Just weeks after launching a zero alcohol version of Guinness in Great Britain, Diageo is recalling the product due to a microbiological contamination that the company says makes “some cans of Guinness 0.0 unsafe to consume.”
Diageo cautioned consumers who purchased Guinness against drinking the product and urged them to return it to the point of purchase for a full refund.
“We are sorry that this has happened,” the company said on its website.
Context: Guinness 0.0 launched on October 26 in Great Britain and Ireland, with plans to test launch in four U.S. markets in 2021. The non-alc nitrogenated stout contains zero alcohol and 70 calories.
What Happened: A contamination occurred during the production process, and Diageo’s team is investigating what was the root cause. Now, the company is working with retailers to remove all stock from shelves and recall what sold to consumers.
Production of Guinness 0.0 will only resume once the cause of the issue has been resolved and the final product “meets the highest standards of quality that we and our Guinness drinkers expect.”
No other Guinness brands were affected.
Refunds: Diageo asked consumers to contact its consumer hotline (0345 601 4558) or email the company consumercare.gbandireland@diageo.com in order to receive a refund voucher.
The New N/A Beer Space: Guinness 0.0 is Diageo’s challenger in the fast-growing non-alcoholic beer market.
- Year-to-date through October 4, off-premise dollar sales of non-alcoholic beer are up 38.9%, to nearly $144.9 million, according to market research firm IRI.
- The segment is led by Heineken 0.0, which is on pace to ship 2 million cases in 2020.
A Crowded Field: Guinness 0.0 is just one of many non-alc beer offerings coming from brewers large and small. Others include Boston Beer’s Samuel Adams Just the Haze IPA and Dogfish Head Lemon Quest; Brooklyn Brewery Special Effects line extensions, including an IPA; Bootstrap Strapless IPA; Lagunitas IPNA; and a non-alcoholic Irish stout from Deschutes Brewery.
Existing competitors include Athletic Brewing, Partake Brewing and Surreal, among others.
Diageo Beer Co. president Nuno Teles previously told Brewbound that he believes non-alc beer can be as much as 5% of Guinness’ business in the future.