Ones to watch: top ten for 2008

Guinness Red

This has been a slow burner for Diageo - it was officially launched in October 2006 - but it appears that the drinks giant is now ready to embark on a significant roll-out of this lighter, sweeter version of the classic Irish beer. Some commentators have seen the innovation as proof of the brand enduring tough times, and have even suggested it will simply result in cannibalisation of regular Guinness sales.

The word on the street, however, is that some of the testing with the pub companies has been "challenging", to say the least. This may well affect the scale of the roll-out.

Aspall

While all around them reach for the ice or go potty for pear, the good chaps at Aspall Cyder (that's Henry and Barry Chevallier-Guild to you and me) just keep on plugging away. And it is now beginning to pay dividends.

The bottled product has been a big success in branded high street outlets, such as All Bar One, as has the launch last April of the pink Peronelle Blush.

However, the big move has been into draught. This has been enthusiastically received by the industry and drinkers who have been brought into the category by Magners and Bulmers Original, but are now looking for something more premium.Pepsi Raw

Given the less than subtle nature of Pepsi launches and marketing in the past - eg the launch of Pepsi Max and advertising campaigns involving everyone from Michael Jackson to Britney Spears - it is perhaps surprising to see the low-key nature of the launch of the biggest new Pepsi product in 10 years, Pepsi Raw. Stories on the launch have been in the press now for over a month as the brand owner looks to educate customers and media about the new brand - without any hint of razzmatazz.

In the UK overall cola volumes have fallen, while value has slightly risen - therefore parent company Pepsico has decided to launch a cola with much higher premium values. It will be trading off the fact that the new cola is made using only natural ingredients. It is believed that the brand will be heavily promoted in the on-trade in the UK as the brand owner targets the growing soft drinks opportunity in pubs.

Bulmers Pear

What is happening with incredible speed is the diversification of the cider category. Already brand owners (aside from the traditional cider makers such as Weston's) have abandoned the usual route of launching apple ciders, since they believe there is little mileage left. So they are going for different flavours.

The most obvious and popular of these is pear - deriving from perry. This trail was blazed in 2007 by Swedish cider Kopparberg. However, the launch of Bulmers Pear could see this variety go stratospheric, thanks to the S&N-owned brand's huge built-in distribution.

Beck's Vier

There have been several attempts to get to grips with a category that has lazily been called 'premium standard' - in other words beer drinkers who want a premium experience but don't want a five per cent ABV pint.

Some of the four per cent beers are works in progress (such as Amstel) and some have been unmitigated failures (Bud Silver springs to mind). However, one that has truly scored is Beck's Vier. It launched its first TV advertising last year and 2008 could well be the year it really strikes out on its own and helps to deliver some much needed good news to the beer category.Not a brand but a country…

It was perhaps the visiting German businessmen in an episode of The Simpsons who summed up European attitudes to American lager best. Drinking a pint of Duff while sitting in Moe's Bar, they catch Homer's attention and exclaim: "My English is not perfect, but…I have to tell you…your beer is like 'swill' to us. Do I have zat right? I'm saying zat only a swine vould drink zis beer."

Well, how times have changed. Now there is no country on earth that is as progressive on the brewing front as America. It is no surprise that the late, great Michael Jackson spent his latter years focusing on the American beer market when looking for inspiration. We have seen the likes of Anchor Steam and Sierra Nevada beers do well in the UK, but that has only been in speciality beer bars. The off-trade has embraced these beers much more readily and with success. On-trade importers are beginning to pick up on this revolution and are stocking more American craft beers - it's time for licensees to follow suit.

Ringwood

In 2008 we really need to look out for the performance of the beers from the Ringwood brewery, which was bought by Marston's in July 2007.

The success of the Jennings deal has given Marston's a workable and popular template to work from. Even the most fanatical of beer lovers can just about forgive a brewery takeover, so long as you keep the brewery open and bring some ambition to the table. Marston's has done exactly that with Jennings' beers, increasing sales and adding investment.

With Ringwood the company has already installed a new extension to the brewhouse and now it has an estate which to spread its distribution in the South Central region. What price a Ringwood beer appearing in the Pitcher & Piano estate very soon? Hobgoblin

Some of you may have noticed Refresh UK bursting every sinew in an effort to make its Hobgoblin brand own Hallowe'en.

As Charles Wells (now Wells & Young's) discovered with Bombardier and St George's Day, owning an event can really give you traction in the market. Not only that, but the cask version of Hobgoblin is shortly to have its ABV reduced to 4.5 per cent in order to fit in with growing consumer demand for beer just below five per cent. The next year could be very big for this popular brand.

Deuchars IPA

The cask beer success of 2007 was Black Sheep Bitter - such was the impact it had across big pub estates such as Punch Taverns. Predicting success for a cask brand is always difficult. What a brand often needs is a bit of luck or good fortune to set it on its way. Timothy Taylor Landlord owes much of its recent success to winning the Champion Beer of Britain title in 1999. But other winners have had their moment in the sun and not been heard of since - little has been heard of 2007 champion Hobson's Mild since it won in August.

Another former winner is Deuchars IPA and that is being talked of as the Black Sheep of 2008 - and by that I mean a cask ale brand that has success far beyond its heartland. Deuchars continues to grow and is starting to be talked of as a national brand.

Magners on draught? It could happen…

C&C Group has denied it on several occasions but is the company ready to roll-out Magners on draught?

Industry observers have been convinced that this innovation has been ready to happen for some time. Rumours of over-sized glasses, allowing room for the addition of ice as well as trials in Ireland of glorified cider slush puppy machines have all done the rounds.

For industry types it makes perfect sense because of the higher gross profit that a draught pint gives you over one poured from a bottle.

Magners certainly has an opportunity. By moving Bulmers Original so quickly to draught, brand owner Scottish & Newcastle has perhaps given itself a problem. Do they sell draught Bulmers against the number one cider brand Strongbow, which it also owns and happens to be growing its volume share of the market as well?

What the people at S&N may have failed to realise is that Bulmers success in bottle has been down to the issue of price more than anything else. The twin issues of being 30p a bottle cheaper than Magners, coupled with fallings-out between Magners UK sales teams and pub companies made for a fertile period for the Bulmers brand.

However, this only keeps you in favour for so long. Anecdotal evidence suggests that some pubs are taking Magners back, such has been the fall