Hoegaarden 0.0 or Europe Needs American Beer Intervention
April 27, 2011
We’re not big on beer commentary here at The Brew Club, but I happened upon a piece at The Wall Street Journal about InBev’s New 0%-Alcohol Beer, and just had to write something.
Now, Hoegaarden is one of the more popular Belgian Witbiers and we even gave it a very respectable review way back in August 2008.
Things being as they are, I’ve come to find other Witbiers that I prefer more, but in my mind, Hoegaarden is a classic brand with a classic product with a very interesting history that has withstood the test of time.
So it seems their parent company, In-Bev, wants to expand the Hoegaarden beer portfolio. Great! Maybe a Saison? How about something crazy like a Lambic? (I’m thinking Belgian here.)
Nope. They announced in their 2011 shareholder meeting an alcohol-free beer. With a cool name like H0 (H-Zero), it seems to be that any kind of european beer tradition or class that was once associated with this brand has been erased.
H-Zero? You’ve got to be kidding.
Here’s what some people who have tried this new classic think.
…akin to a watered-down lemon Fanta. OK — refreshing even — if you know what you’re getting.
“It’s lovely, like a Hoegaarden shandy,” said a female colleague, referring to a beer and soft drink cocktail.
Male colleagues’s reviews were more bitter. “Like sweet dish soap,” said one.
The reason to create this beer is confirmed as a calculated business move on the part of In Bev. …“you want a portfolio [of drinks] that allows consumers to stay within your franchise.” So are they after the elusive European female shandy market? To me, it sounds like rubbish.
I guess it makes sense though. It seems that in Europe, where good beer originated, sales of beer have (pun intended) gone flat. Being outsold by awesome beverages like water and soda, it seems the In-Bev marketing folks wanted to try capturing the non-alcoholic beverage market.
But it seems to me that the fix for sluggish beer sales would not be a pseudo-beer that tastes like water, or better still, ‘sweet dish soap’. If you make beer, why not make a better beer?
Perhaps what Europe needs now (again?) is American intervention. 
American beer intervention. Perhaps brewing interesting and original beers is what will jump start beer sales, and not stuff like H-Zero.
I think that this is why Stone Brewing will be a huge success in Europe when they finally set up shop. A vast untapped (another pun!) market for American craft brewers! Will there be more to follow?
What do you think?
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April 27th, 2011 at 9:23 am
I’m a big fan of Hoegaarden, even though it is believed to have been dumbed down from the original recipe, I still like it! This Hoegaarden H0 is really just a shrewd marketing ploy to attach name recognition, especially in Europe, to a new product. Much easier than launching a whole new brand, but I do think it dilutes the brand quite a bit. Maybe a good business move but that’s about it.
April 27th, 2011 at 11:37 am
@meile – Thanks for the comment! Its certainly a business move, just a shame I think, although as you mentioned, the beer has been tweaked a bit from the original formula. Supposedly, the St. Bernardus Witbier is a recreation of the original.
http://thebrewclub.com/2010/07/30/st-bernardus-witbier/
April 27th, 2011 at 1:31 pm
I’m on the fence. Lots of brands have NA-brews. That’s fine and probably a good way to expand or not stick out so much for those who are DD or non-drinkers. I think people who want alcohol content will just keep drinking what they like. Plus, its easier for InBev to pop out a softdrink than it is for Coke to make a Beer.
I think with beer sales generally being down, it might be a risky move for Stone… its not that the old classics themselves have become undrinkable, consumption is down. In the American market, there is a fascination with “craft” food/drink, but I don’t know if that is something Europeans care about. Obviously its easier to sell a better tasting product, but with perceptions of America and entering a difficult and new business climate…. risky.
April 27th, 2011 at 1:40 pm
@Beer Newb – thanks for the comment! You make some great points! Its obviously a business move to counter slumping sales, but I wonder why sales are slumping? Europe is known for great beer! Maybe they got bored with all the beery goodness available? I don’t know the European market or mindset, but I think making better beers would do more to boost sales than stuff like this 0.0.
April 27th, 2011 at 2:07 pm
Thanks for your kind words and confidence in our European brewery project!
Without commenting on any specific brands, my personal view is that great public transit and a culture of connoisseurship are preferable alternatives to “non-alcoholic beer.” If you really want a high-quality non-alcoholic drink, have an artisanal soda or a kombucha or something similar. There’s always a better choice than dumbing down beer.
April 27th, 2011 at 2:13 pm
@Jacob – Thanks for the comment, and here’s to your success in Europe!
In regard to the comment, I completely agree. The world needs LESS dumbed-down beers, not more.
May 4th, 2011 at 12:13 pm
Oh dear lord… if you want a shandy, make your own… they are low cal and delicious. But this… this in an abomination. This is what happens when a perfectly good beer, gets put through the corporate wringer…
May 4th, 2011 at 1:04 pm
+1 Wolfman-K!
May 17th, 2011 at 10:42 am
This is exactly what I was looking for last year! I was pregnant – in my second trimester – last summer and really wanted a beer. I would have bought this in a heartbeat (over the protestations of my husband that NA beers are awful) because I love Hoegaarden.
In the end, we bought artisanal ginger beer, which was great and definitely scratched the beer itch while tasting better than I’ve heard most non-alcoholic beers are.
Still, if I see it I’ll buy a sixer of H-Zero this summer just for the novelty.
May 17th, 2011 at 12:25 pm
@Amy K. thanks for sharing. I guess there IS a market for this sort of thing after all! I hope that if you get a chance to try his H-0 brew, you stop back and let us know how it is!