Food & Drink Awards 2019
Page 76 www.lux-review.com LUXlife 2019 Food & Drink Awards This year’s LUX Life Food & Drink Awards saw Gen!us win Best UK Craft Lager. Launched in 2018 by Genius Brewing, the UK’s first light craft lager is 3% ABV and only 79 calories per can - less than an apple! Its mission is simple: to make responsible drinking a pleasure, not a compromise. #smartdrinking This year’s LUX Life Food & Drink Awards saw Gen!us win Best UK Craft Lager. Launched in 2018 by Genius Brewing, the UK’s first light craft lager is 3% ABV and only 79 calories per can - less than an apple! Its mission is simple: to make responsible drink- ing a pleasure, not a compromise. Less than two years on, Gen!us is available in the on and off-trades: in smart wine shops; gastropubs; restaurants; and hotels; as well as online via flavourly.com . Its combination of craft quality with less alcohol and low calories is proving popular with discerning, health-conscious drinkers, professional athletes, and Special Forces soldiers. The craft beer revolution has re-calibrated drinkers’ expectations of flavour. But while craft beers taste great, they’re not great for us, often packing high ABV and a stack of calories. The recent growth in Low & No al- cohol beers with sales up 50% to July 2019*, demonstrates consumers’ increasing desire for healthier options. *(Kantar, Sept 2019). “Historically, ‘light’ or lower-alcohol beers have been associated with low quality, poor-tasting products,” notes co-founder Charlie Craig, “We believe that healthier drinking can truly be a pleasure as long as there’s no compromise on quality.” Crafted from the finest pilsner malts and Styrian Golding hops, Gen!us is matured with Australian Galaxy and Ella hops for a zesty, citrus aroma and smoother finish. There’s no rice, maize or corn syrup, common to ‘old school’ light beers. World Beer Awards Judge Anthony Gladman thought Gen!us tasted, “Clean, crisp, lightly citrus, nice and refreshing.” ‘Zero alcohol’ beers have grown strongly but for many drinkers, they’re still a com- promise and rarely a pleasure. The longer- term, more exciting growth space is in ‘lower’ alcohol: beers from 2.5-3.5% which industry giant AB Inbev sees representing 20% of its sales by 2025.* Currently, this segment is dominated by the established US light beer brands but for quality-focused drinkers of premium or craft lagers, these products just don’t meet their flavour expectations. This is where Gen!us comes in; offering genuine craft quality but with less alcohol than even Bud Light. *(The Economist, Feb 2018). Healthier drinking is not just about alcohol. Today, calories count too with both male and female consumers keeping an eye on their waistlines. With only 79kcal per can, Gen!us has 23% less calories than Coors Light. The ethical consumer is also impor- tant. Unlike many UK beers, Gen!us does not use isinglass (from fish swim bladders) during filtration and proudly bears its accred- itation from the Vegan Society. Together with winning Best UK Craft Lager at the LUX Life Food & Drink Awards, Gen!us was a finalist in ‘Best Low & No Alcohol’ at the World Beverage Innovation Awards, the only beer selected. “We’re so proud to win the LUX Life Award,” says Charlie, “As the UK’s first lightcraft lager, it helps Gen!us to serve the fast-growing market for healthier drinking.” Best UK Craft Lager 2019 2 0 1 9 &Drink Food awards
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