SINGAPORE — You’ve heard of kopi-o gao (“strong black coffee”) and teh gao (“strong tea”), but what about “beer gao”? That’s what Guinness has aptly dubbed this uniquely local concoction of topping regular lager with Guinness stout — usually Guinness Foreign Extra Stout — for a more flavourful swig.

Said Asia Pacific Breweries marketing director Rene de Monchy: “The ritual of mixing Guinness with lager is a trend that we noticed had already been taking place among our beer drinkers within the heartland setting. We feel that this is a relevant and unique ritual worth driving to recruit new beer drinkers as well as further cement our existing drinkers’ love for the brand.”

The brand’s aim is to educate more consumers, in particular males between the ages of 30 and 44, who enjoy both a lager and the occasional stout, but may not have considered combining the two. The push is also aimed at the heartland drinking scene, which are primary locations where Guinness Foreign Extra Stout is available, as the Guinness served at hotels, bars and clubs would typically be Guinness Draught, which is brewed differently.

“The concept of beer gao has been well received via in-channel activation as well as press advertising support and we are looking to drive this movement forward as a vehicle that brings not only this ritual of mixing Guinness and lager to even more consumers but to further strengthen the brand as a whole in the mindset of consumers,” said de Monchy. “Fusing flavours to create something interesting is a big part of Singaporean culture and we think beer gao can be a part of that in the way Singaporeans enjoy flavour in beer.”

He added that it also empowers local imbibers to express their individual tastes. To that end, he said Guinness is running a Scratch-&-Win contest where consumers stand to redeem S$2 off their purchase or win a gold Guinness Harp medallion by simply purchasing a 640ml bottle of Guinness Foreign Extra Stout at participating coffee shops. The current promotion ends May 31 but the brand already has plans for similar campaigns throughout the year. DON MENDOZA