[imagesource: Guinness]

With 261 years of experience under their belt, Guinness is practically synonymous with Irish beer.

More recently, in a move that would make many patriotic Irishmen seethe, they decided to try their hand at an alcohol-free variant.

Not my idea of fun, but I guess it’s useful if you’re pregnant or have decided to give up the tipple.

More than a few folks welcomed the new beer, called 0.0, which was launched at the end of October to much fanfare in the UK, where more and more people are allegedly becoming “sober-curious”.

The brand also said that they created the brew in response to a “growing consumer demand for lower-calorie and non-alcoholic drinks”.

According to the BBC, it took four years to perfect.

That might sound like a long time, but if you take into account that one of the tastiest beers on the market, Sol, has been perfected and refined over 121 years, it isn’t that impressive.

Indeed, for Guinness, taking a few more years might have been a good idea, because shortly after its release, 0.0 was recalled, with the company urging anyone who had purchased it, not to drink it.

“We wanted to let you know that 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.”

“If you have bought Guinness 0.0 do not consume it. Instead, please return the product to your point of purchase for a full refund.”

“Alternatively, contact the Diageo Consumer Careline… with details of your purchase to receive a refund voucher before disposing of the product.”

It’s 2020, so microbiological contamination feels in keeping with the times.

Guinness says that their team is working around the clock to “investigate and determine the root cause” of the contamination.

Per The Guardian, the contamination is understood to have occurred during the production process at its St James’s Gate brewery in Dublin where tests are being conducted.

Guinness 0.0 went on sale at the end of October in 4x440ml can packs in off-licences and in Waitrose and Morrisons supermarkets, with plans for it to be rolled out to other retailers. It was due to become available on draught in pubs next spring and to be launched in other parts of the world later in 2021.

Tough going for the company.

When it comes to beer, we prefer ours brewed in the traditional way, with the alcohol intact, and a crisp light taste, especially over the summer months.

While we’re at it, let’s make it a traditional Mexican beer.

Sol covers all of those bases and takes it a step further. The only thing you’ll find in it, other than the finest beer brewing ingredients, is a hint of sunshine.

[sources:bbc&guardian]