Guinness has announced a “precautionary” recall of its recently launched non-alcoholic stout in Great Britain amid concerns of microbiological contamination in some cans.
Guinness 0.0 was initially set to be rolled out in off-sales in Ireland and the UK, with a draught version due to be available in pubs from the new year.
However, the brand is now recalling its cans after warning that some may be unsafe to drink.
Guinness said in a statement: “As a precautionary measure we are recalling Guinness 0.0 in Great Britain because of a microbiological contamination which may make some cans of Guinness 0.0 unsafe to consume.
“Guinness 0.0 currently is not on sale to the general public in Ireland. The issue is isolated to Guinness 0.0 and does not impact any other Guinness variants or brands.”
The company urged anyone with cans of Guinness 0.0 not to drink it.
The early stages of the brewing process mirror those of standard Guinness, with the same main ingredients used – water, barley, hops and yeast.
The key difference is the addition of a cold filtration stage at the end to remove the alcohol from the brew.
Five years ago, Guinness trialled an alcohol-free malt-based drink in Indonesia in response to the introduction of stricter drink laws in the south east Asian country.
Guinness 0.0, which was destined for a worldwide market, is a different product created with a different recipe and process.
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