Heineken’s Non-Alcoholic Beer is Now Available in SA

If you’ve been looking closely, you’ve probably noticed that the number of non-alcoholic beers available on the market are growing rather quickly. Heineken is going to throw their hat into the ring as well, and they’ve launched their own non-alcoholic offering called Heineken 0.0.

For many avid beer fans, non-alcoholic vs. alcoholic beer is like discussing religion at a Christmas lunch with the family – you just don’t do it. But, the tide seems to be turning with regard to non-alcoholic beer being a faux pas, with the primary reason just being raw numbers and a rising demand, so don’t expect the zero-alcohol beers to be going anywhere. As the saying goes – if you can’t beat them, join them.

Between 2010 and 2015, the European market for non-alcoholic beer grew by roughly 5%, but surprisingly the overall demand in the beer industry fell in that same period. It shouldn’t be surprising given this increase in demand that beer brands all over are trying to tap into this market then, and due to Heineken’s size and market exposure, they have an opportunity to give the market exactly what it wants.

Interestingly enough, analysts are speculating that non-alcoholic beers might not compete directly with alcoholic beers, but rather with soft drinks. The Heineken 0.0 has half the calories of a standard Heineken beer, but also approximately half the calories of your average soft drink – which means that if people are heading to a party, the healthier options on the menu are likely to be the zero-alcohol beers.

The next time you’re invited to a braai and want to try something new and that’ll also be kind to your waistline, give the Heineken 0.0 a shot and see how you like it!