Greene King is looking to re-install beer at the head of the dining table with the launch of a new marketing campaign aimed at matching beer with food.
The Suffolk based brewer's "Beer to Dine For" consumer campaign is designed to challenge wine's status as the preferred accompaniment to food in British pubs and is the first to be unveiled in the cask ale sector.
As part of an initial £750,000 investment, the "Beer to Dine For" logo will be added to all the bottled beers in Greene King's portfolio as well as tasting notes and food suggestions.
Taller "wine bottle" formats for Old Speckled Hen (750ml) and Greene King IPA (660ml) are also being introduced to Greene King's estate and free trade to encourage sharing with a meal. Pub food menus are also set to be updated with food and beer recommendations and there are plans afoot to add information to the back of pump clip in order to help licensees and bar staff make recommendations for their customers.
Rooney Anand, managing director of brewing and brands, also confirmed that Greene King was contemplating the launch of a light "aperitif" beer aimed at challenging the likes of champagne.
He said: "Until now, the wine industry has occupied pole position in terms of food association and its sales have grown 84 per cent in the past ten years. The aim of Beer to Dine For is to take advantage of the food-drink opportunity that's so clearly there and to encourage people to choose quality beer as a great alternative to wine on the dining table. It reminds people that some beers are so full of flavour and character, they're worth dining for."
While Greene King is the first regional player to introduce a bespoke campaign, big hitting brewers such as Scottish Courage, Interbrew and Coors have all launched initiatives aimed at developing beer's kinship with food.
However, Mr Anand dismissed the idea of a industry-wide campaign. "I'm not sure a generic campaign would work as people buy brands not categories. Its not new what we're doing and we're not pretending we're the first peope to say it but the more the merrier and the more brands that follow suit the quicker consumer peceptions will change perceptions."
As part of the campaign, Mr Anand is also calling for a change in beer's approach to glassware when linking up with food.
"I find it interesting that the whole debate surrounding is about size while it should be all about shape. Why as an industry should we let weights and measures shape our future?"