Haacht Brewery, together with the local hospitality industry, is putting its authentic Primus lager brand back on the map with a fresh look and immediately expanding its range with two innovations. In addition to an alcohol-free variant, the brewery is innovating with a Primus 2.6%.

This is a first, as it means the company is creating a brand new category of lager in its home country, Belgium. The brewery is thus broadening its Primus range with a lager for every occasion. With a large-scale campaign entitled “Whatever you go for, it starts with a Primus”, the brewery, together with local hospitality businesses as partners, is fully promoting the authentic lager brand and aims to appeal to more consumers. ‘Primus is back, as if it never left. Our new type of lager, the 2.6% variant, with its full flavour and half the alcohol content, is intended to attract consumers who want to be more conscious about their alcohol consumption, but still enjoy a lager without compromising on taste,’ they say.

The best-known brand of the Haacht Brewery, Primus lager, is being relaunched today with a fresh look: a sleeker design, but retaining its typical characteristics such as the knight icon and the hops. With this, the 127-year-old brewery wants to breathe new life into its classic. After all, lagers remain very popular, accounting for 68 per cent of the beer volume consumed by Belgians.

"Primus is one of the five most important lagers in the country. We are refreshing its visual appearance, but sticking to the traditional, secret recipe of our 50-year-old lager. At the same time, we are expanding the range with two innovations. The subtle Belgian tricolour on the labels highlights the authentic Belgian character of every Primus. The knight remains the icon of Primus, but with a contemporary touch: it is a reference to Jan Primus, Duke of Brabant. A likeable 13th-century knight who was known for celebrating his victories with his subjects. Beer flowed freely as a sign of conviviality and connection. These are precisely the values that Primus wants to be known for today." - Severine Distave | Chief Marketing & Growth Officer, responsible for innovation at Brouwerij Haacht

Primus for every moment with a wider range

Brouwerij Haacht is not only revamping the look of its classic Primus. The brewery is innovating with two new varieties. The lager brewer is launching a completely new category of lager in our country: Primus 2.6%. With this beer, Haacht Brewery is tapping into the segment of consumers who consciously want to drink less alcohol but still prefer the taste of a classic lager. After all, not everyone is open to alcohol-free options, but the demand for variety and moderation is ubiquitous. In addition, the brewery is introducing an alcohol-free Primus, for which it is following the same philosophy.

"The authentic Primus remains our flagship product, but with the 2.6% Primus, we have a full-flavoured lager with almost half the alcohol content. Our alcohol-free Primus broadens our range even further. This gives consumers more choice. Whether you want to drink alcohol-free, consciously reduce your alcohol consumption or simply look for a familiar lager, there is now a Primus for every moment. As with our classic Primus, we make no compromises in terms of taste and quality for our two new varieties. The light hop aroma and beautifully balanced bitterness create a refreshing and light beer that has character without being overpowering. Primus continues to be brewed according to authentic brewing traditions. This allows us to preserve the character and fullness of the original lager." - Paul Bossuyt | Master Brewer and Chief Operational Officer at Brouwerij Haacht

We are writing the Primus success story together with our partners

Brouwerij Haacht is launching the revamped Primus and its brand new variants first in the local hospitality industry. And that is no coincidence. The family-owned brewery, which has strong ties with the hospitality industry, sees this as an additional opportunity to support and strengthen the local hospitality industry.

"We are kicking off our launch campaign together with our hospitality partners: beer retailers and hospitality entrepreneurs. Pilsner and local hospitality establishments are still a strong combination, and we want to continue to support that. This is also in line with the DNA of our brewery. In a next step, we will also look at other channels, such as retail. Together with our various partners, we are writing the success story of our lagers. But we are starting the launch campaign in 2025 in our main Primus establishments, our showpieces, so to speak. Other hospitality establishments will follow from 2026 onwards. The starting point for our Primus campaign is: “It starts with a Primus”. In hospitality establishments, we translate that into “The first one is on us”. The hospitality establishment treats the first round of the evening." - Bart Van Gelder | Chief Commercial Officer at Brouwerij Haacht

More information on Primus? → primus.be primus.be

About Haacht Brewery

Haacht Brewery is an independent Belgian family brewery that employs around 380 people. Its main activity is providing a comprehensive service to more than 6,000 hospitality establishments, both domestically and for export. Haacht Brewery also distributes its beverages through partnerships in the retail market. The best-known beer brands in its range are Primus, SUPER 8, Tongerlo, Ommegang, Charles Quint and Mystic.

Alcohol abuse is harmful to your health.

Contact

Philippe Michiels | Communications Manager, Brouwerij Haacht +32 498 49 51 38 philippe.michiels@haacht.com