World: Guinness' non-alcoholic beer proving to be a hit worldwide

Guinness' non-alcoholic offering is proving to be a hit on both sides of the pond, with sales of the alcohol free stout increasing by nearly 50 percent last year, Microsoft Start reported on April 30.

Guinness 0.0 was rolled out in in 2021 and Diageo, the owners of the iconic brand, have been majorly pushing the product, particularly across the US, over the past year.

The hard work seems to have paid off. New figures shared this week show that sales of Guinness 0.0 increased by 48.7 percent between February 2023 and February 2024 in bars, restaurants and hotels.

Guinness 0.0 was the second best-selling non-alcoholic beer in the US last year, according to Insider Monkey.

Diageo increased the production capacity for Guinness 0.0 in Dublin by 300 percent last year, investing nearly $27million in a new dedicated building at St James' Gate.

The brewery plans to produce nearly 90 million pints of the non-alcoholic stout for the domestic and international market, including the US, this year.

Barry O’Sullivan, who leads Diageo in Ireland, told the Business Post that the company plans to increase the amount of pubs in Ireland with Guinness 0.0 taps from 1,400 to 2,000 by the end of the year.

Zack Berger, a Guinness Ambassador in the US, previously told IrishStar.com: “We've had a really successful launch with Guinness Zero in the US.
"There's a lot of conversation about non-alcoholic offerings these days because there are a lot of people, myself included, who sometimes just want to have a pint but don't really want to consume any more alcohol.

"Having a brand that has been around for so long that has been able to adjust to the market and consumer needs and still be widely accepted is a true credit to the brewers.”

01 May, 2024