GUINNESS has announced a 'precautionary' recall of its newly-launched non-alcoholic stout across the UK, following concerns of microbiological contamination in some cans.

Here's what we know about the recall.

What have Guinness said?

In a statement, Guinness said: “As a precautionary measure we are recalling Guinness 0.0 in Great Britain because of a microbiological contamination which may make some cans of Guinness 0.0 unsafe to consume.

“Guinness 0.0 currently is not on sale to the general public in Ireland.

"The issue is isolated to Guinness 0.0 and does not impact any other Guinness variants or brands.”

The company urged anyone with cans of Guinness 0.0 not to drink it.

When did Guinness launch its alcohol-free version?

Guinness launched the alcohol free version of its stout back in October after spending four years trying to replicate the taste of the original pub favourite.

The Irish brewer said Guinness 0.0 is a response to a growing consumer appetite for non-alcohol, lower-calorie beverages.

The product was developed by an innovation team based at Guinness’s brewery at St James’s Gate in Dublin.

Aisling Ryan, one of team’s lead brewers, said “hundreds and hundreds” of versions were tried until they finally landed on one they were happy with.

“It’s been a long time in the making,” she told the PA news agency.

“We’ve been working on this for over four years now, so it’s really exciting to get to this stage and finally get it outside the gates.”

Are the same ingredients used?

Yes, the early stages of the brewing process mirror those of standard Guinness, with the same main ingredients used – water, barley, hops and yeast.

The key difference is the addition of a cold filtration stage at the end to remove the alcohol from the brew.

Will the alcohol-free version be rolled out around the world?

Guinness 0.0 will initially be rolled out in off-sales in Ireland and the UK, with draught Guinness 0.0 due to be available in pubs from the new year.

A global launch of the product is pencilled in for summer 2021.