Hobgoblin gets new look

Marston's Hobgoblin brand is once again challenging lager drinkers, this time with the launch of a new-look hand-pull.

The brewer unveiled the new design, aimed at attracting the growing new breed of cask-ale drinkers and lager fans to the brand, at the Great British Beer Festival last week.

Taking some cues from lager fonts the chrome hand pull features a curved "longbow" design and a raised dispense nozzle so that the beer is served above the bar. This creates more theatre around pouring and service in pubs, said Hobgoblin marketing manager Justin Way.

"This is not a direct replacement for the existing traditional hand-pull, but a way to present cask beer in a more contemporary and innovative way that focuses on showcasing the theatre of the serve," he explained.

The brewer is hoping that the new hand-pull along with Fastcask, its cask innovation launched in March, which delivers cask beer that drops bright immediately and makes cask beers easier to store and handle, will open up the category to more venues such as city bars and high-street pubs.

"As you'd expect from Hobgoblin, the new handpull defies convention and grabs more attention and interest on the bar," Way said. "It delivers the perfect solution to introduce cask beer to a range of venues that are now more capable of serving it following our introduction of Faskcask."

Hobgoblin is one of the fastest growing premium cask beers, up 36% in volume year-on-year, according to CGA figures.