Vue Kriek tap trial
Interbrew is trialling a draught version of its Belle-Vue Kriek fruit beer in selected London pubs that 'are serious about special beers, including De Hems in Soho. Julie O'Neill, marketing manager for Interbrew UK's speciality beer brands Hoegaarden, Leffe and Belle-Vue said: 'We have been looking at developing some of our fruit beers on draught for a while because buyers have been asking us about this.
RNLI Victory brew
The Coors Museum Brewing Company has joined forces with the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) to raise funds for charity by brewing a beer to celebrate Britain's victory at the Battle of Trafalgar on 21 October 1805. The beer, Victory at Sea, is a limited-edition, bottle-conditioned ale. For every case sold, £2 will be donated to the RNLI Crew Training Appeal. Distribution is being handled by Livingbeer.com
Ocean floats ads
Juice drink brand Ocean Spray is focusing on its heritage and health values with the strapline 'Real Goodness from a Real Place in a new £2m TV ad campaign. Aimed at educated women aged 30-45, the 'Supermodels ad draws on the love-hate relationship women have with health and beauty advertising and shows young women in lakes of floating cranberries, while comedienne Kathy Burke injects some humour. The 40-second and 20-second TV ads run till September and will be backed by a summer sampling campaign.
New look St Remy
Maxxium has given its French brandy St Remy a facelift, with the frosted bottle replaced by a polished version and the St Remy name now more prominent. Maxxium UK brand manager for St Remy, Barbara Annis said: 'We have retained the best of the brand's heritage, while boosting its relevance today with a cleaner, more contemporary look, which is still unmistakably St Remy.
Schin's UK debut
Distributor Scinain is launching Nova Schin which it claims is Brazil's fastest-growing beer to the UK market at the end of the month. The 4.7% abv beer is brewed by South America's largest independent brewer, Schincariol. Nova Schin director Chandra Durve said: 'We've trialled the beer in 50 UK outlets since last September and had very good feedback. We're launching it nationally in 355ml long-neck bottles with a twist cap.
