The four bottled beers are part of a collaboration between the Bury St Edmunds-based brewer and pub operator and Tesco, and will be available in stores across the UK from 27 October.
They were developed in partnership by brewmaster Craig Bennett and Tesco development manager Danielle Jack in Greene King’s craft brewery, a 30-barrel innovation brewhouse for small batch limited edition and experimental brews.
The new brand bears the same name as London-based Metropolitan Pub Company, which Greene King formed following the acquisition of Real Pubs and Capital Pubs in 2011.
The beers are:
- Big Bad Wolf – 6% India Pale Ale
- Optical Infusion – 5.5% Golden Ale
- Brew T – 4.5% Amber Ale
- Under Currant – 5% Pale Ale
Neil Jardine, Greene King’s sales director retail added: “The new beers are the first releases in what is an exciting collaboration with the UK’s number one retailer. We jointly agreed to develop a range of beers under our Metropolitan brand that will offer Tesco customers something unique and exciting. Our brewing heritage, provenance and expertise were all very important in bringing these beers to market.”
Chiara Nesbitt, buyer for beer at Tesco, added: “Tesco has seen a growing trend for consumers experimenting with the styles of beers they are buying. By introducing these new beers, we are widening the range and providing a greater breadth of craft beers for our customers.”
Greene King opened its £750,000 innovation brewhouse in November 2013 in response to consumer demand for speciality craft beers.