Cotswold Brewing Co is launching 22 Lager which, at 2.2% ABV, it is marketing as a reduced-ABV lager rather than a low-ABV brew.
Reduced-ABV beer is becoming increasing more popular, most noticeably around the 0.5% mark, but some would say with questionable results, the finished product often being inferior in flavour and aroma to the original higher-strength brews.
Cotswold Brewing Co says it has taken note and flipped the idea of the reduced-ABV lager on its head
with its new launch.
The vegan, reduced-ABV 22 Lager is brewed only with yeast, water, barley and a mix of German, Czech and American hops, in-keeping with its affinity for traditional Bavarian style lager. It is still fermented and matured over a six-week period.
Market innovation
Lee Calnan, sales director at Cotswold Brewing Co, added: “The market is constantly calling for innovation in all drinks categories. This is real innovation, not another fruit addition flavouring or yet another reincarnation of an IPA.
“22 Lager is a lager that will challenge very ingrained perceptions within the beer industry, and it represents a starting point for more innovation to come from us later this year.”
It’s been noted that the younger generation drink less than their parents did as part of an almost counter-trend to booze culture. Sometimes dubbed ‘sober socialites’, The Independent joked that millennials are “more likely to be doing wheatgrass shots than tequila”.
An Eventbrite report that surveyed 1,023 men and women aged between 21 and 37 found that the average millennial consumes no more than five units of alcohol a week and values activities that benefit their fitness and health over social activities built around drinking.
With a respect for much of the UK’s move towards healthier, more informed lifestyles with a focus on nutrition and fitness, the Cotswold Brewing Co wants to welcome and cater to this portion of the market, too, rather than cutting them out completely by only producing higher-ABV beers that don’t align with this marked shift towards
wellness-focused living.
