Greene King Brewery is launching two new craft beers, Hazy Day and Prior Life, into the market this month as it looks to grow its craft portfolio further.
Launching in February, Hazy Day, a fruity IPA (4.3% ABV), and Prior Life, an All Day IPA (3.4% ABV), follow the launch of Greene King’s craft portfolio in 2022, with Level Head and Flint Eye, and continue to play homage to the brewer’s 200 years of brewing heritage and the historical myths and legends of Bury St Edmunds.
Hazy Day is a smooth, fruity hazy IPA, with orange, citrus and tropical notes. The inspiration for the name dates back to the 16th Century in Bury St Edmunds, for those who were convicted of minor crimes were sentenced to a day in the pillories. With clouded judgement & a hazy sense of morality, locals would come to heckle, goad, and even throw things at the miscreants. Hazy Day is an unlawfully delicious beer packed with tropical flavours.
The eternally light Prior Life is an easy drinking All Day IPA with mellow tropical notes and a citrus aroma. This beer is a tribute to the original Bury St Edmunds master brewers, the Benedictine monks, whose ghosts are said to still walk the Abbey today. Prior Life is as divinely fruity as the low strength beer the monks would drink litres of daily, as it was safer than water at the time.
Both craft beers will be launching in Tesco stores nationwide in February, with plans to grow distribution in both the on and off trade throughout the first year.
Aiming to expand its craft portfolio, Greene King observed the emerging appeal in Hazy IPAs over the last few years with their distinctive appearance and burst of tropical and fruity flavours. With its contrast from the clear and bitter characteristics traditionally associated with IPAs, it isn’t a surprise why the smoother, juicier style has gained attention.
Simultaneously, All-Day IPAs have grown in interest, reflecting a consumer shift towards sessionable beers that maintain the hop-forward profile of IPAs without the high alcohol content, and Prior Life is key to the portfolio in providing a quality craft beer with a competitive price point within the market.
Matt Starbuck, Manging Director at Greene King said: “We launched our craft portfolio just under two years ago and we have seen a great response to the beers, so naturally we wanted to create even more tasty craft beers for our consumers to explore.
“Taking insight from consumer trends we worked with our brewers to craft two delicious beers with exciting stories to tell and we are proud of the work that has gone in to creating Hazy Day and Prior Life.
“It’s the centuries worth of brewing expertise and the myths and legends behind our portfolio that makes all of the beers unique, and we can’t wait for people to enjoy the distinct flavours that will resonate with the modern-day craft drinker.”
The new craft beers will be sold in packs of 4 x 330ml cans, launching first in Tesco stores, with Prior Life being exclusive to the supermarket chain. Hazy Day will also launch into 45 Greene Kings pubs in February and Prior Life will start to be seen in venues by summer, with the new beers expected to grow in both markets throughout 2024.
Hazy Day and Prior Life will also be available on the Greene King Online Shop here: https://shop.greeneking.co.uk/collections/craft-beer.
For Hazy Day, the full list of Greene King pubs stocking the new craft beer can be found below:
Doctors Tonic (Welwyn Garden)
Cock & Pye (Ipswich)
White Hart (Biggleswade)
Coach House (St Neots)
Via Fossa (Nottingham)
Golden Lion (York)
George (Bexley)
Jolly Sailor (Poole)
Richmond Arms (Bournemouth)
Baron Of Beef (Cambridge)
Teddington Arms (Teddington)
Trevor Arms (Chorlton-Cum-Hardy)
Coach & Horses (Mayfair)
Rose & Crown (Mayfair)
Three Crowns (Piccadilly)
Bear & Ragged Staff (Kenilworth)
Copper Pot (Leamington Spa)
George Abbot (Guildford)
Butchers Hook (Fulham)
Coopers (Glasgow)
Black Bull (Edinburgh)
George (Belsize Park)
Doctors (Edinburgh)
Ye Olde Rose & Crown (Greenwich)
Greyfriars (St Andrews)
Malthouse (Birmingham)
Olde Cock (Holborn)
Red Lion (Moorgate)
Skyrack (Leeds)
Coach & Horses (Soho)
Frog & Parrot (Sheffield)
Old Fields (Southfields)
Salt Quay (Rotherhithe)
Roebuck (Richmond)
Ship Anson (Portsmouth)
Station (Hove)
Bell Inn (Nottingham)
Chelsea Potter (Chelsea)
Old Dairy (Finsbury Park)
Regent (Chapel Allerton)
Mount Radford (Exeter)
Packhorse & Talbot (Chiswick)
Finery (London)
Anchor Hotel (Horsham)
Imperial (Soho)
-ENDS-
For more information, please contact hollysmith@greeneking.co.uk.
Notes to editors
About Greene King’s Craft Beer Portfolio:
- In 2022 Greene King Brewery launched a range of premium craft beers including, Level Head, a session IPA (4% ABV), and Flint Eye, a dry hopped lager (4.5% ABV), which were inspired by, and celebrate, Britain’s eccentric past, but are designed for the modern-day drinker. A west coast IPA, Western Zeph, and oatmeal stout, Subterranea, were also created as limited-edition brews.
- Flint Eye and Level Head are currently available in a number of Greene King pubs, which can be found here: https://www.greeneking-pubs.co.uk/premium-pint-finder/, and independent venues. The premium beers are available in several major supermarket chains across the UK, including Tesco, Morrisons and Waitrose.
- Hazy Day, a fruity IPA (4.3% ABV), and Prior Life, an All Day IPA (3.4% ABV), launched in Tesco stores nationwide in February 2024, with Hazy Day also launching in 45 Greene King pubs.
- The range of craft beers is backed by over 200 years of Greene King brewing heritage and expertise, with each beer inspired by a historical myth or legend from Bury St Edmunds – the home of the brewery since 1799.
You can find a selection of images to use here: https://we.tl/t-iCdLEtBaDN
For more information, please contact hollysmith@greeneking.co.uk.
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