Greene King Brewery has struck gold again with more multiple wins at the International Beer Challenge this year with the brewer’s latest craft brews securing great results.
Greene King has secured four medals at the global awards, including the top scoring trophy award for the Best Can Design for Level Head Session IPA. The legendary beer was one of 3.5% of entries to secure trophy status for its design.
Prior Life and Hazy Day also secured silver, which was only awarded to 21% of entrants, in the Best New Launch design category, with Hazy Day also taking a bronze medal for taste in its respective category.
The International Beer Challenge aims to reward and promote beers from around the globe, providing the perfect platform for brewers to raise the profile of their beers to both trade and consumers. There are over 80 different categories of beer that reflect the diversity in brewing today, with entrants from 30 countries.
In 2022, Greene King launched its craft portfolio including Level Head, a session IPA, which embodies Britain’s eccentric past, but is designed for the modern-day drinker. Greene King’s craft portfolio plays homage to centuries worth of brewing heritage and continues to bring to life the historical legends and myths of Bury St Edmunds. Each of the beers incorporate vibrant colours, bringing the stories to life through a bold and eye-catching approach.
Securing top results in design, Level Head is a 4% delicately balanced session IPA. The name and design of the beer are a nod to the legend of St Edmund, the brewery’s hometown’s Patron Saint, who was beheaded by Vikings in 869. St Edmund’s head was miraculously reunited with its body by a ghostly wolf and his sainthood was secured.
Launching earlier this year into the market, and securing two awards in both taste and design at the awards, Hazy Day is a 4.3% fruity 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.
Also launching at the beginning of this year, Prior Life is a 3.4% easy drinking all day IPA with mellow tropical notes and citrus aroma. The sessionable ale is a tribute, in both name and design, to the original Bury St Edmunds master brewers, the Benedictine monks, whose ghosts are said to still walk the brewery’s hometown Abbey today.
In August, Greene King also secured top results at the World Beer Awards, with Prior Life securing the country winner and gold in the Session IPA category, as well as Level Head securing bronze in the category.
Will Hemmings, Marketing Director for Brewing and Brands at Greene King said: “It’s brilliant to see us securing awards for the design of our craft beers following the success last month with Prior Life. We understand consumers also buy with their eyes and so we have put a lot of thought into how our beers show up. We are proud of the craft portfolio and the storytelling of our vibrant craft beers and it’s great to see how far we have come in two years since the initial launch of the portfolio.
“We are passionate about creating beers that look and taste great and we continue to invest and develop in all areas of our portfolio providing consumers with a wide range of quality styles and flavours to enjoy.”
Level Head, Prior Life and Hazy Day are available in multiple retailers and venues across the country.
To find out more about Greene King’s portfolio go to: https://www.greeneking.co.uk/our-beers.
-ENDS-
Notes to editors
For further information, please contact hollysmith@greeneking.co.uk.
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.
For further information, please contact hollysmith@greeneking.co.uk.
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