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Riding an international wave of low or no-alcohol beers, Heineken 0.0 will soon be crossing the pond…but without the pleasant buzz which is the primary reason that many people drink.
Here’s the deal…
Already available in 30 countries, Heineken’s first buzz-less beer is set to debut in states in January according to Esquire.
Described as a ‘heathy beer,’ which unfortunately serves to taint the rest of the Dutch brewer’s portfolio, Heineken 0.0 has only 65 calories and according to them tastes like its flagship but without its mood enhancing qualities…
Many professional brewers over the years, have come to acknowledge that “buzz-free” beer has generally failed the taste test (It fails the fun test too, as far as we’re concerned, but that’s another matter).
But Heineken 0.0 has been changing that perception abroad and is now poised to do the same in the United States… The beer launched initially in March 2017 in more than a dozen markets and riding the crest of consumer interest in less alcohol alternatives and has expanded confidently since then.
Backed by a huge $7.9 million campaign Heineken 0.0 has grown an exceptionally loyal following in the United Kingdom where interest low and non-alcoholic drinks has accelerated to the degree that there are now sober drink festivals in London.
Heineken 0.0 was also an evolution…
The brewery had been working on two separate versions Heineken 0.0 and neither one of them were getting the job done.
But then Heineken’s brewing team began blending both beers together till they came up with the final product. And that product has tapped a growing population of more deliberate drinkers who are all about a beer’s taste, just not its buzz.
Heineken brewmaster Willem van Waesberghe detailed the company’s thinking to Reuters this way…
“Both beers are not nice….You need to blend them together to make a good beer.”
So if its brewmaster is right in his assessment, Americans can soon expect a beer that both “nice” and “good” when Heineken 0.0 makes it way to the US next year.
What they shouldn’t expect, however, is a pleasant buzz.
All image credits: Heineken
