Guinness targets younger drinkers with new black lager

Guinness is hoping to put some bubble back into its beer sales with the launch of a new product - black lager.

Pitched firmly at a younger market, the drink will come in 330ml bottles and is being trialled in Northern Ireland.

Guinness chiefs said it will go on sale at selected pubs and off-licences, priced similar to other premium lagers.

Parent company Diageo is launching an advertising and marketing campaign to push the product.

They will be anxious the new drink - simply called Guinness Black Lager - doesn't suffer the same fate as other "innovations" that struggled in the shadow of the black stuff's coveted brand image.

Memorable and costly flops from Dublin's legendary St James' Gate brewery include "white Guinness" Breo and Guinness Light.

But John Kennedy, Diageo's managing director, said the new beer has a unique taste which is an evolution in lager making.

"With this lager, the master brewers of Guinness have built upon 250 years of rich brewing heritage to take lager enjoyment to a new level," he said.