CARLSBERG boosted its premium beer portfolio earlier this month with gluten-free Czech lager Celia, signalling a new working relationship with Ẑatecky Pivovar (brewery).
Under the deal, Carlsberg will exclusively offer two imported beers: Celia Organic – a 4.5% ABV organic Czech lager containing 100% Saaz hops and Moravian malt; and Celia Dark – a 5.7% ABV dark lager, which also uses 100% Saaz hops, toffee Bavarian malt and sand-filtered water from the Zatec foothills.
Both beers are traditionally batch-brewed for over two months by Ẑatecky Pivovar, using a patented de-glutenisation process and a silicon filtration technique, making the resulting beers gluten-free and suitable for vegans.
Liam Newton of Carlsberg UK said both Celia variants are “quality Czech beers”.
“The fact that they are brewed to be gluten-free gives the brand an added point of difference – particularly relevant given current consumer trends,” said Newton.
The Celia beers join Carlsberg’s existing portfolio, which includes the Backyard Brewery beers imported from Sweden, Carlsberg’s Herefordshire craft cider Bad Apple, Belgian Abbey beer Grimbergen and Spanish beer Mahou. On January 1, 2017 the Brooklyn Brewery range will join the portfolio.
