Marston's launches first keg lager in 30 years

The brewer has created the 4% ABV Revisionist Craft Lager, which will become a permanent part of the brewery’s range, and is the first in a new series of keg beers under the Revisionist banner.

The new range is designed to tap into the growth in craft beer and represents a British twist on the new world styles of craft beer, said sales director James Coyle.

“This is building on from what we do with cask,” he said. “Craft beer is growing at 86% in volume year-on-year and this is being fuelled by many consumers moving away from mass market and commodity beers, looking for products that deliver more of an experience when drinking in the on trade.”

This category can also attract a premium price, with Marston’s research indicating consumers are willing to pay an average of 33p per pint more for a craft beer than a premium lager.

Revisionist Craft Lager is made with lager malt and a blend of German Hallertau Magnum and Tradition hops, plus Slovenian Styrian hops, and then British Admiral and Boadicea varieties for dry hopping.

Further beers to be launched as part of the Revisionist cask lager range include a wheat beer and a saison.  All will be cold conditioned, micro filtered (rather than pasteurised), and packaged in smaller 30-litre keg containers for freshness, confirmed Coyle.

The move follows the launch of other new world-style craft beers from Marston’s such as Shipyard American Pale Ale (Marston’s collaboration with American brewer Shipyard Brewing Co).

Yesterday rival brewer Fuller's unveiled its first ever lager, Frontier, in its bid to tap into the boom in craft beer.