Sharp’s launches first nationwide hazy IPA on cask

Molson Coors-owned Sharp’s, which makes UK best-seller Doom Bar​, has pledged Solar Wave will hit the UK on-trade from April 2023 and comes as demand for hazy beers and IPAs continues to rise. Sharp’s added these styles are favoured by drinkers in the craft beer category, which has grown by 68% since 2018.

It added that, in cask, the prominence of IPAs, pale and golden beers have also increased, now accounting for 27.5% of the overall category.

Tropical hop aromas

The new hazy cask IPA made in Rock, Cornwall, aims to deliver “the big, tropical hop aromas associated with new-world beers and a style and brand identity that stands out against more traditional-looking cask ales”.

The spring launch will be supported with bespoke glassware and on-pump branding that Sharp’s said “grabs the attention of drinkers and gives the brand a distinctive look and feel”.

Sharp’s head brewer Aaron McClure said: “Solar Wave is a delicious, golden, juicy IPA brewed to hit the sweet spot between fruitiness and hop bitterness.”

New and exciting

He continued: “We’re bringing something new and exciting to the cask category by using new-world hops from cutting-edge suppliers, such as Cryo hops from Yakima Chief, to produce a beer with an enormous tropical aroma. It’s the perfect balance between what existing ale drinkers want and the bold, exciting flavours needed to attract new people to cask.

“Cask innovation is central to what we do here in Rock. We have a dedicated pilot brewery where we have produced more than 50 awesome beers since it was commissioned in 2016.

“Solar Wave is the perfect example of that experimentation in action and we’re so excited to be able to bring this beer to market on a bigger scale.”

Sharp’s previous collaboration partners have included Rick Stein, Paul Ainsworth, Cornwall Vineyard Camel Valley and Cornish gin maker Tarquin’s.