Crafted in partnership with Molson Coors, Alpacalypse (4.3%) uses American hops to offer a modern, hazy pale ale with a citrus aroma and tropical flavour.
Known for its core range, including Jute (4.2%) Session IPA and Loom (4%) Pale Ale, the independent West Yorkshire brewer hopes to reach a wider net of beer lovers with its new slightly less hoppy beer.
Founder Jamie Lawson told The Morning Advertiser (The MA): “Jute is a very high hopped session IPA, which is great for craft lovers like me and it’s a great beer, but as you try to market that to a wider audience, it’s probably a little bit too full in terms of its hop content.
“What we’ve tried to do with Alpacalypse is to insert more of a stepping stone between a world premium lager and a full on high hopped craft session IPA to provide a more accessible entry point into craft.
“It’s a refreshing beer with a slight haze to it and has an appropriate amount of hop to validate it as a craft beer, but at the same time it’s got that accessibility, which we feel is key when distributing to a national audience.”
Proper narrative
The award-winning brewery, which was founded in 2018 and is owned by the same company as Ossett, gave the brew its unusual name in honour of its hometown’s heritage.
Saltaire, which is a UNESCO World Heritage village near Bradford, was built around a textile mill owned by industrial pioneer Titus Salt, who used alpaca wool fibre and cotton to create a new flame-retardant textile.
“The whole village of Saltaire was built on alpaca fibre. There’s big bronze statues of alpacas in Saltaire Park, so it very much permeates through the town’s history.
“We started talking with the Molson Coors team about how to maintain authenticity with the new products and straight away, the central figure of the alpaca popped up and so we worked in collaboration to create this kind of futuristic play on the alpaca.
“We thought it was a perfect way to intertwine the history that started in the 1850s with the more modern IPA; it threads the old and the new together.
“That character-based product with a proper narrative and a proper story running through it has helped to tell the tale in a genuine way.
“It just gives people a chance to be immersed in where the beer has come from”, Lawson added.
“Collaboration is something that is really rich and exciting within the brewing industry.”
Molson Coors marketing director Hannah Norbury
Molson Coors has been the exclusive distributor of SALT for more than three years, following a successful trail roll out of the breweries two core craft beers through its distribution network.
However, the relationship between the two businesses goes back around 12 years, when Molson Coors began supplying SALT’s 13 pubs and bars, as well as 19 Ossett sites.
Molson Coors marketing director Hannah Norbury told The MA the beverage company saw an opportunity to take the relationship to the “next level” with the launch of a collaborative brew.
She said: “SALT is a really well-established modern craft brand in the UK. It’s personality and heritage is the perfect thing for us to draw on to bring a new product into this space.
“Drawing on its heritage, the history of Saltaire, and being able to create a really great story together around this product is really interesting and exciting.”
The marketing director added working with the team at SALT had been a “brilliant” experience.
Norbury continued: “Collaboration is something that is really rich and exciting within the brewing industry.
“We’re a big brewer, but we also really see the value in independent firms.
“Supporting breweries like SALT with things like distribution and collaboration beers is really important to us because we love the industry we’re in and having a combination [of big brewers and independent brewers] is really important for us.”
“It doesn’t feel like an effort when you’re working with people you’ve got friendships with.”
SALT founder Jamie Lawson
Lawson added the longstanding partnership meant the new brew’s development came “naturally”.
“[Alpacalypse] came very naturally because of our relationship with Molson Coors.
“We have a strong network that has naturally built over the 12-year period. So, it’s flowed really easily because of the different relationships across the two companies, it’s felt quite organic in its evolution.
“It doesn’t feel like an effort when you’re working with people you’ve got friendships with”, he said.
Norbury added “accessible craft” presented a “big opportunity” for publicans to bring new brews into their venues and get customers excited, especially in quieter months like January.
She continued: “The start of the year isn’t always the most buoyant trading period for pubs, so, adding something new in January is great because it will help bring people back to the pubs.”
In addition, Lawson, who has been running pubs since 2003, said modern consumers expect a lot at the bar, making it essential for venues to” fulfil every product category”.
“You’ve got those who want a big beer brand like a mainstream lager, some people are looking for a higher quality wine and likewise, you’ve got an increasing number of people who want a flavour profile and a beer that has got a bit more to it than your average big beer brand.
“Looking at it from a retailer’s perspective, [offering products like Alpacalypse] gives you confidence that across your bar you’ve got something for everybody. If you miss out craft beer, then you’ve got a hole in your portfolio.”
Respectful collaboration
Alpacalypse was in the works for around four months and had a “number of incarnations” before being perfected, Norbury explained.
“We’ve been tweaking and getting the subtleties right; not too much bitterness, enough tropical flavours, enough sessionability. It’s genuinely been a very respectful collaborative production, it’s a true partnership”, Lawson added.
Supporting the launch, pubs stocking Alpacalypse will be provided a full PoS kits including glassware, badges, handle and bar runners.
In addition, stockists will also have access to a SALT social media content plan, presence on the SALT website homepage, bespoke coverage and trade enquiry form on the SALT and Molson Coors websites alongside
Norbury said: “The craft market is growing, there’s lots of new brews all the time and the quality of the liquid has got to be the foundation, that’s why a lot of people buy into the category.
“But you’ve also got to get people to try that liquid. Before anyone has even tried a beer, they will see the badge on the bar, the font, and having something that looks exciting and interesting and gets people talking, especially in the pub environment where you’ve got to catch people’s eye, is important.
“We’ve been really focusing on making sure the badge and the glassware stand out because we know how important that is, it’s got to be engaging.”
Alpacalypse will be available for the on-trade from Monday 20 January.
