Arkell's & Donnington Brewery release collaborative brew

Arkell's & Donnington brewery release collaborative cask

Arkell’s and Donnington Brewery have announced the release of a new collaborative cask beer.

Donkels, a 4% ABV cask named after the German Dunkel style and a play on the historic brewery’s names, is said to have a “light, refreshing and crisp profile” with a soft natural carbonation.

Made by blending the unique qualities and brewing traditions of both firms, the team from Arkell’s in Swindon (Wiltshire) joined forces with Donnington Brewery in Stow-on-the-Wold (Gloucestershire) to utilise the area’s spring water to mill, mash, and boil the beer.

The unfermented brew was then transported to Arkell’s Brewery, where it underwent fermentation using their specialist lager tanks and house lager yeast.

Arkell’s head brewer Alex Arkell said: "We're excited to bring this new cask lager to customers.

“The collaboration with Donnington has allowed us to explore a new flavour brew while honouring our rich histories.

“Joining together with not only a fellow independent family brewer, but my brother, has been wonderful.

“The combined expertise of Arkell’s and Donnington, boasting a collective 340 years of brewing heritage, has produced a beer that is both traditional and innovative.

“Mixing an ale malt with a lager yeast has created a hybrid that my brother John and I are extremely proud of.”

The new brew is a seasonal special and will be available at participating venues this month.

John Arkell, Donnington Brewery commented: "This collaboration has been a remarkable journey for both of our breweries.

“It has allowed us to blend our rich brewing traditions and create a beer that is truly unique. T

“The Donkels cask lager is a testament to what can be achieved when two historic breweries come together with a shared vision.

“We're excited for beer lovers to experience this blend of classic and contemporary brewing techniques."

Electric Spirit designs draught Negroni for pubs

Electric Spirit Co. has launched Kegroni, a kegged Negroni made with Achroous gin and designed for the on-trade.

The Edinburgh distillery mixed three spirits sourced from Scotland and Italy - Achroous gin, Bitter Fusetti and Valentian Vermouth – to create the easy-to-serve cocktail.

Kegroni is available in 20L sustainably made kegs with a Sankey coupler, allowing it to be hooked up to and poured from a standard beer line.

Each keg gives 200 pre-chilled, ready-to-drink Negronis, each with a pour time of around five seconds and requiring no stirring or clean-up.

Electric Spirit founder James Porteous said: “Our gin, Achroous, was made with a great Negroni in mind, so we figured it was time to make that Negroni ourselves, and to do it in an accessible, sustainable way.

“Now any venue with a spare beer line can serve a delicious Negroni, made with exceptional ingredients, in less time than it takes to pour a half pint of lager - and with a better margin.”

Kegroni is available to purchase directly from Electric Spirit Co, as well as wholesalers including New Wave and Dunns in Scotland, now.

Seven Bro7hers & Brew York reveal new sour beer

Seven Bro7hers Brewing Co has joined forces with Brew York to produce a limited-edition sour, Current Affairs.

Available now exclusively from the Severn Bro7hers webshop, the 4% ABV purple beer is said to boast berry and vanilla flavours, balancing both sweetness and sourness.

Seven Bro7hers CEO Keith McAvoy said: “At the heart of our brewery is collaboration, craft brewing should be an explorative and social experience.

“It has been wonderful to welcome the guys from Brew York to Salford to brew Current Affairs. 

“As a team it is so important we work with new expertise and ultimately share in the enjoy of making craft beer.

“This sour has given our brewing team the opportunity to collaborate with a team who are equally passionate about making great tasting beer. It’s totally unique and addictively drinkable.”

The vegan craft beer is the first of two collaborative brews set to be released by the Salford and York based breweries this year.

Current Affairs is availble now in six, 12 and 24x440ml packs at RRP £15.95, £29.95 and £56.95 respectively.

BrewDog expands RTD cocktail range 

BrewDog Distilling Co., the distilling arm of craft beer brew BrewDog, has added five new ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails to its Wonderland Cocktails lineup, all crafted using the brand’s own spirits range.

The new flavours, Cosmo, Whisky Sour, Strawberry Daiquiri, Watermelon Margarita and Long Island Iced Tea, are all 14% ABV and offered in 125ml canned chill, shake and serve format.

BrewDog Distilling Co.’s new Cosmo serve features the brand’s Abstrakt Vodka alongside Cointreau, lime juice, and tart cranberry, while its Strawberry Daiquiri variant is a blend of the brand’s DUO white rum and a mix of ripe fruit.

Meanwhile it’s Long Island Iced Tea offering fuses vodka, Tequila, rum, triple sec, gin, and a splash of cola, boasting tropical flavours and cola notes, and the Watermelon Margarita serve injects watermelon flavours into a classic Margarita, made with Casa Rayos Tequila.

Lastly, the new Whisky Sour variant features oaky whisky, tangy lemon, and sweet sugar syrup, best enjoyed served over ice.

BrewDog Distilling Co. managing director Steven Kearsley commented: “We launched Wonderland Cocktail Co. in October 2023, and since then we’ve achieved more than 3,000 new distribution points for our bar-quality canned cocktail range.

“A few months back, we ran a poll on Instagram giving people the chance to vote for the serves they want to join the range – and we’re responding by making them!

“With 10 cocktails now in the portfolio and new listings going live at the end of the summer, Wonderland presents a lot to be excited about."

Other flavours available as part of the range include Mojito, Cantarito Paloma, Espresso Martini, Passionfruit Martini, and Margarita.

The new and existing RTD cocktails are available now direct from the brand’s webshop at RRP £3.90 per serve.

Gosnells & Northern Monk introduce limited-edition brew

Gosnells of London and Leeds-based brewer Northern Monk have launched a limited-edition collaborative serve.

Named Northern Wild 005, it has been brewed without the use of any water, resulting in a nice sweetness coming through from the honey alongside a bit of acidity and tannin from the blackcurrants, all brought together by the apple to offer a balanced flavour.
The serve, which is part of Northern Monk's Northern Wild series, has been created with a blend of Gosnells Signature Wildflower honey & Northern Wildflower honey, handpicked blackcurrants, blackcurrant puree and fresh apple juice.

A representative for Northern Monk said: “We’re all about collaboration at Northern Monk, working with the most exciting breweries and artists wherever possible. So to work with Gosnells, who are pioneering with their nectars, has been epic.

"Our Northern Wild series has traditionally focused on Saisons, Wild ales and Farmhouse brews, so to work with Gosnells on NW005, where together we have really pushed the use of honey and fruit and ramped everything up into a Mead, a style of drink that’s really growing in popularity, has been brilliant."

The 10% ABV brew will be sold on draught at Gosnells Enid Street bar and in 75cl bottles at Northern Monk’s Leeds Brewery and in their Manchester Refectory Bar this month.

Gosnells sales director Cameron McKenzie-Wilde commented: “As a Manchester lad, this just feels so right and a real excitement to be working alongside Northern Monk.

"The go-getting brewer has inspired us to throw away the rule book. As it’s brewed without water, the brewing team have created a really intense drink with the acidity of the blackcurrants quelled by the honey before the apples help re-balance the whole fruit (skin and all) tannin with a burst of freshness.”

Pillars unveils new light lager 

Award-winning East-London-based craft brewer Pillars has released a new small batch lower ABV lager.

Coming in at 2.8% ABV, Lite Lager has been described by Pillars as “subtle, clean and crisp” and a “quintessential session lager”, crafted using flaked, corn and noble hops.

Pillar head brewer Marius Matulevicius said: “We wanted to take on the American Light lager but with a Pillars twist, but our aim was to give it more body and flavour than you’d expect from a low ABV beer. Pillars Lite is the perfect summer companion and pairs beautifully with a BBQ.”

The new brew joins the brand’s, which was founded in 2016, other beers including a Pilsner and Helles variant.

Pillars Lite Lager is available now direct from the brewery webshop in six, 12 and 24x330ml bottles at RRP £15, £26 and £45 respectively.

Star and Timothy Taylor's new charity beer

Star Pubs, the pub arm of Heineken UK, has joined forces with Timothy Taylor Brewery to introduce a new limited-edition cask ale in a bid to tackle loneliness.

Marmalade Best (3.4% ABV), will be available in Star Pubs and through Heineken UK for on-trade customers from mid-July to the end of October, including during Cask Ale Week.

In addition, 20p from every pint sold will be donated to the Marmalade Trust charity, the firms charity partner, to go towards supporting those experiencing loneliness.

Star Pubs managing director, Lawson Mountstevens, said: "The bar is the focal point of any pub, so what better place to raise awareness of Marmalade Trust and the work it does to support people experiencing loneliness, than to have a dedicated charity ale?"

Read more here​.

Wild Knight showcases new variant 

Norfolk-based distillery, Wild Knight, has revealed its latest vodka-based innovation, Chocolate Martini, the third variant in its range of liqueurs. 

Best served chilled over ice or in cocktails, the liqueur has been made using organic Criollo cacao bean sourced from the Peruvian Amazon, boasting velvety chocolate richness with notes of fruit, nuts and flowers.

“Our liqueur sales have doubled in the last year and are becoming the main part of our business.” says Matt Brown, co-founder of Wild Knight Distillery. “We are thrilled to be launching a brand new flavour to our range of liqueurs. The new Chocolate Martini liqueur brings something truly different, and is an indulgent treat for those that enjoy rich drinks with a smooth, long finish.”

“This creates a luxurious drink that can be savoured. We are excited to see what Wild Knight fans think of this latest release; we are sure it will become one of our best-sellers,” adds Matt.

The new serve joins the brand's, which was established in 2016, other hand-crafted English spirits and liqueurs, including Nelson's Gold Caramel Vodka Liqueur and Espresso Martini. 

Wild Knight Chocolate Martini (20% ABV) is available now direct from the distillery webshop in 50cl bottle format at RRP £32.00).

St Austell releases charity cask

South-west England brewer and pub operator St Austell Brewery has joined forces with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) in its 200th anniversary year to launch a cask beer.

The company, which has more than 30 coastal pubs in its estate, has brewed a limited-edition beer that is available now and will be hosting an RNLI-themed dining event for pub guests in September.

Summer Sun is said to be a pale 4.5% ABV fruity summer blonde ale with floral and citrus notes. Each pint sale of Summer Sun, inspired by the famous Texas song, will see 5p donated to the RNLI.

The brewery added the cask beer, which is in pubs across the south-west now, is a part of its music-themed seasonal beer collection for 2024 and has its own playlist that can be listened to by scanning a QR code on the pump clip. 

Read more here​.

Old J reveals new coconut flavour 

LWC-owned award-winning rum brand, Old J Spiced Rum, has expanded its portfolio with a new Coconut flavoured variant. 

Joining the brand’s existing line up of seven Caribbean spiced rums, Old J Coconut was created following a social media poll in which the brand asked its followers to call out which flavour they’d like to see in the range next.

Topping the poll with 35% of the votes, Coconut was the clear favourite, closely followed by Mango at 21%.

Infusing the brand’s special blend of 11 flavours and spices into Caribbean rum with the addition of notes of freshly cut coconut alongside the brand’s signature vanilla flavours.

LWC Drinks spirits category manager Nic Ponticakis said: “As spiced and flavoured rum occasions continue to be key drivers for both the spirits and rum categories, we are delighted to announce this further extension to Old J’s fun and versatile range.

“It’s a tough market out there and innovation remains key. It’s also vital brands continue to listen to what consumers – especially their own customers – want from them.”

Old J Coconut Spiced Rum (35% ABV) is now available to on-trade outlets nationwide via LWC Drinks, in a 70cl format.

• If you have any new products being released to the on-trade, email the details with high resolution images for​​​​​​​ potential inclusion to ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Erorppn.jryyre@jeoz.pbz​​​​​. ​​The Next round-up will be published on Thursday 5 September. Check out the previous round-up ​​​​​​​​here.​​​