Heineken East Africa on Wednesday introduced Amstel beer into the Kenyan market.

Speaking at the event to unveil the brand in Nairobi, Heineken East Africa General Manager, Uche Unigwe said, “The introduction of Amstel was informed by the growing demand by Kenyans for a different brand of quality beer in the market.

“This provided a great opportunity for us to expand our portfolio of products thus we brought in Amstel to meet this demand”, he said.

The GM noted that Kenyan drinkers now have the option of socializing without sacrifice with a beer that instills the confidence of a premium brand choice without losing taste or image.

“We want consumers to question their relationship with their current domestic beer and we are confident they will ‘succumb to the aaah taste’ once they’ve experienced Amstel,” said Uche.

He further noted taste tests show that Amstel generates a positive response among consumers.

“Consumers prefer Amstel beer for its refreshing taste and many will consider Amstel as their beer of choice for a wide variety of occasions, including after sports, brunch, corporate events and social gatherings,” said Uche.

The launch of Amstel beer would make it the third premium alcoholic brand from Heineken East Africa since it made its foray into the Kenyan market. The others are “Heineken brand” and Desperados, a tequila flavoured beer. All of Heineken’s brands are imported into the country.

According to the firm, Amstel beer has an alcoholic strength of 5% and will be sold in 330ml bottles and 500ml cans.

The Kenyan beer market is highly competitive with entrenched players like Diageo controlled East African Breweries Limited (EABL) dominating the market. Others are Keroche Breweries, AB InBev owned Crown Beverages, Sierra Beers, among other craft brewers.

Commenting on the launch, Njeri Mburu, Marketing Manager, Heineken East Africa said, “This entry by Amstel will add momentum in transforming Heineken East Africa’s existing business across the country by extending its footprint, increasing scale and further strengthening its brand portfolio.”

She added: “Amstel is a winning proposition for retailers and on-premise operators as it offers an imported alternative to their domestic premium beer selection. We are the official sponsors of the Europa League and we plan on bringing the momentum of the beautiful game to the region, as you are aware the Europa League is growing.”