OB Beer to provide non-alcoholic ‘Cass 0.0’ to restaurants

[Graphics by Song Ji-yoon]

South Korean beer producer OB Beer announced on Tuesday that it will launch its non-alcoholic beer, ‘Cass 0.0,’ in general restaurants starting in June 2024. The move, an industry first, follows a legislative change allowing liquor wholesalers to supply both non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages to restaurants. The change is expected to intensify competition in the previously home-centric non-alcoholic beer market.

According to the Ministry of Economy and Finance on Tuesday, a revised enforcement decree of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act will allow liquor wholesalers to distribute non-alcoholic beverages to restaurants after it was approved at a Cabinet meeting. These wholesalers were previously restricted to distributing beverages with an alcohol content of 1 percent or more to dining establishments only, which limited non-alcoholic beer to home consumption.

The amendment is set to capitalize on the growing ‘healthy pleasure’ trend and the ‘zero’ craze in the beverage and liquor markets, which emphasize health and enjoyment. As consumer demand for non-alcoholic products increases, OB Beer is poised to meet this trend by introducing the 330ml bottle of Cass 0.0 to general restaurants. The non-alcoholic beverage has an alcohol content of less than 0.05 percent.

“In addition to canned products, we are launching Cass 0.0, a new bottle product for the restaurant and entertainment market, so that consumers can enjoy non-alcoholic beverages in various situations, including at Korean restaurants and barbecue joints,” an OB Beer spokesperson said.