Asian Pacific Breweries (APB), Heineken's Asian based partner company, is set to launch a new beverage, which combines the qualities of beer and champagne. Touch� is brewed with champagne yeast, which gives it an enhanced flavour, the company claims. The drink is predicted to do well in the UK market � and is another indication of the growth of the Asian beer sector, writes Danny Vincent, according to Beverage Daly report from March 23.

Alcopops sales have decreased in the UK and this new hybrid could bridge the gap between the two stable markets of beer and champagne. The drink is set for UK launch and APB believes that it will perform well in this particular market. Executives at APB say that the drink has received a lot of interest from companies across Europe and in the US.

Touche has a 5.5 per cent alcohol content and the company claims that it has a sweet taste that carries a whiff of Chardonnay grapes.

In Singapore the drink is already popular among celebs, the company claims.

The concept of brewing with champagne yeast was developed in Heineken laboratories, but APV is the first company to implement the technique and market such a product.

APB is a unit of Asian Beverage group Fraser and Neave, it is 42.5 per cent owned by Heineken. The Asian beer market is growing 5 per cent annually, which is 3 times faster than the global market. Heineken invested Bt2. 9 billion in Asia last year. Observers claim that it is this sector, which Heineken need to exploit for future growth.