Guinness 0.0 — the hard-to-get non-alcoholic version of Guinness — will become more widely available in New Zealand from later this year.
Lion is the official brewing and distribution partner of Guinness in New Zealand but has not been able to get its hands on a reliably consistent amount of the popular beer, leaving it to the likes of smaller importers such as the non-alc specialist, The Chiller, to bring it in.
But that’s about to change says Padraig Fox, the official Guinness Global Ambassador who was in New Zealand this week.
“Since it launched four years ago demand from every corner of globe has been incredible,” Fox told Pursuit of Hoppiness. “it’s been so popular that we’ve struggled to keep up with demand. We’re almost back to capacity and you’ll be seeing more in New Zealand shortly.”
While regular Guinness is brewed under licence in New Zealand, the non-alcoholic version is brewed only in Dublin where it’s under a strict quality regime.
The brewery has its own proprietary process for removing the alcohol from full-strength Guinness and want to main quality control, especially as an early batch was recalled because of “microbiological contamination” just two weeks after it was launched. They’ve proceeded carefully since then.
“We’re quite cautious about managing quality and making sure it’s the best,” Fox said.
A spokesperson for Lion confirmed a regular supply will be available before the end of the year. That will mean wider distribution in supermarkets and bottle stores.
In terms of full-strength Guinness, Fox says the pints he’s had in New Zealand match the quality he gets in Dublin.
“The pints I’ve had in New Zealand, I would put on a par with those I’ve had back in Dublin. They’ve absolutely stood up.”
One of the reasons for that is the incredible quality control with every batch brewed going through 284 quality checks. And from each batch brewed in New Zealand, a keg is sent back to Ireland for analysis.
But the second part of the quality equation is the care and attention of bar staff.
“The New Zealand bars, not just with Guinness, really take care of their products. The level of cleanliness and hygiene in every bar I’ve been to has been impressive.”
With a well-brewed beer, clean taplines and glasses, the final factor in the Guinness quality process comes with the pour, with staff trained in the two minute, two-part pour.
That ceremony around Guinness is one of the reasons the brand has not only defied a global downturn in beer over the past four years, but grown ridiculously.
Last year, sales of Guinness were up 21% in New Zealand and that was coming off the back of huge growth in preceding years.
While it’s a beer that’s been around for more than 250 years, Fox says many people are only now trying Guinness for the first time as the world in general becomes “more adventurous with flavours”.
And once people take the plunge to try Guinness, they find it “more refreshing than they think it’s going to be” and are surprised by the creamy, sweet chocolate and coffee flavours.
There’s also Instagram-able nature of a photogenic pint of Guinness which ensures it gets plenty of social media sharing, especially when it comes to splitting the G.
But Fox also says the relatively long wait for a pint is part of the desirability.
“It is an experience,” he says. “With the two-part pour there’s a full sensory experience. When bartender pulls the tap you hear the hiss and it sets off triggers. And then it’s sitting and settling in front of you for 60 to 70 seconds. It’s like when you’re really hungry … you have this sense of anticipation about the food. With the beer, you know it’s yours, but you can’t touch it yet.
“That two minutes creates sense of anticipation.”
And as for the age-old question of whether Guinness tastes better in Ireland than anywhere else, Fox — having tasted it around the world — says it all comes down to the setting.
“It’s all psychological. You’re in Dublin, you’re on holidays, the fire is blazing in the corner, there’s live music … that’s a nice place to enjoy Guinness.”