Bury St Edmunds ale breaks new ground
Greene King is investing in a major ale launch it believes will take the category into new territory by combining the best attributes of leading lager, stout and cask products.
St Edmund's is a 4.2% abv blond ale, brewed to be served between 6-7 (degrees) through a unique dispense system that gives customers the choice of two pours - a northern version that has a creamy head, or a southern version without a head.
It is initially being roled out across 100 outlets, where Greene King will review its progress ahead of a full launch next summer.
Price is one of the key areas it will be monitoring during the tests which it hopes will show consumer are willing to pay more for St Edmund's - with its final price matching that of a pint of Guinness.
According to Justin Adams, managing director of brewing and brands at Greene King, the ale delivers the "holy trinity" of elements that has made other drinks successful.
"We have been developing the beer for around 12 months drawing from insights from other suppliers and our previous careers. What we have achieved is the holy trinity - an ale that's as easy to drink as a lager, with the premium cues of Guinness and the provenance of cask.
"We are treading the fine line between offering something that is fundamentally different (to traditional ales) without losing the the thing that makes cask so special. St Edmund's has the flavour and provenance of a cask beer and the dispense kit offers the theatre and choice you get from a brand like Guinness."
Stockists will be given a training pack that explains how to pour the two pints as well as tips on communicating the differences to customers, which will be backed up with PoS material.
