We have seen a great many launches in alcohol-free beer over the past year and we are now witnessing a resurgence in Fassbrause – fermented malt beverages in Germany – as well as the new soft brew sector in the UK.
Customers are looking for a refreshing drink with hoppy overtones, and if possible a foaming head, as a serious alternative to alcoholic drinks.
In 1908, Berlin chemist Ludwig Scholvien created a soft drink with a fresh, tangy taste and a frothy head similar to that of beer. The emphasis was on creating a drink with natural ingredients, and apples and liquorice were among those used. And so Fassbrause was born.
Today, Fassbrause or ‘Sports Molle’ is best known as a bottled malt beverage and is undergoing a revival with the growth of a new alcohol-free adult beverage sector.
In Salt Lake City in the US, it goes by the unceremonious name of ‘Apple Beer’, and in Germany this year, more than six breweries have introduced their version of this fermented non-alcoholic drink.
“It meets consumer desire for a healthy and refreshing beverage as we all become more aware of nutrition,” says Veltins managing director, Dr Volker Kuhl. “Fassbrause means ‘keg brew’, with brewery origins, but its refreshing character means that its name is not self-explanatory. It has always had a market presence in Berlin and Brandburg, but brewers today are focusing on a fruity soft drink with a refreshing note of hops.”
There are some variants, such as Gaffels, that have a 100-year history. After three years on the market, Gaffels Fassbrause reported strong sales, particularly in the Horeca sector, using the slogan ‘Pure refreshment’.
In calorie terms, Fassbrausse products feature about 22kcal per 100ml and are similar to Biolimonadan, while apple juice and cola contain almost twice as many calories. Even iced tea has a 30% higher juice content.
Because all vendors promote their products regionally, the new beverage is not without market incentives. Veltins, for instance, sends promotional teams out weekly to explain the new lemonade variety to consumers.
The German beer market is characterised by falling prices, and to counter this, Veltins launched alcohol-free Frassbrause with elderberry flavouring in Spring 2012.
”With Fassbrause, everyone can refresh without remorse; it’s a real multi-generational drink,“ says Dr Kuhl. “Originally dominated by lemon flavour, elderberry is gaining ground.”
Independent brewery Joseph Stauder has extended its Fassbrause line with an apple and rhubarb variant.
“The lemon drink has been a complete success,” says brewery chief Dr Thomas Stauder. “We reached our target by September. We wanted to develop a new audience and this is a novelty in the market.”
Stauder Fassbrause comprises about one third alcohol-free beer and two thirds apple and rhubarb lemonade, so this drink is alcohol-free and yet contains vitamins and minerals while remaining low in calories.
Launched in April 2012, Coca-Cola’s new non-alcoholic drink Tumult is on sale in France and the UK.
A sophisticated, fermented soda beverage, it targets urban trendies in their 30s. The drink looks and tastes similar to beer, but is non-alcoholic and low in calories. After creating the pack designs, Taxi Studio developed promotional and point of sale materials for the Tumult launch in Paris.
Key brand benefits for promotion include:
… and it’s in the two flavours:
Coca-Cola tested a niche market in France in 2011, including 44 Monop’ stores and Parisian nightspots such as the Hotel Lutetia bar, and then positioned Tumult on the shelf by Schweppes Tonic.
With the slogan ‘no compromise’, and claiming a first in the UK, SHS Group launched Equator, a zero-alcohol, zero-calorie and zero-sugar, beer-style drink.
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