The growth of the zero alcohol category is reflected in the introduction of Steinlager 0.0 by Lion. Trialled on-premise over summer, it went well enough for Lion to go in boots-and-all to find a rival to Heineken 0.0, which has dominated the zero category for the best part of two years. It’ll probably come down to whether your a Steinie or a Heinie fan as to which one you might prefer. Personally, I think the Steinlager 0.0 is ahead by virtue of having a bit more hop character than its Dutch rival. It does have that slight unfermented malt character typical of so many these zero ABV beers but it doesn’t interfere with the overall refreshing quality. It goes down swiftly. I was perplexed to see on the back of the label that the beer was brewed and bottled in Australia.
Lion say that “at this stage it made sense to share resources with Australia because of the significant cost and complexity of the equipment required to create 0% and the small (though growing) number of 0% beers”. The fact they’ve made such a large investment shows you where this market is headed and this option is a serious player against the other international lagers.