Freedom Brewery turns to customers to provide tasting notes for new lager

28-Aug-2012 - Last updated on 12-Mar-2017 at 02:44 GMT

Exempt: Freedom Brewery's Pioneer Lager is using its own tasting notes after Cyclops says it doesn't cover lagers

Freedom Brewery has turned to customers to provide tasting notes for its new Pioneer lager, after managing director Edward Mayman said it was “frustrating” that Cyclops Beer profiling couldn’t be used for lagers.

Cyclops was founded by Everards in 2006 to help drinkers understand more about particular types of beer, and is supported by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) and Cask Marque.

Two hundred and seventeen breweries including Freedom are currently affiliated to Cyclops, but the Staffordshire-based brewery has been told that its latest Pioneer lager will not be eligible to have Cyclops tasting notes on its labels and pump clips. The scheme allows for tasting notes to be put on the back of pump clips as “see, smell and taste”, allowing staff to explain to customers the details of the beer.

“They want to focus on real ales and cask-conditioned beers, which is a bit frustrating because it (Cyclops) really helps raise awareness of the different styles of beer,” said Mayman. “I think they are missing a real opportunity.”
Freedom is now using customers to help develop tasting notes for the 4.6% ABV Pioneer, after launching it at the Post Office Vaults pub in Birmingham.

“The value of this approach is that it is based on consumer feedback, and not scientific research,” said Mayman.

“We’re keen to make sure Pioneer drinkers can still compare its quality and taste profile with other beers, which is why we are busy planning an event where consumers can feed into our own tasting notes. We will include the findings on bottle labels when we launch Pioneer in bottles in the coming months.”

A spokesperson from the Cyclops Beer board said: “This is an interesting time in British brewing and it is exciting to watch the emergence of craft brewers. However, as a young company ourselves, we are seeking to deliver on our first objective before considering extending this further.

“We were set up to encourage cask ale brewers to use Cyclops tasting notes and to assist them in describing their products in a way that was easy for ale drinkers to appreciate.

“While we appreciate that this may be frustrating to other brewers, we hope they understand that we must work sequentially before extending the Cyclops Beer scheme further.”