Heineken 0.0 available on draught from next year
Heineken has announced its alcohol-free beer, Heineken 0.0, will be available on draught in pubs from next year, answering a growing demand for no and low alcohol options.
This follows a successful 12-week summer trial of the draught in pubs across the Midlands and north of England, and by 2025, the company hopes to have as many Heineken 0.0 draughts as Heineken taps in British venues.
Heineken global master brewer Willem Van Waseberghe said: “For me and my team, one of the primary areas of focus, as always, is taste.
“The draught beer tastes great - it’s the distinctive famous Heineken flavour – and it has all the sensory aspects beer drinkers look for – a mouth-watering aroma, bright white head and lively carbonation.”
Sober society
At present, the no and low alcohol sector is worth £94m, of which 0.6% is beer and cider, with one third of UK adults moderating their alcohol intake.
The product has been developed by breweries in four countries since 2017 and is the first system that eliminates risk of alcohol being created while using a pub’s existing cellar set-up.
Heineken UK corporate affairs director James Crampton believed the product to be a “game-changer” that will bring no and low alcohol beer from the periphery into the mainstream.
Likewise, Waseberghe said he was “incredibly proud” of the system and believed it would “play a big part in changing the way people drink”.
A giant leap for pub-kind
Crampton said: "We’re confident it will, over time, change pubs to accommodate more occasions, and by that, I mean it won’t be unusual for people to pop down to their local for an alcohol-free pint or two."
He continued: “Back in July at one of our five trial pubs, a barperson pulled the first ever pint of Heineken® 0.0 draught and handed it to a customer.
“The significance of that moment may or may not have dawned on them but makes no bones about it – it was one small pull for a bartender, but a giant leap for pub-kind.”
