Guinness is seeing red
As of February 2007 a new type of Guinness, Guinness Red, will be put on trial at more than 140 Mitchells & Butlers pubs from London to Aberdeen. Nine years after the introduction of Guinness Draught Extra Cold, which was the first entry into the extra cold draught beer category (1998), and 19 years after the invention of the widget, which revolutionised the at-home draught beer drinking experience, Guinness is making its latest innovation available to selected members of the public.
Guinness Red, which uses lighter roasted barley for a rich red colour and a bittersweet taste, is believed to be an attempt to persuade more punters to drink Guinness on a regular basis. According to reports in the UK media, only half of the brand’s 10.5 million drinkers are “loyalists” and as such there is much more potential to be harnessed from the brand. Market research has revealed that 5.4 million drinkers of Guinness only do so infrequently. They will drink it on big occasions like St Patrick’s Day or weddings, but not each Friday night.
In keeping with the global trends towards blander beers (derogatorily put), Guinness Red offers punters a beer that is less dark – obviously – and less bitter. In a corporate statement, the brewer said that Guinness Red is produced using barley that has been roasted for a shorter period, taking away some of the darker colour and bitter taste. The usual bitterness of Guinness Draught has also been reduced by removing some of the hops from the brewing process. As concerns “effect”, Guinness Red has an ABV of 4.1%, in line with Guinness Draught. It will be priced as highly as Guinness Draught.
Following the trial, a full evaluation will be conducted and a decision will be made as to whether Guinness Red will be officially launched in the UK. Guinness has no plans to launch Guinness Red in Ireland, where it has been loosing volume for a while.
There are four variants of Guinness currently available in the GB and six worldwide. Guinness is distributed in more than 150 countries.
