Stella Artois Gluten Free set to launch

26-Jul-2018 - Last updated on 26-Jul-2018 at 14:54 GMT

Now free-from: Stella has ditched gluten with its new variant

Beer giant AB InBev (ABI) is to launch a gluten-free variant of its Stella Artois lager to gain spend from the estimated 1.3m Brits living a gluten-free lifestyle.

ABI announced the new Stella Artois Gluten Free would be launched into the off-trade first in August, before a rollout to the on-trade in autumn.

The beer is made to the same recipe as Stella Artois, but has had the gluten stripped from the brewing process by using a protein.

Charity Coeliac UK has certified the new brew, which will be sold first in supermarkets in packaged of 4x330ml bottles.

Gluten-free food and drink

Sales of gluten-free food and drink grew by 36% between 2016 and 2017, with gluten-free beer growing by 83% in value sales.

More than half (54%) of households last year bought at least one product labelled as gluten-free, with those surveyed aged under 45 as 20% more likely to buy into the segment.

Alexis Berger, marketing director for Stella Artois Europe, said: “We’re incredibly excited to be entering the gluten-free beer category with Stella Artois Gluten Free.

“Customers will also benefit from the newly created product offering within the gluten-free premium lager category, driving sales and increasing footfall.”

Meanwhile, other brewers have launched into the category in recent years, including Carlsberg with two of its brands.

The brewer introduced San Miguel Gluten Free in 330ml bottles in September last year, while the year before it landed two varieties of gluten-free Celia the previous year.

Celia Organic

A Celia Organic and Celia Dark were imported from Czech brewery Žatecky Pivovar from November last year.

Both San Miguel Gluten Free and Celia have been brewed using gluten-free processes, with the latter using a silicon filtration system that also makes the beer suitable for vegans.

At the time of Celia’s launch, a Carlsberg spokesman said: “Celia Organic and Celia Dark are quality Czech beers, loved by beer drinkers for their exceptional flavour and ability to perfectly complement good food.

“The fact that they are brewed to be gluten-free gives the brand an added point of difference – particularly relevant given current consumer trends – which is why we are delighted that Celia will be joining our beer portfolio.”