E-Malt.com News article: UK: AB InBev launches Modelo Especial in the UK

The Mexican lager brand Modelo Especial has just been introduced into the UK by its owner AB InBev via its UK distribution arm Budweiser Brewing Group (BBG), The Drinks Business reported on April 7.

Modelo Especial has launched into both the UK on-trade in draught format and the off-trade in bottles and cans in a big way from this month. Its appearance, as it casually appears alongside other brands within “the ultra-premium segment,” has been positioned by AB InBev to “drive incremental sales” following a test of the marketplace last October across “All Bar One sites and in Tesco” stores, db has learned.

AB InBev has described Modelo Especial as “a golden, refreshing lager that has been brewed for more than 100 years with carefully selected premium Mexican ingredients”. The beer giant has also flagged that it was “first crafted in 1925 with fire-roasted malts, it delivers a distinct, yet accessible high-quality taste that continues to honour Mexico’s rich heritage”. Indeed, the marketing cues are all pointing towards quality and heritage and the company has also confirmed that, in bars, the beer will be served in “the brand’s distinctive, refined glassware with golden design” while in off licences and supermarkets Modelo Especial’s bottle packaging “signals its premium positioning with an unmissable iconic gold foil”.

Lager provokes strong opinions in the beer world and db recently identified what makes one more enticing than another to really drill down to the reasons why one lager can command a premium positioning compared to another.

Describing Modelo Especial’s launch into Britain’s pubs and bars, BBG’s UK on trade director Giovanni Cury said: “Modelo Especial has demonstrated strong growth across [the UK] since its launch in All Bar One last year. Building on this, we see significant growth potential for the brand in [the] UK on trade.”

BBG UK off trade director Mark Wingfield Digby explained: “We believe it is the right time to introduce Modelo Especial to UK consumers who value both tradition and modernity.”

Explaining more about the lager and what it offers, Cury emphasised the brand’s premium credentials and added: “Combining a rich brewing heritage with a contemporary, premium positioning, it is well placed to resonate with today’s beer drinkers. With more than a century of Mexican brewing expertise behind every serve, Modelo Especial delivers a full-flavoured, high-quality lager that can help operators elevate their beer offering and attract new consumers. We look forward to partnering with our customers to establish it as a standout choice in the category.”

Speaking to db about how Modelo Especial’s appearance in the UK will impact the beer industry, award-winning beer writer and author Pete Brown said: “There’s no rhyme or reason to what is ‘premium’ in the market, let alone the wishful thinking that it is ‘ultra premium’. The product contains cheap adjuncts. There’s nothing about the branding that screams premium. It’s not a terrible beer but this is marketing basically saying ‘it’s premium because we say it is’ and foisting it on people who are bored of Corona, which the same company also owns.”

The Modelo Especial launch will be supported by a marketing campaign including a campaign across TV, digital and out-of-home, which is running from this month. AB InBev has remained tight-lipped on exactly how much marketing spend has been put behind the brand, or indeed, spoken openly about how much it has spent on Modelo Especial’s launch in the UK.



07 April, 2026