Revealed: The secret process to remove alcohol from Guinness 0.0... and why bosses say charging over £6 a pint for it is fair
The secret process behind the removal of alcohol from Guinness 0.
The secret process behind the removal of alcohol from Guinness 0.0 has been uncovered - as bosses also defended charging more than £6 per pint.
Sales have been booming of the traditional Irish tipples alcohol-free version since its launch in October 2020.
And now some of the techniques used at the St James’s Gate Brewery in Dublin have been revealed.
Guinness Original Stout has an alcohol volume of 4.2 per cent and typically takes nine days to go from barley to beer.
But the 0.0 equivalent needs an extra day, with brewers using a specialised cold filtration process to remove the alcohol from the finished product.
Sales of alcohol-free Guinness 0.0 have been booming - and now some of the secrets behind its production process have been outlined
Making Guinness 0.0 at the firms St James’s Gate Brewery in Dublin (pictured) is more time-consuming than for the brands traditional Irish stout
Cans of the drink measuring 440ml are sold for as much as £6.50 in central London pubs, despite being exempt from the alcohol duty of 50p per pint.
And one bar, the Devonshire in Soho, announced last month it would start selling Guinness 0.0 for £6.35 per pint - just 55p cheaper than a regular pint.
Guinness parent company Diageo has defended the costs, while also explaining some of the measures by which the alcohol-free drink is brewed.
Producers take a finished version of their flagship stout and then pump it underground, across the Dublin brewery, to a new unit in which it is cooled from a starting temperature of 22 C to 10C, the Sunday Times reported.
They then separate the liquid from the concentrate, extract alcohol from the water and remix with fresh and alcohol-free water.
Cheaper methods would be to use a different yeast or else boil off the alcohol, but the firms head of quality Steve Gilsenan told the newspaper: We wouldnt do that - it would affect the flavour.
Removing the alcohol can create other problems, however, including the increased risk of bacterial infections which could make the drink go stale.
Each newly-produced batch has to be held in quarantine for four weeks while samples are tested at a laboratory for possible bacteria - with 5million pints kept in warehouses at any one time, whereas alcoholic Guinness needs no such delay.
Some 400 quality checks are carried out on Guinness 0.0 - compared to 300 for the standard version produced by the 256-year-old firm.
Mr Gilsenan said: If you ask brewers what would keep them awake at night it would be bacteria in the beer.
A pint of Guinness 0.0 at The Devonshire (pictured) will set you whopping £6.35
Non-alcoholic Guinness in cans is already the best-selling non-alcoholic beer in shops in the UK (stock photo)
Kegs of Guinness are seen being filled up at the St Jamess Gate brewery in Dublin
The cold filtration process for Guinness 0.0 is a more lengthy experience for staff
Taking out the alcohol also removes some of the protection from yeast clogging the pipes in pubs, which explains why the booze-free option is more often served in cans rather than kept in kegs, he said.
And that pushes up the costs, since Diageo staff must visit pubs once a week to clean the production lines for non-alcoholic Guinness rather than the usual fortnightly routine for other beers.
Oisin Rogers, co-owner of the Devonshire in central London, said: I think £6.35 is a very good price for the bloody thing.
It’s not unusual to pay £3.50 for a Coca-Cola, which is half the size. People are going to gripe about it but we make exactly the same percentage margin on both drinks.
Mr Gilsenan told the Sunday Times that the alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions of Guinness taste generally the same.
One punter at St James’s Gate’s rooftop Gravity Bar in Dublin, 49-year-old Jim Reeve said of his Guinness 0.0, It’s less hoppy, it’s sweeter, it has less flavour to it - before adding: It’s better than most.
Non-alcoholic Guinness in cans is already the best-selling non-alcoholic beer in shops in the UK.
Sales of the product doubled in the year up until June, fuelled by an increase in sobriety levels, particularly among young people, The Telegraph has reported.
And the Devonshire reportedly pours more than 15,000 pints of the beverage a week, making it one of the biggest sellers of Guinness in the world.
Alcohol-free drinks in England are currently defined as not exceeding 0.5 per cent alcohol, whereas in countries such as the US, Denmark, Germany, Australia, Sweden, Portugal, and Belgium the limit is just 0.05 per cent.
Beer taster Stephen Mulligan is seen sampling batches for quality at the Dublin base
Diageo has previously said that they are working to shake off its reputation as a drink for older, male customers (stock photo)
Kim Kardashian made headlines after enjoying a pint of Guinness and a shot of baby Guinness in a pub in London in March 2023
Singer Olivia Rodrigo was seen wearing a shirt that said Guinness is good 4 u during her recent concert in Dublin
The star was later seen sipping on a pint of Guinness in a British pub as the drinks popularity continues to grow
The drinks have become increasingly popular among Gen Z who are increasingly swapping their usual pints for an alcohol-free alternative.
And Sir Tim Martin, founder of pub chain JD Wetherspoon which runs more than 800 venues across the UK, earlier this year credited the new-found popularity of Guinness with younger drinkers for a surge in sales.
He said in May: The gods of fashion have smiled upon Guinness, previously consumed by blokes my age, but now widely adopted by younger generations.
Celebrity fans spotted enjoying Guinness recently include reality TV star Kim Kardashian and pop singer Olivia Rodrigo who performed in Dublin this year wearing a shirt bearing the words Guinness is good 4 u.
