South Africa, Cape Town: SABMiller Plc has launched a new brand of clear sorghum beer, Eagle, which is aimed at helping African sorghum beer drinkers move up the beer ladder to clear lager by bridging the gap between the two. The new brand was unveiled at a presentation on February 2 by SABMiller's managing director for the Africa and Asia division, Andre Parker. It has already been launched in Uganda, and is set to be launched in Zambia on April 1, as well as in Zimbabwe.

According to Parker, Eagle is a sorghum-based beer, but instead of the usual cloudy appearance, it is a look-alike to normal lagers, with the same alcohol level as well.

It is positioned to take advantage of the trend among African consumers to move to drinking clear beer as they move up the income scale. SABMiller is able to price the beer at a level below that of mainstream clear beers in the three markets because it has obtained a reduction in excise duties from the governments involved. This is because through the new brand, SABMiller is helping to expand the sorghum growing industries and create new jobs, he explained, among other factors.

"The brand is reliant on the excise break, so we are working with the governments to lower the excise rate so that the retail price is below that of clear beer. The margin, though, is at least as good as our other brands." He added that the group had been unable to obtain a lower excise rate in South Africa, but there was good potential for Eagle in Tanzania, while its introduction into Mozambique was also being researched. Parker was optimistic that Eagle would be met with enthusiasm by consumers. In Uganda, where it had already been launched, it had been successful so far, he noted.

SABMiller already has a 50% share of the sorghum beer market via its Chibuku brand, and boasts 100% of the local clear beer market. Castle Lager is the largest brand in the country.

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