UK: Molson Coors launches new 0% ABV version of its Yorkshire-brewed Madrí lager

Molson Coors is tapping into the growing alcohol-free beer market with the launch of a new 0% ABV version of its Yorkshire-brewed Madrí lager, The Drinks Business reported on March 4.

First launched in 2020, Madrí has become something of a phenomenon in the UK, especially from 2022 onwards when its social media presence suddenly began to snowball.

Marketed as ‘El Alma de Madrid’, or ‘The Soul of Madrid’, Madrí is not brewed in the Spanish capital, or in Spain at all, but rather at Molson Coors’ Tower Brewery in Tadcaster, Yorkshire – other brands brewed there include Carling, Coors, Pravha and Staropramen. However, the Madrí recipe was created in collaboration with La Sagra Brewery, which is based near Madrid.

Now the Madrí brand has extended to an alcohol-free expression to complement the regular 4.6% ABV version.

“Consumers increasingly expect to see a no- and low-alcohol version of their favourite beers,” commented Sophie Mitchell, marketing controller at Madrí. “With Madrí Excepcional fast becoming the flagship brand of the world beer category, launching 0.0% is a natural evolution for us.”

According to Molson Coors’ head of R&D and innovation Simon Smith, Madrí Excepcional 0.0% is “crisp, clean and refreshing” and “full of flavour and aroma” thanks to the use of “cutting edge technology” in its production.

A new marketing campaign and television advert centred around the new beer are expected to be revealed later this year.

According to IWSR data published in January of this year, non-alcoholic beer accounts for more than 2% of the UK’s total drinks sales, and, according to preliminary data, sales of non-alcoholic beer grew by 20% year-on-year between 2023 and 2024.

Molson Coors has already capitalised on this trend and invested in non-alcoholic versions of some of its other brands, including Blue Moon Belgian White and Peroni Nastro Azzurro.