St Austell enters low & no market with Proper Job 0.5%

Pubs will be able to stock the bottled variant in their fridges from the south-west-based brewer and pubs-with-rooms operator from Thursday 10 October when the beer is made available.

The independent and family-owned 173-year-old brewery has been meticulously tweaking its recipe to create a beer that celebrates Proper Job’s famous flavour profile.

St Austell Brewery has high ambitions that its 0.5% ABV equivalent of its famed full-strength 4.5% ABV version will become one of the best low & no IPAs on the market.

St Austell said: “Masterfully brewed with the same heartfelt craft, Proper Job 0.5% uses a special yeast to create a low-alcohol take on its bold original.

Increase in demand​

“It’s St Austell Brewery’s first new category launch since they entered the lager market with their flagship brand korev in 2010.”

Brewing director for St Austell Brewery, Georgina Young, said: “Low and no alcohol drinks have been around for decades but there’s been a significant increase in demand over the past five years.

“Knowing how loved Proper Job is among beer drinkers, we opted to respond to this demand by bringing the big, vivid flavours of our flagship brand to the low-alcohol market.

“While it’s been a long time coming for St Austell Brewery to release a low-alcohol beer, we took time to evolve a brewing method that would create a naturally authentic IPA, worthy of being branded Proper Job 0.5%.

“We wouldn’t settle for anything less than a well-bodied, tasty IPA without the alcohol, and we’ve finally perfected a recipe which has nailed that.”

Draught to follow​

Young added consumer testing was the final stage in the brewery’s journey and the team were thrilled their 0.5% drink was deemed the “overwhelming favourite against many of its competitors in extensive taste tests”.

In a category dominated by lager, and with almost two in three on trade visits involving non-alcoholic drinks (source: KAM Media ‘Drinking Differently’ No/Low Report 2024), St Austell wanted to stand out with its “much-loved IPA”.

Proper Job enjoyed a rebrand in March this year​ with marketing and communications director Laura McKay stating at the time: “Our investment is all about honouring Proper Job’s loyal drinkers with a design that doesn’t stray too far from its roots, as well as reaching new audiences with its fresh look and feel – there’s absolutely no change to the much-loved IPA’s brewing recipe.”

Proper Job 0.5% is launching into the on-trade in a 500ml bottle on Thursday 10 October with can and draught formats set to follow in the months to come.