Gunpowder Gin latest launch from BrewDog’s LoneWolf pack
In time for Burns Night on Tuesday (25 January), BrewDog Distilling Co has released the latest member of its LoneWolf range in the form of Gunpowder Gin.
Fresh from the stills in Scotland’s first carbon-negative distillery in Aberdeen, LoneWolf Gunpowder is a small-batch gin that's bottled at a punchy navy strength (57% ABV). It leads with Tuscan juniper and fierce pink, black and Szechuan peppercorns, Paraguayan bitter oranges, Sicilian lemons and a final kick of Mexican pink grapefruit and star anise.
The company’s website stated it rejected 39 different Junipers before landing on the perfect choice that comes from Tuscany, Italy.
It’s said to be delicious sipped slowly, akin to dram of Rabbie Burns’ favourite tipple but with a 2022 twist, lifting a Negroni to next-level proportions as does it a Martini. The company said Gunpowder Gin is “for those who like burning up the rule book, on Burns Night.”
LoneWolf Gunpowder Gin is available in 500ml bottles priced at £25.
First low-alcohol product from Liberation Brewing Co
Liberation Brewing Co has launched its first low alcohol product – Liberation IPA Zero.
The brewery, which is part of Liberation Group, said its new beer (less than 0.5% ABV), echoes the company’s original Liberation IPA recipe and is an “easy-to-drink and refreshing ale made with a punchy blend of English, US and New Zealand hops, which balance stone fruit, citrus and bitter notes”.
Liberation Wholesale and Liberation Brewery managing director Tim Hubert said: “According to ONS data, a fifth of Brits are now teetotal, making them an obvious market for alcohol-free adult drinks. The low to no market is only going to grow in popularity as consumers demand more choice. It's vital that, as an award-winning brewery, we continue to innovate, keep up with changing tastes and create products we know our customers are going to love.”
Liberation said research by Kantar found the UK’s low to no market is valued at £143m with under-25s among the most likely to purchase alcohol-free drinks. According to IWSR Data, the market is predicted to grow by 34% by 2024 and it is expected that overall alcohol volume consumption in the UK will decline by 10% in the coming year.
Hubert added: “Unlike some low alcohol ales that can sometimes lack depth and flavour, Liberation IPA Zero has been brewed using age-old techniques meaning it packs a real punch. As a result, those wishing not to consume alcohol won’t miss out and can enjoy a draught beer, which is authentically produced and flavoured.”
Liberation IPA Zero is available on draught at its Five Oaks, The Old Court House, Post Horn, Le Hocq and Thomas De La Rue sites now and in 330ml bottles from 21 March.
Chance to fill your plate with three varieties of fries from Country Range
Foodservice provider Country Range has launched three variants of fries using Fontane potatoes.
The trio of products are 10mm Double Crunch Skin-On Fries, 14mm Double Crunch Fries and 19mm Triple Cooked Chunky Fries.
The company said it has used the latest chip technology to produce the goods that have an innovative invisible coating and deliver crispness and crunch.
The coating provides a light salting to help a quick and easy serve plus it means the Double Crunch fries will hold their crunch for 40 minutes and Triple Cooked for at least 20 minutes, both much longer than standard fries, once taken out of the fryer or oven.
The new fry triad are gluten-free, pre-fried in sunflower oil instead of palm oil prior to freezing and are beneficial to kitchens of all sizes, especially those offering food to go.
The three new SKUs are available immediately in 2.5kg bags, which come in boxes of four via the 12 independent wholesalers who make up the Country Range Group.
Country Range group marketing manager Kate Bancroft said: “Fries are incredibly versatile and play a vital role on menus across the catering divide from care home kitchens to Michelin star. With guests and consumers becoming so much more discerning, it’s vital chefs get their fry selection right – uninspiring, soggy chips just won’t do.”
Euroboozer’s trio of European non-alcoholic beers
Speciality, craft and world beer importer Euroboozer has bolstered its non-alcoholic portfolio with the launch of three new beers from two breweries.
Bohemia Regent from the Czech Republic has been brewing at the same premises in Trebon since 1379 and Austria’s Stiegl was first mentioned in records in 1492.
Both pioneering breweries are now using their vast experience alongside the latest technology to create non-alcoholic beers with real mouthfeel and flavour.
The new trio of beers are available immediately to the on-trade are Stiegl Freibier 0.0%, Stiegl Zitrone 0.0% and Bohemia Regent Renegat Nealko.
Stiegl Freibier is said to have be full-bodied with a well-balanced taste. Its Austrian Saphir hops provide aromatics to this unfiltered, ultra-refreshing non-alcoholic lager. It is available in 500ml bottles.
Stiegl Zitrone is claimed to offer lemon radler refreshment but with no alcohol. Straw-coloured in appearance with a natural cloudiness, the beer provides refreshment and a rounded finish. It is vegan and isotonic and comes in 330ml bottles.
Bohemia Regent Renegat Nealko is a 0.5% ABV beer and is said to be a dark golden colour with aromas of caramel and spicy hops with a moreish bitterness with mingling notes of caramel from the malt. It is available in 500ml bottles.
Euroboozer managing director Martyn Railton said: “The depth of the low and no alcohol beer category is incredible and demand continues grow year on year. I think standards continue to rise each year as well and these new offerings from two historic and iconic breweries are great examples of that.”
Cut Classics 20% ABV light spirit drinks now available to order
Cut Classics has launched its range of 20% ABV light spirit drinks in a bid to offer a middle ground to consumers that lies between full-strength spirits and non-alcoholic products.
The three new Cut Classic Premium Light Spirit Drinks – made with London Dry Gin, Aged Caribbean Rum and British Grain Vodka – are distilled or blended in exactly the same way as a premium full strength spirit that are said to offer the familiar taste of their full-strength counterparts but in a softer and smoother style and with half the alcohol and half the calories.
Atlanta O’Connor, co-founder of Cut Classics, said: “With growing demand from drinkers willing to moderate but not to compromise on taste or experience, it’s about giving people a choice: it’s not full strength or full stop – it’s half the alcohol and twice the enjoyment.
“Cut Classics are designed to be versatile. No matter how they are served – straight up, with a mixer, or in a cocktail - in terms of taste, they really do stand up to scrutiny.
“Each of our Premium Light Spirits is made in exactly the same way as the full strength spirit, be it distilled, triple-distilled or distilled, barrel aged and blended. Our secret lies in the early production stage with the creation of base spirits with fuller flavours, so when the alcohol is cut to 20% the flavours remain true to type. We do not add additional flavours or boosters. So what you get is an authentic but softer version of a full strength spirit, that’s smooth and elegant on the palate, without the burn that many spirits have.”
All three varieties are available to the on-trade by emailing trade@cut-classics.com and have an RRP £30 for a 700ml bottle.
Tarquin’s unveils Black Cherry Gin variant
Tarquin’s Cornish Gin has announced a new expression will be added to its range, which has been created by self-taught master distiller Tarquin Leadbetter.
Black Cherry Gin is said to be an intensely fruity and beautifully balanced gin and has been launched especially for St Valentine’s Day.
From his distillery on the Cornish coast, Leadbetter infuses this gin with fresh pressed black cherries and a touch of orange zest to creating a “rich, zingy and vibrant spirit”. Made in small batches in one of Leadbetter’s flame-fired copper pot stills, this limited-edition release is only available until April 2022.
He said: “One of the reasons I fell in love with distilling is because I really enjoy experimenting with taste and flavour. Black cherries have a powerful, complex yet sweet flavour, so I was intrigued to see how this could be expressed in a spirit.”
Black Cherry Gin is available in 70cl bottles at 38% ABC at a price of £36 each.
Bohem Brewery to release single hop Czech lager
London's Bohem Brewery is launching Most, a single hop lager brewed in collaboration with hop specialist and merchant Charles Faram.
The beer is named for the Most hop, developed by Charles Faram and grown exclusively in the Czech Republic. Bohem is one of a handful of brewers taking part in a select series of international collaborations spotlighting Most.
After six weeks in the refrigerated lagering tanks at Bohem's north London brewery, the 4.5% ABV dry-hopped, single-hopped limited-edition Czech lager is now available in kegs and cans.
The brewing collaboration day saw Charles Faram managing director Paul Corbett, and Jon Stringer, sales manager/brewer, join Bohem head brewer Matěj Krizek. The team used the brewery's authentic Czech decoction brewing kit to create a beer that spotlights the flavour profile of the Most hop, which has been in development over the past five years.
Most lager is said to have a grapefruit and melon aroma, with a complex taste profile for a single-hop lager. Initial ripe fruits contribute to a balance of sweet and savoury notes. A soft, full mouthfeel and subtle bitterness rounds out a drinkable beer that tastes bigger than its 4.5% ABV.
Corbett said: “Most is a very new hop and still in trials. Brewing with Bohem gave us a chance to see how the hop performs ‘under fire', using real-world Czech brewing kit and producing a commercial beer with genuine appeal to lager drinkers.”
The Newt doubles up on apple-based gins release
Somerset-based The Newt is releasing two apple-based gins to its ‘Cider Is Wine’ range.
The Newt Apple Gin is a small-batch apple gin, distilled in Somerset, that is said to make for a refreshing garden drink. It is crafted with apple juice straight from the press and flavoured with botanicals from the gardens at The Newt.
Apple Gin is claimed to be distinctively smooth with notes of apple blossom, citrus and rosemary and is ideally served with tonic, ice and a sprig of rosemary.
The Newt Red Love Apple Gin is a small-batch special edition gin distilled in Somerset from apples and infused with Red Love apple juice, thyme and angelica.
It has notes of red fruits, such as strawberry and raspberry, with hints of red cherries and cranberry. And is said to be great with tonic and makes a mean Apple Negroni.
The ‘Cider Is Wine’ range – which is a collection of more than 100 ciders, perries and fruit wines guaranteed not-from-concentrate from over 20 producers in four continents – is working to bring clarity for consumers when it comes to ciders and what they contain.
Each 40% ABV variant is available at a wholesale price of £33.33 plus VAT.
Hydes launches premium Copper Kettle IPA Amber
Hydes Brewery, which operates more than 40 pubs from Lancaster to Stoke-on-Trent , has launched the first of three new premium Copper Kettle IPAs.
The new Copper Kettle Amber IPA is now available across Hydes premium sites and is described as pure, refreshing and engineered for a fuller flavour to deliver a distinctive taste.
The Copper Kettle family will expand further later this year, when the Amber IPA will be joined by a Copper Kettle Red IPA and Copper Kettle Golden IPA.
The distinctive names of Hydes new IPA family are derived from the traditional brewing vessels associated with the founding of the brewery over 150 years ago.
Hydes Beers are craft brewed, incorporating a variety of ingredients sourced from around the world.
Managing director Adam Mayers said: “We are thrilled to introduce the brand-new Copper Kettle Amber IPA. The Copper Kettle range was inspired by Hydes long heritage and has a truly unique and full flavour profile that we feel young modern craft lovers will really enjoy.”
If you have any new products that are being released to the on-trade, email the details with high resolution images before Thursday at midday for potential inclusion on Friday’s article to gary.lloyd@wrbm.com.