Are you a teetotaler who always ends up with a glassful of cola while your friends are sipping beer? Do you love the taste of beer but choose to abstain from it because the alcohol doesn’t agree with you? Well, turn that frown upside down because Budweiser has launched a non-alcoholic version of their fine-tasting beer. Called Budweiser 0.0, the beverage made for all kinds of teetotalers has already hit supermarket shelves and is gaining traction with Indian consumers. We speak to Ben Verhaert, president — South Asia, AB InBev, a Belgian multinational drink and brewing holdings company that owns the brand, to find out more.
Budweiser is a favourite when it comes to lagers. Why would the company want to foray into non-alcohol beer? What is your target customer base with the non-alcoholic beer?
Our foray into the non-alcohol beer segment in India is in line with our global goal to offer low and non-alcohol beverages to our consumers. One of our Global Smart Drinking Goals to Empower Consumers Through Choice is to ensure that No or Lower alcohol beer products make up at least 20 per cent of our global beer volume by 2025. Budweiser 0.0 was introduced in India in July 2019; in line with our Global Smart Drinking Goals. As of 2018, 8 per cent of our global beer volumes came from No and Low alcohol beverages.
Beer is a drink of moderation and as a leading brewer, we would like to offer our consumers choice. Budweiser is the fastest growing premium brand in the country and the launch of Budweiser 0.0 will further enable the brand to be inclusive, as many people today either cannot or choose not to consume alcohol, opening up opportunities for them to discover the refreshing and crisp taste of the iconic Budweiser recipe, but with zero alcohol.
Budweiser 0.0 is available in 330 ml cans as well as 330 ml bottles across modern retail channels, leading departmental stores in the top urban centres of the country — Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Kolkata as well as Gujarat where alcohol is prohibited.
Tell us more about your Global Smart Drinking Goals —what are these goals and how do you plan on achieving them?
We launched our Global Smart Drinking Goals — a set of programmes and initiatives focused on shifting social norms, consumer behaviour, and our own business practices — in order to make a tangible contribution to the reduction of harmful use of alcohol globally. These goals have been developed alongside public health officials and reflect AB InBev’s belief in evidence-based solutions. We are working with public health bodies, civil society, and governments as we aim to implement evidence-based approaches, uncover new ways to reduce the harmful use of alcohol, and act upon them. Our intent is not only to use the knowledge generated by this work to improve our own efforts and business practices, but also to share what we learn with others.
As a global brewer, we believe we have a key role to play in promoting smarter alternatives and fostering a culture of smart drinking. We’re taking steps to shift social norms and behaviours around harmful use of alcohol and ensure every experience with beer is a positive one.
How do you think this non-alcoholic beer will fair in the Indian market?
We are thrilled with the preliminary response that we have received from our consumer, which has been positive. These consumers are not only our loyal Budweiser consumers, but also a large set of teetotalers that are appreciative of how they can taste the signature brew and enjoy it freely.
Budweiser 0.0 is a high quality ‘anyone anywhere’ beverage that aims to foster inclusivity by catering to people who either cannot or choose not to consume alcohol. Consumers who don’t drink alcohol but want to socialise can now be included in the beer category. A majority of India’s population abstains from alcohol, which is a large segment of consumers that have traditionally remained un-introduced to the beer category in the past. While the market for non-alcohol beers is still nascent in India, as a leading brewer we see a great opportunity to grow this segment.
Tell us about the taste of this non-alcoholic beer — how similar does it taste to actual beer?
Budweiser 0.0 is brewed using the iconic Budweiser recipe, with barley malt, choice hops, yeast, pure filtered water and the distinctive beech wood aging process. During the final stage of which the alcohol is removed through a special process to retain the taste that is true to the standards of Budweiser. This creates a more balanced taste of real beer.
What is the difference in calories in the regular lager and this non-alcoholic beer?
Calories in non-alcohol beer will be less than in comparison to their alcohol version. Also, calories in non-alcohol beer is less than carbonated soft drinks. For example, Budweiser 0.0 will have 25.59 kcal/100ml which is around 40per cent less than that of a carbonated soft drink.
The Global Smart Drinking Goals
Goal 1: Reduce the harmful use of alcohol by at least 10 per cent in six cities by the end of 2020. Implement the best practices globally by the end of 2025.
Goal 2: Invest $1 billion USD across our markets in dedicated social marketing campaigns and related programmes by the end of 2025.
Goal 3: Ensure No-or Lower- Alcohol beer products represent at least 20 per cent of AB InBev’s global beer volume by the end of 2025.
Goal 4: Place a Guidance Label on all of our beer products in all of our markets by the end of 2020. Increase alcohol health literacy by the end of 2025.
