InBev trials Stella Artois at 0.5% abv

InBev is trialing a 0.5% abv version of Stella Artois in the UK, the MA has learnt.

The brewer has been quietly trialing Stella Artois Low Alcohol in Tesco for some months has not ruled out launching the brand in the UK on-trade.

A spokeswoman said: "If there is sufficient consumer demand, we will consider making Belgian-brewed Stella Artois Low Alcohol available more widely."

Low Alcohol is brewed in Belgium using the same ingredients as regular Stella Artois.

A shorter fermentation period and lower temperatures are used to produce a lower abv.

The 0.5% abv brand is already sold elsewhere in Europe, including Belgium, France and the Czech Republic. In Belgium it is called Stella Artois Non Alcohol because Belgian laws classify drinks with an abv up to 0.5% as "non alcohol".

The spokeswoman said: "Stella Artois Low Alcohol will appeal to Stella Artois loyalists who want the option of a low-alcohol lager.

"Brewed and imported from Belgium, Stella Artois Low Alcohol is made only from water, malt, maize and hops. We have been trialing Stella Artois Low Alcohol in a number of Tesco stores."

In the UK, the brand is available in packs of four 330ml bottles and has been sold for £2.73.

Nielsen consultant Graham Page said: "It may be that by having such a brand extension it will re-position the total Stella brand as being more 'sessionable'."

He said low-alcohol beers in the on-trade are more of a "distress purchase", for example by drivers who can't drink full-strength brews. They are more popular in the off-trade where there's a bigger market for perceived healthier purchases, he added.

Last month InBev said it was dropping the strength of Stella Artois in the on and off-trades from 5.2% to 5%.