AB InBev‘s UK brewing subsidiary has launched two flavoured lagers ahead of the British summer, adding Stella Artois Strawberries & Cream and Bud Light Lemon Squeeze to its portfolio as fruit beer becomes one of the fastest-growing segments in the UK on-trade.
Stella Artois Strawberries & Cream is a 3.4% ABV nitro lager timed around the 2026 Wimbledon Championships, where the brand holds official beer sponsorship. The blush-pink beer goes on draught at all Wimbledon bars from June 29 and will reach Sainsbury’s, Co-op, and select SW19 pubs during the tournament’s run. Bud Light Lemon Squeeze, a lager with lemon, is headed for Morrisons stores, with retail pricing not yet confirmed.
The timing is deliberate. According to Heineken UK’s 2026 Beer Report, fruit beer now accounts for £168 million in on-trade value and is growing 34% year on year, even as it represents only 1% of total beer value. Millennial drinkers account for 43% of flavoured beer consumption, 12 percentage points above the beer category average.
For AB InBev’s UK operation, that data points in one direction. Stella Artois is the UK retail lager leader by value but lost sales volume in 2025, per Mintel, even as lager held roughly 65% market share overall. A Wimbledon-anchored limited edition at below-standard ABV gives the brand a summer occasion without competing against its core format on price or alcohol positioning.
Bud Light’s situation is more structurally interesting. The brand has been rebuilding its UK relevance after years of pressure in a market where light lager lacks the cultural foothold it holds in North America. A lemon variant placed in Morrisons is a volume play on a mainstream grocery channel that punishes weak consideration scores quickly. Off-trade sales are growing at 6 to 8% annually, while the on-trade has stabilised post-2023 at roughly 40 to 45% of value, according to IndexBox market data.
Drinkabl.media’s coverage of Sazerac’s RTD pivot noted that spirits majors are targeting the same lighter-format occasion these two AB InBev launches are chasing. The competitive set for Strawberries & Cream is not just other lagers. Hard seltzers, fruit ciders, and wine-based RTDs are all fighting for the same summer serve moment.
Whether either product earns permanent range placement will come down to velocity in the opening weeks. Wimbledon ends July 13. Lemon Squeeze’s Morrisons rollout gives it a longer retail window but no event to anchor trial. AB InBev’s summer bet is clearer on Stella. The Bud Light question is whether a single channel launch converts to a broader listing before the season closes.
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