Greene King's 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 brands.
St Edmunds is a 4.2% abv blonde ale, brewed to be served between 6°C and
7°C through a unique dispense system that allows customers to choose between two pours - a northern version that has a creamy head, or a southern version
without.
The beer - which has been named to celebrate Greene King's Suffolk home -
is initially being rolled out across 100 outlets, where the brewer will review its progress ahead of a full launch next summer.
Justin Adams, managing director of brewing and brands at Greene King, said: "Combining the choice of serve with the growing popularity of light, golden beers
and the increasing demand for cooler products, consumers tell us we're really
on to something here.
"Cask beer is enjoying a real renaissance in the UK and we hope St Edmunds will help boost that further.
"Cask beer drinkers in the north of England prefer their beer one way while those in the south like it differently.
We wanted people to have a choice
while still being able to enjoy the
flavour of a quality cask beer, wherever
they are."
Claiming that St Edmunds had achieved the "holy trinity - an ale that's as easy to drink as a lager, with the premium cues of Guinness and the traditions of cask", he added: "St Edmunds 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."
Price is one of the key areas Greene King will be monitoring during the tests, which it hopes will show consumers are willing to pay more for St Edmunds - with the aim of giving it a similar price tag to Guinness.
Adams said: "In coffee shops staff are trained to sell different types of coffee and because customers are offered choice they are prepared to pay for it - it's the same with wine. St Edmunds addresses the conundrum that ale is sold for less than a standard lager."
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.
