Pint of Guinness 0.0? That’ll be £6.35, please
Alcohol-free Guinness is to be sold on draught in the UK for the first time – but will cost just 55p less than a regular pint.
The Devonshire, a London pub famed for its Guinness, is introducing the alcohol-free stout on draught under a deal with Diageo, the drinks giant that brews it.
Until now, Guinness 0.0 was only available on draught in Ireland and in cans in the UK.
Anna MacDonald, Guinness marketing director at Diageo, said the company was “offering patrons more choice through the introduction of an alcohol-free alternative with the same smooth, recognisable taste”.
However, drinkers may be shocked to learn the price. A pint of alcohol-free Guinness at The Devonshire will cost £6.35 – just 55p cheaper than a regular pint of Guinness at the same pub.
Questions have been raised over the high prices charged for non-alcoholic beers, given the fact that brewers do not pay any alcohol duty on them. Producers have argued that the complex production process and research warrants their price.
Oisín Rogers, co-owner of The Devonshire, said: “For Guinness 0.0 the £6.35 price is based on the fact that we make the same margin at 90pc of the full price of Guinness. I suppose the cost price is higher because it’s brought in from Dublin. I’ve got to tell you that the quality of the liquid is really astounding.
“We do try and set our prices as low as possible for our guests and we are very happy to have it at this price. Our full pint of Guinness is £6.90 and we noticed that most of our competitors are now over seven quid in Soho.”
Diageo said the non-alcoholic Guinness was made with the same ingredients before the alcohol in it was removed through a process called cold filtration, which is claimed to preserve the taste.
Guinness 0.0 is already the UK’s best selling non-alcoholic beer in shops.
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Non-alcoholic Guinness launched in 2021 and accounts for 3pc of all Guinness sales worldwide. Sales doubled over the year to June amid an increase in sobriety and moderation among the public, particularly young people.
Ms MacDonald told The Telegraph last month that Guinness 0.0 could one day overtake sales of regular Guinness, adding the alcohol-free trend was “accelerating more than we [Diageo] thought”.
The Devonshire opened late last year and earned acclaim for its Guinness. The viral popularity of its Guinness on social media helped make it one of the biggest sellers of the drink in the world, reportedly pouring as many as 15,000 pints per week.
Debra Crew, Diageo’s chief executive, said earlier this year that Guinness was shaking off its reputation as a drink for older, male customers.
“We are seeing more and more Guinness drinkers that are women. I certainly notice this in pubs,” she said.
“It looks kind of intimidating, right? And it did come from this kind of rugby-lad culture. And yet I think when women find that they try it, actually it’s lighter than what they think it’s going to be.”
