An innovative light craft lager is to feature full, food standard nutrition facts and Vegan Society accreditation on its new cans in what it says is a first for a UK craft beer.
Genius Craft Lager is a 3% strength lager which contains one unit of alcohol per can and only 79 calories. The new 330ml cans prominently display a full nutrition box detailing calories, saturated fats, carbohydrates, sugars, protein, and salt.
Genius Brewing was launched in 2018 with a mission to make responsible drinking a pleasure after Scottish founders Charlie Craig and Jason Clarke spotted a gap in the market for a craft-quality lager with less alcohol and fewer calories.
Popularity of no and low alcohol beers has been on the rise with sales up by 49.4% to July 2019 according to Kantar, showing an increasing desire from consumers for healthier options.
Clarke, co-fonder and creative director of Genius Brewing said: “The craft beer revolution has raised people’s expectations of quality however they tend to have high ABVs [alcohol by volume] and a heap of calories. Today’s drinkers still want a great beer but without all the booze and the belly.
“It’s shocking that there’s no legal requirement in the UK to put calorie information on alcohol. Genius is all about transparency and ‘smart drinking’ so providing a full nutritional breakdown allows Gen!us drinkers to make an informed, smart choice.”
Together with the trend for healthier drinking, the rise of ethical consumption looks set to continue.
Genius Craft Lager is suitable for vegans and now has the distinct Vegan Society logo on the can.
Brewed with the finest pilsner malts and three hop varieties, Gen!us Craft Lager does not use the rice, maize or corn syrup common to other light beers.
This approach has been rewarded with Best UK Craft Lager at the 2019 LUX Life Food & Drink awards and a place in the final for ‘Best Low & No Alcohol’ at the World Beverage Innovation Awards.
US pro golfer Beth Allen, the 2016 Ladies’ European Tour winner, thinks full nutritional information on beer is long overdue.
She said: “Professional sport is high pressure. A lot of athletes like to unwind with a beer but the lack of nutritional information has been a problem. With Genius, players now know exactly how much alcohol, calories, and carbs their consuming and can make well-informed, smarter choices.”
A final addition to the new 2020 Genius cans is the My Name5 Doddie Foundation logo. As official fundraising partners, Genius Brewing donate 5p from every can to support Doddie Weir’s quest to change the future for motor neurone disease sufferers, a cause which Genius said is close to the founder’s hearts.
