Guinness 0.0 launch gone bad

United Kingdom | Guinness is recalling cans of its non-alcoholic stout because of contamination fears, just two weeks after they were introduced, the BBC reported on 11 November 2020. Guinness 0.0 was launched to much fanfare in supermarkets on 26 October, having taken the brewer four years to develop.

The brewer described the recall as “precautionary”, but said “microbiological contamination” might mean some products were unsafe. The company urged anyone with cans of Guinness 0.0 not to drink them, but return them to the shop for a refund.

Guinness is working with supermarkets to remove all of the products from the shelves. The recall only affects customers in the UK, as the product was not yet on sale in Ireland or Northern Ireland.

Of course, the commentariat on the internet immediately called on Guinness to issue further information on the type of contamination.

Guinness 0.0 is produced with the same amounts of water, barley, hops and yeast as a traditional Guinness, before the alcohol is removed using a cold filtration method. That way none of the traditional flavour are lost, Guinness claimed.

The new product was due to be rolled out in pubs next spring, before being launched in other parts of the world later in 2021.