Menabrea is bringing this drink, typically found in supermarkets, to bars and pubs. We're talking about Panaché, a drink made from beer and lemonade, which the Biella brewery enhances with gentian to offer a refreshing beverage with low alcohol content, Beer & Gazeuse. With its 2.5% alcohol, this drink meets the needs of low alcohol lovers, who are becoming increasingly common. Generation Z, in particular, is growing up with the idea that no alcohol or less alcohol is better.
Panaché vs. Radler
There is often talk of Radler, but although they may seem like the same drink, Panaché and Radler are not the same. Panaché is "beer mixed with lemonade in an equal proportion," explains Francesco Selicato, a beer blogger. In contrast, Radler is "about 60% beer and 40% lemonade," so the sparkling aspect is replaced by a citrusy, equally refreshing taste.
Selicato explains that Panaché was created to "quench thirst in summer and is mainly consumed during the hottest hours of the day, from around 11 am to 4 pm." Its origin is German, dating back to the 1920s, when a tavern owner, unsure how to quench the thirst of a group of cyclists, decided to mix beer with lemonade. The combination of beer and lemonade is perfect because the drink combines "the aromaticity of malts and hops with the sparkle of lemonade, both refreshing elements," says Selicato, who suggests a "Session IPA, which is already brisk, refreshing, slightly bitter, and low in alcohol, perfect with lemonade" as the ideal type of beer for Panaché.
The no/low alcohol trend
The real innovation with the introduction of Menabrea's Beer & Gazeuse is that it addresses the need for low-alcohol beverages, even among young people, to enjoy with friends in bars and pubs. Panaché has been available in supermarkets for years: brands like Carrefour, Meteor, Schützengarten, and Saint Omer have been producing the drink, often bought for home consumption.
As we've reported before, the trend is moving towards No/Lo beverages, which are expected to grow by 6% between 2023 and 2027. Fermented drinks like kombucha and beverages like Prixies and water kefir are gaining more interest in the market. Not to mention de-alcoholized wines, which recently received approval from MinisterFrancescoLollobrigida, allowing production in Italy and avoiding unnecessary de-alcoholization procedures abroad. However, not everyone agrees, as Josko Gravner, who we interviewed, pointed out. The debate is open, and perhaps it can be discussed over a Panaché!
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