
Guinness 0.0 was four years in the making and is produced at St James’s Gate, the home of Guinness in Dublin, Ireland using the same method as the alcoholic version, with the same natural ingredients – water, barley, hops and yeast – before gently removing the alcohol through a cold filtration method.
This process allows the alcohol to be filtered out without presenting thermal stress to the beer, protecting the integrity of its taste and character.
The resulting product is “unmistakably Guinness”, just without the alcohol. It is said to feature the same dark, ruby red liquid and creamy head, hints of chocolate and coffee, smoothly balanced with bitter, sweet and roasted notes.
As well as being alcohol-free, Guinness 0.0 is also a low-calorie option, with just 16 calories per 100ml.
Initially rolling out to the UK off-trade in 440ml cans, Guinness 0.0 will be available in pubs across Ireland and Great Britain from next spring, before launching globally later in 2021.
Gráinne Wafer, global brand director for Guinness, said: “This is an exceptional day for Guinness, as we finally reveal Guinness 0.0.
“The launch of Guinness 0.0 highlights our long-held commitment to innovation, experimentation, and bravery in brewing, harnessing the power of our brewers and our ingredients, to create an alcohol-free beer that is 100% Guinness but 0% alcohol.
“We know people want to be able to enjoy a Guinness when they choose not to drink alcohol without compromising on taste, and with Guinness 0.0 we believe they will be able to do exactly that.”
Aisling Ryan, innovation brewer at St James’s Gate, added: “Guinness has always had an unwavering commitment to quality and our entire brewing team is hugely proud of the care and effort that has been put into the four year development process for Guinness 0.0.
“We have created a taste experience that we believe is truly unrivalled in the world of non-alcoholic beer and we can’t wait for people to finally be able to try it!”
