Greene King Brewery is set to launch two seasonal brews for September as the industry gets set to celebrate Cask Ale Week later in the month.
The leading cask ale brewer in the UK is launching a brand-new seasonal, Watch Room, which has been inspired by a part of the brewery’s heritage. The 4.3% golden ale is 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 last 300 years, including images and clothing items used by the fire brigade volunteers throughout its time.
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 Brian, 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 was the end product with a vibrant tropical fruit profile using three different hops – El Dorado, Kohatu and Azacca.
The golden ale is a celebration of the brewer’s passion for its heritage and people and Watch Room will be available for customers 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, however had an exciting new look as it joined the seasonal calendar last year. The 4.1% ale is brewed with over five different hop varieties and is said to perfectly pair with a hearty soup, pumpkin pie or warm autumnal dishes.
Bonkers Conkers is a complex beer, ideal for the start of the autumn months, with fruit aromas set against biscuity malt that adds body and warmth to the beer. There is also fragrant notes of blackcurrant, lemon and orange, in this brilliantly crafted cask ale.
Greene King brewery is passionate about cask ale and finding ways to promote a strong future for the unique British product. Following the announcement earlier in June, the brewer continues to be the #1 cask ale brewer (MAT volume) in the UK and is also the fastest growing Top 10 cask ale brewer (YTD)*.
Jack Palmer, Head Brewer at Greene King, 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 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.
To order from the Fresh Cask Releases Calendar contact your Greene King sales representative or call 0345 600 1799.
ENDS
*CGA OPM Data to P7 2024 (13/07/2024)
Notes to editors
Greene King is the country’s leading pub company and brewer with c.2,600 pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, Wales and Scotland.
At Greene King we are passionate about delivering our purpose to ‘pour happiness into lives’. That’s for our customers, our team, our pub partners, our suppliers and the communities in which we live, operate and serve. Founded in 1799 with offices in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk and Burton on Trent in Staffordshire we employ around 39,000 people across the group with four divisions: Greene King pubs, Destination Brands, Partnership and Ventures, and Brewing & Brands.
- Greene King pubs is our mainstream pub brand located where people and communities come together; pubs enjoyed in cities, towns and villages throughout the country with clear ambition to be “The Nation’s Most Loved Pub Brand”.
- Destination Brands is a portfolio of distinct brands which includes Hungry Horse, Chef & Brewer, Farmhouse Inns and Flaming Grill that bring friends and family together, delivering great service, quality and value for money for a range of eating out and drinking occasions.
- Partnerships & Ventures includes Pub Partners, which runs our tenanted and leased pubs business and Hive Franchise pubs, and our Ventures Brands which is made up of Metropolitan Pub Company, Hickory’s, Hotels Group and Crafted Pubs.
- Brewing & Brands covers the brewing sides of the business. Quality ales are brewed at the Westgate brewery in Bury St Edmunds and the Belhaven Brewery in Dunbar. Our industry-leading portfolio includes Greene King IPA, Old Speckled Hen, Abbot Ale, Ice Breaker and Belhaven Best and our premium beers, Level Head and Flint Eye, brewed for the modern-day drinker.
Media Contact: Greene King Press Office, PressOffice@greeneking.co.uk
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