Diageo’s Guinness recalls non-alcoholic stout amid contamination fears

Diageo-owned Guinness is recalling cans of its alcohol-free stout over contamination concerns, two weeks after the drink was first launched.

In a statement released on its website, Guinness described the recall as a “precautionary measure” related to a “microbiological contamination”, which may make some cans of the drink unsafe to consume.

The brewer is urging customers in Great Britain with cans of Guinness 0.0 not to drink them, but to return them to their point of purchase for a full refund. It is also working with supermarkets and other shops to remove all stock from the shelves.

Guinness 0.0 was launched at the end of last month following a four-year development process. The drink is made using the same natural ingredients (water, barley, hops and yeast) before removing the alcohol through a cold filtration method. 

In its recall notice, Guinness apologised to its customers and said that no other Guinness variants or brands had been affected. The recall only impacts Great Britain as the drink wasn’t scheduled to go on sale in Ireland or Northern Ireland until spring 2021.

Guinness has said that a microbiological contamination had occurred during the production process and its team is working hard to determine and eliminate the root cause before recommencing production.