St Austell Brewery launches new permanent cask
Leading this weeks new products is St Austell Brewery, which has added a new cask brand to its portfolio, Anthem (3.8% ABV), an all-British Pale Ale, available now direct from St Austell.
Anthem’s 100% British ingredients including Maris Otter barley grown in Cornwall and East Anglia as well as four UK-grown hop varieties, Target, Olicana, Jester, and Harlequin bring the beers fruit flavours to the fore.
Furhtermore, the new serve is the first to be launched since Georgina Young took over as St Austell’s brewing director in 2020.
Young said: “We’re delighted to see Anthem joining the likes of Tribute, Proper Job, and korev as part of our fantastic beer portfolio. It’s a really sessionable beer, made with quality British ingredients and – despite its lower abv - is absolutely jam packed full of fruity flavours.
“Brewing cask ale is a true art form and something which takes time, dedication, and precision to get right.
“The process of crafting a pint is a real team collaboration - from grain to glass - and we work extremely closely with our network of trusted suppliers to provide us with the finest raw ingredients. We’ve handpicked an all-star British line-up of ingredients for Anthem.
“The hops are exciting English varieties which emulate the celebrated juicy hop characteristics associated with the US.
“We all know nothing quite beats that pub fresh pint of cask ale, which is why continuing to introduce new beers like Anthem, and experiment with modern flavours, is so important to us.
“While cask ale is having a tough time post pandemic, we strongly believe it is part of the fabric of the UK pub and beer market, therefore as one of the country’s leaders in cask beer we will continue to innovate and invest into cask ale.”
Dead Man's Fingers expands into cream liqueurs
Dead Man’s Fingers has announced the addition of two fruity new variants, Mango Tequila Cream Liqueur and Strawberry Tequila Cream Liqueur (ABV 17%).
Following the successful release of the brands Raspberry Rum Cream liqueur earlier this year, the new products blend barrel-aged Tequila Reposado with smooth, fruity flavours of Mango and Strawberry with cream, perfect for enjoying neat, over ice, or for creating an indulgent cocktail such as a Mango Cooler or Strawberry Espresso Martini.
Dead Man’s Fingers global marketing manager Rachel Adams said: “Dead Man’s Fingers has always been about making our own rules and bringing consumers delicious, exciting and surprising drinks experiences.
"We’re excited to bring this successful approach to the Cream Liqueurs category.
“Berry flavours remain popular within spirits, so our Strawberry Tequila Cream Liqueur will be a welcome addition to the category, whilst tropical flavours are an in-demand flavour profile that can give consumers an exciting taste of the exotic. We’re confident these two new launches will be a big hit with consumers for a whole host of occasions”.
Both new releases are available to order now in 70cl bottles at RRP £15.
Hollywood director releases gin
Blockbuster director, Paul Feig, known for films such as the Heat, Last Christmas and Oscar-nominated Bridesmaids, has announced his latest release, Artingstall’s Gin.
After spending years searching for the perfect gin for his martini, Paul collaborated with Minhas Micro Distillery to create Artingstall’s, named after Feig's mother's maiden name, to create a blend of eleven botanicals, including orris root, coriander, cassia barkand cardamom, to produce a versatile gin with peppery notes, fit for a starring role behind any bar.
Feig said: “The UK is the gin capital of the world and with Artingstall’s Gin being a London Dry, I feel like we’ve finally come home. I can’t wait for the UK to make the most delicious martinis, G&Ts, gin and sodas and all other cocktails with my beloved award-winning Artingstall’s.”
Artingstall’s Gin (42% ABV) is available now from the Whisky Exchange in 70cl bottles at RRP £39.95.
Indian beer Kingfisher rebranded
Drinks business KBE Drinks has announced a rebrand for world beer Kingfisher.
The revamp, which goes live in June, will include new-look labels and outer packaging, as well as new glassware, a new font and PoS materials for the on-trade.
The Indian beer has progressed from curry house popularity to enjoying the limelight as the trend for premium world beers takes off post-Covid and is not only sold at pubs and bars UK-wide, it is the official beer of Premier League football team Southampton FC and has been sold at festivals including Bestival, Isle of Wight and Taste of London.
KBE Drinks chief operating officer Shaun Goode said: “We’re really excited to be bringing the whole rebrand to life through our Look up and see the beauty marketing campaign, which will encourage consumers to think about their wellbeing, take a digital detox and appreciate the world around them by enjoying real-life experiences that improve mental and physical health, which should really resonate with our target audience.”
Theakstons bring back its Mild cask
Yorkshire based Theakston Brewery has announced it will brew a batch of Theakston Dark Mild ale in cask form to mark CAMRA’s Mild May, an initiative designed to showcase mild ales from across the UK.
Available as a guest beer, Theakston Dark Mild is a 3.4% ABV dark ale brewed with pale, crystal, and black malts as well as a combination of Progress, Challenger and Fuggle hops to present a low alcohol but high flavour serve.
Theakston joint managing director Simon Theakston said: “We feel there is no better time to respond to customer demand and brew the cask version of our Theakston Dark Mild as a guest ale.
“This relaunch is a particularly special one for me. Mild was one of the original few beer styles brewed by my great-grandfather Robert Theakston when he founded the brewery in 1827, so it is great to bring back a cask version of an ale style which is so intimately tied to our long history.
“While as always, we are led by the desires of our customers, should Theakston Dark Mild in cask turn out to be as popular as it once was, we would be thrilled to make it a more permanent fixture of our portfolio.”
Corona launches its first non-beer serve
Corona has announced the launch of its first non-beer serve, Corona Tropical (4.5% ABV), a water based sparkling alcoholic drink made with real fruit juice.
The tropical offerings, which are made with no added sugar and are less than 100 calories a serve, are available in three flavours, Guava & Lime, Raspberry & Lemon, and Grapefruit & Lemongrass.
Corona vice president Felipe Ambra said: "Corona is a brand that was born from the tropics and as we encourage consumers to embrace the lifestyle around the world, we're excited to offer a new Corona beverage to those who love the brand but are looking for options outside of beer."
Corona Tropical is available now in 330ml single cans and an 8x330ml variety in selected stores, including Tesco, at RRP £2.75 and £16 respectively.
Camden re release Ice Cream serve
Camden Town Brewery has announced the re-release of its Ice Cream Vanilla Lager, inspired by the flavour of vanilla ice cream for a sweet and clean lager.
Brewed using new US hop Lotus, known for its vanilla flavours, and lactose to add creaminess, Camden Ice Cream has been bought back in Camden's first ever 440ml larger can format, following its original release as part of Arch55, a series of small batch beers from the brewery, with the serve having seen an 18% uplift in sales volume compared to the average Arch55 launch.
Camden Town Brewery head of marketing Fred Nesbitt said: “There’s nothing better than enjoying an ice cream (and a beer) on a warm summer’s day, and at Camden Town Brewery we thought why not combine two of our favourite flavours? We took inspiration from a summer icon, vanilla ice cream, to create our very own Ice Cream Vanilla Lager.
"We know our new beer, complete with a bigger 440ml can, is going to melt the hearts of lager lovers everywhere so be sure to keep an eye out for it when it’s on shelves.”
Camden Ice Cream Vanilla Lager (4.8% ABV) will be available in single units at retailers nationwide including Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and the Camden web shop for £12 for 4 x 440ml cans.
Zymurgorium Group launch three new rums
Award winning Manchester-based distillery Zymurgorium Group has launched a new range of rums, Cane Toad Rums (38% ABV), all inspired and named after characters and adventures in the Origiverse such as Admiral Winky and Kane The Cane Toad.
The range consists of three variants, Ruby Eyes Chocolate Rum, which offers notes of ripe berries and chocolate, Super Massive Black Spiced Rum, offering a powerful Caribbean molasses profile, and Khanage Wars Indian Spiced Rum, which boasts notes of tea blended with spices.
Zymurgorium Group founder Aaron Darke said; “It’s no secret we love a story here at Zymurgorium and that of the Cane Toad Rums and the Origiverse is our most epic yet.
"We wanted to create a really high quality product to rival any spiced rum on the market, but with a very unique story behind it. We’re going to take this brand on a journey offering the consumer the chance to come along for the ride.
"We have written a detailed series of adventure tales which will be released via the website to offer a truly engaging experience for rum drinkers. We also hope the brand will appeal to gamers, comic book fans and anyone else who loves a rip-roaring tale.”
The Cane Toad Rum Range is available now in 70cl bottles direct from Zymurgorium at RRP £25.
Two new RTD cocktails from Funkin
Award winning cocktail brand Funkin Cocktails has introduced two new ready to drink (RTD) flavours to its line-up; Peach on the Beach and Long Island Iced Tea.
Offering a twist on the classic cocktail Sex on the Beach, the nations favourite cocktail according to Funkin, Peach on the Beach is blend of peach, cranberry and orange juice with a subtle vodka kick while the brands Long Island Ice Tea offers a hint of citrus fruit alongside a trifecta of vodka, rum, and gin.
Funkin's Peach on the Beach (5% ABV) is available from Tesco and Morrisons now in 200ml cans and a 700ml sharing format at RRP £2 and £9 respectively while the Long Island Ice Tea (5% ABV) is available from Tesco in 250ml cans at RRP £2.
Holyrood Distillery makes a discovery
Closing this weeks round up is the latest offering from Edinburgh based Holyrood Distillery, Charmed Circle, with the brand entering a new category follow the release of its two new 'strong waters', Chevalier and Golden Promise.
Holyrood found distillers have focus on a barley’s efficiency rather than its flavour had caused many of Britain’s most popular barleys to be abandoned over time in favour of higher yielding varieties, but by examining other properties and potential of heritage barley varieties such as Golden Promise and Chevalier, the brands team discovered the powerful flavours, textures and aromas they could produce.
The company then distilled these barleys as part of their signature single malt and blended them with neutral grain spirit, intensifying the flavours of the barleys, whilst also developing their richness and mouthfeel, creating texture in the resulting spirits with the aim of bringing flavour back to the white spirit sector, to be best enjoyed neat.
What resulted was the two new 'strong waters', with Golden Promise boasting citrus notes and Chevalier offering creamy and buttery notes.
Launched last month, Charmed Circle (43%) is available now from the Whisky Exchange in 70cl at RRP £31.95.
If you have any new products 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 Rebecca.weller@wrbm.com.
