«Cardinal 2.4» - 100% taste, 50% alcohol 

Cardinal, Switzerland's number two beer brand, is launching a beer which contains only 2.4% alcohol by volume. The new beer is produced using a unique brewing process. The very name «Cardinal 2.4» is a direct reference to the alcohol content, which is just half that of a classic lager beer, which contains 4.8% alcohol by volume. «Thanks to state-of-the-art brewing techniques, there is hardly any difference between the new ‹2.4› and our ‹Cardinal Lager Classique›», says Gabriel Bodmer, Brand Manager Cardinal. «Cardinal 2.4» is offered at the same price as «Cardinal Lager Classique» and is only available in restaurants and bars in the western (French-speaking) part of Switzerland. In the restaurant and bar market segment, the new product meets a clear need in light of the newly revised blood alcohol levels allowed while driving. Gabriel Bodmer is forecasting that in the medium term, sales of «2.4» will overtake about 5% of Cardinal’s total volume. In the Swiss beer market, per capita consumption has already declined by 20% in the past 13 years. The new product should help stop a further decline after the introduction of the new blood alcohol level regulations. «Restaurants and bars, which continue to suffer from the economic downturn, are very happy about our new beer», assures Gérard Schaller, Head of Sales in Western Switzerland. This is even truer in rural areas than urban zones with their well-developed public transportation network.