Bavaria: Making a Splash With Alcohol-Free Beer

Dutch brewer Bavaria is working hard to help health conscious consumers cut down on the number of units of alcohol they consume, whilst making a significant reduction in their calorie intake.
“We are the only major brewer to offer two non-alcoholic beers” explains Bavaria UK Managing Director, Mike Teague. “Most people now recognize that cutting their alcohol intake, particularly following the Christmas and New Year celebrations, is a good thing that delivers a host of health benefits.
“In the past cutting back on beer, meant sugary, sweet-tasting alternatives, often loaded with calories. This ensured a drop in units of alcohol consumed, but not a drop in calories. Our alcohol free beers obviously contain no units of alcohol and possess only around 80 calories per bottle. Customers now get to choose great-tasting alcohol free beer that cuts their alcohol consumption and reduces their calorie intake – two benefits for the price of one.”
Bavaria is regarded by many commentators as the leading brand in low and non-alcoholic beers. A recent tweet from renowned drinks expert Oz Clarke is representative of a growing appreciation of the quality of the Dutch brewer’s expertise in this area; “Lo and no alcohol beers. I'm trying to be virtuous but they have to be drinkable. Only decent big brand is Bavaria. 2.8 & 0.0 v. tasty” Throughout ‘Alcohol Awareness Week’, Bavaria non-alcoholic beer was used by some NHS Foundation Trusts to show consumers that consuming fewer units of alcohol and reducing their calorie intake, didn’t have to mean giving up the great taste of a quality beer.
The brand is at the beginning of a major marketing drive in the UK, with a major sponsorship deal recently agreed with ITV. Sean Durkan Marketing Manager at Bavaria UK commented: “We are using every possible channel to tell the public about the quality and range of our low and non-alcoholic beers. We’re running competitions on Facebook, tweeting regularly and taking our sampling roadshow around the country. But our position as a sponsor of comedy on ITV, with a series of funny adverts introducing new comedy shows should certainly grab the public’s attention.