Budweiser Brewing Group has withdrawn its continental beer brand Via Roma from sale in the UK, after sales failed to make a splash.
The Italian-inspired lager was dreamt up by BBG’s marketing department and first introduced in the UK market – where it was also brewed – in 2023
It was “inspired by the eternal city of Rome” and “infused with a subtle hint of Italian orange”, BBG said at the time.
However, Via Roma has all but disappeared from supermarket shelves, with off-trade sales amounting to just £2.9m in the year to last April [NIQ 52 w/e 19 April 2025].
Of the major mults, only Co-op was still stocking Via Roma at the time of writing, with other supermarkets including Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons and Lidl delisting the brew last year [Assosia].
Approached for comment, BBG confirmed it had ceased production and delisted Via Roma.
The beer was one of many new products launched in the UK bid to take advantage of a growing thirst for European lagers over the past half-decade.
However, like many of its rivals in the world beer aisle, Via Roma had little connection to the country by which it claimed to be inspired.
Less than a third of continental lagers on sale in UK supermarkets are imported from their country of origin and carry the same abv in the UK as in their domestic market, research by The Grocer shows.
The Grocer launched its Lager Authenticity Index last week in a bid to help consumers find genuine European lagers on their next supermarket shop.
It reveals that Czech and German beer brands such as Budvar, Pilsner Urqell, Paulaner and Bitburger are among the most authentic available in the UK.
Cruzcampo, Madrí, Stella Artois, Heineken and Carlsberg are just some of the beer brands that are brewed by their multinational owners in the UK.
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