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16 March 2026

Daily Newsletter

16 March 2026

Heineken launches zero-calorie non-alc beer

In 2025, Heineken grew the sales volumes from its low and no-alcohol portfolio at a "low-single-digit" rate.

Fiona Holland March 16 2026

Heineken has launched a sugar- and calorie-free non-alcoholic beer in North America and Europe.

The brewer is launching Heineken 0.0 Ultimate in the US and Poland.

The launch follows a pilot of the product in Massachusetts and New Jersey in the US last year.

Heineken is planning to trial the beer in other markets including the Netherlands.

"We pioneered the US non-alcoholic beer category with the launch of Heineken 0.0 in 2019 and are continuing to grow and invest with our newest innovations," Maggie Timoney, the CEO of Heineken USA, said in a statement.

“Now, we’re raising the bar again. Heineken 0.0 Ultimate is our answer for the consumer who wants even more choice: world-class taste, zero alcohol, zero sugar, and zero calories, so you never have to compromise."

When asked to what extent Heineken had the rising use of GLP-1 medication in mind when it developed the Ultimate product, the group said: "Heineken 0.0 Ultimate represents our latest step in expanding the alcohol‑free category with great‑tasting options that meet evolving consumer preferences".

It added: "We continue to see strong global momentum behind alcohol‑free beer and remain committed to providing variety, taste, and quality across our portfolio."

The drink will be "line-priced with Heineken in the US" and is already sold in off-premise locations in "select cities". The drink has also secured listings with national retailers including Walmart and Publix, which will start selling the drink as of next month.

Heineken said that there were "broader roll-out plans to follow".

It added: "As with all our innovations, our ambition is to make Heineken 0.0 Ultimate widely available over time, guided by consumer demand and market readiness."

In 2025, Heineken grew the sales volumes from its low and no-alcohol portfolio at a "low-single-digit" rate. It reported "double-digit" growth in 18 undisclosed markets.

Sales volumes of Heineken 0.0 also rose at a low-single-digit rate last year. The brand saw double-digit growth in 20 markets. When Heineken reported its 2025 financial results last month, it said the brand had "notable strong performances" in the US, Spain and Canada.

Speaking to analysts after the results were released, Heineken's management was asked if the Ultimate line could affect the sales of the company's current zero-alcohol products or attract new consumers.

"We do believe that that’s a new market," Heineken CEO Dolf van den Brink said. "The Ultimate plays into completely new occasions around sports moments, after sports occasions. At the end of the day, marketing is about growing consumer penetration and that’s what we’re trying to do very intentionally with these line extensions."

Last month, the brewer also launched two flavoured Heineken 0.0s in the US – Cold Pressed Lime and Nectarine Juniper. Timoney said flavoured options were “the next chapter of growth”.

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