GK launches new beers with nod to fire brigade

Watch Room 4.3% ABV golden ale will be joined by Conkers Bonkers 4.1% ABV autumn ale as the seasonal beers for September.

The former is a said to be “a juicy and tropical brew, bursting with fruit flavours of pear, watermelon, mango and pineapple”.

The name of Watch Room is a nod to Greene King’s very own fire brigade that was formed in 1888 and disbanded in 1997. The Westgate Brewery Fire Brigade played an important role during the war years to fight fires during the raids on the town and, in more recent times, was there to protect the brewery and its local public houses.

Greene King has collected many artifacts over the past 300 years, including images and clothing items used by the fire brigade volunteers throughout its time.

Fire chief's favourite flavours

As part of the creation of Watch Room, Greene King enlisted the help of the previous fire chief for the Westgate Brewery Fire Brigade, the late Brian Crack, to design a beer that commemorated his service and also included his favourite flavours.

Following a discussion with Crack, the brewing team crafted a golden ale to match his preference of a lighter beer, with low bitterness and a hint of sweetness, Watch Room uses three different hops – El Dorado, Kohatu and Azacca – and will be available for pubs and bars to order throughout September and October.

Returning as a favourite brew, Bonkers Conkers will be available for customers to order throughout September only. The autumn ale was originally launched in 2008 but had a revamp as it joined the seasonal calendar last year.

The 4.1% ABV ale is brewed with around six different hop varieties and is said to perfectly pair with a hearty soup, pumpkin pie or warm autumnal dishes.

Greene King said Bonkers Conkers has fruit aromas set against biscuity malt that adds body and warmth to the beer. It added there are fragrant notes of blackcurrant, lemon and orange.

Delicious fruity beer

Greene King head brewer Jack Palmer said: “Watch Room is a brilliant example of storytelling through our beers and paying tribute to our history and our brilliant people that make us proud to have. It was a pleasure to create something for Brian as a thank you for his time spent volunteering in our fire brigade service.

“Watch Room is a delicious fruity beer and a great addition to the bar as guests try to capture those last moments of summer and so it’s great to have a limited-time beer available as pubs start to look at changing their range for a new season.

“Bonkers Conkers has been a much-loved beer for many years and it had great success in the calendar last year so we felt it right to bring it back for such a key month for cask.

“We are excited to celebrate Cask Ale Week this year (19 September to 29 September) and we have many activations taking place in our pubs, brewery and also with our customers, so we encourage pubs to get behind it too and inspire people to enjoy a pint, or sample, of cask ale.”

Watch Room and Bonkers Conkers both form part of the wider Fresh Cask Releases calendar, a portfolio of 13 limited-edition cask beers available at specific times throughout the year.