Wetherspoons drops IPA from 99p offer

Wetherspoons has dropped Greene King IPA from its controversial 99p a pint offer in a bid to appease the brewer.

The pub chain confirmed IPA had been replaced with Ruddles Best - another Greene King product - in its 715 pubs due to "availability issues" with IPA.

Greene King was unhappy with the heavy discounting of its flagship brand.

A spokesman for Wetherspoons said: "IPA is a fantastic beer and customers have enjoyed it on sale at a very good price at 99p since January but the fact is we will still be serving a very good beer with a similar ABV."

He said the chain had retained a good relationship with the brewer.

"We are just swapping one beer for another to sell at 99p which we still think is good value for our customers. Ruddles might not be as well known as IPA but is still from the Greene King stable."

He added the chain did not anticipate any negative feedback from customers.

"If we had said the offer of a pint of beer for 99p was stopping or if we served beer for 99p at a higher ABV, we might have got some flak.

"But we are selling beer at 99p with the same ABV. Customers are more concerned that the offer continues."

Justin Adams, managing director, Greene King Brewing Company, said: "We have made no secret of our discomfort with the 99p promotion on Greene King IPA, which we weren't aware of and didn't support.

"Given our obsessive attention to quality and the consistently high level of investment we have made in building IPA's brand equity, we are understandably concerned about anything that might undermine this. It has been the market leader for five years, won a number of awards, has the highest rate of sale of all cask ales and actually has the youngest drinker profile of the major cask beer brands.

"We have great respect for JD Wetherspoon who are long-time supporters of cask ale and very good customers of ours. They have always said that their aim was to get people off their sofas and back into the pub - a worthwhile aim - and we are delighted that they have now decided to focus on Ruddles Best to lead their offer.

"Ruddles Best Bitter is a well known cask brand full of flavour and character but with a relatively low abv. It is a great value, quality beer with a fine heritage and wide appeal."