Brewer and Pub chain Greene King has announced the addition of four new premium beers to their portfolio, as the brand look to expand into the craft beer market for 2022.
Using re-imagined recipes that draw on their 200 years of brewing expertise, Greene King has created a new dry hopped lager, a session IPA, a west coast IPA, and an oatmeal stout, which have all been inspired by myths and legends from Bury St Edmunds, where they have been brewing for centuries.
The dry hopped lager and Session IPA will be widely available and the focus of the brands significant marketing investment which, combined with Greene King’s other premium kegged product Ice Breaker Pale Ale, will surpass £10m across 2022 and 2023. The west coast IPA and oatmeal stout will be limited edition brews for the more curious drinker and rotate in and out of the portfolio.
The new offerings celebrate Britain’s wild flavours and eccentric past but are very much designed for the modern drinker. Targeting craft drinkers who enjoy flavour discovery with quality they can trust, the new range is designed to be enjoyed primarily by customers in relaxed premium drinking outlets, such as craft focussed bars, gastro pubs and quality sports clubs.
Flint Eye, Greene King’s new 4.5% dry hopped lager which is one of their two new core beers, celebrates the Neolithic flint tipped arrows found in and around the brewery’s native Bury St Edmunds.
Combining orange peel and citrus aromas with subtle pine notes, this lager is created with yeast that is fermented at a colder temperature for a longer time, resulting in a crisp and refreshing beer that has a delicate balance of flavours.
Level Head, the new 4% session IPA which is Greene King’s other core beer, is a perfectly executed hoppy IPA which has an aroma sitting somewhere between tropical and grapefruit notes.
Light in body, but slightly dry with a medium bitterness and pithy aftertaste, this session IPA’s name hints towards the legend of St Edmunds’ – the original patron saint of England from who Bury St Edmunds takes its name – who was beheaded by the Vikings in 869.
Greene King’s second new IPA offering is the limited edition 5.4% Western Zeph West Coast IPA. This cutting-edge IPA is brewed using brand-new Harlequin and Godiva hops, as well as CF184, a hop so new it doesn’t have a name yet.
Unlike other West Coast IPAs, Western Zeph is 100% British and brewed with English malts and hops, to create a bold, flavourful, punchy beer of medium-high body which is high in bitterness but has an underlying sweetness.
Subterranea, Greene King’s second limited edition offering, is a 6.2% Oatmeal Stout which was created using an historic stout recipe from 1926 adapted to modern brewing techniques.
On the nose, this deep, bitter, and intense oatmeal stout has an aroma of roasted chocolate and coffee, with hints of caramel and treacle.
With a name that alludes to a folk tale, about a fiddler who gets lost in the subterranean tunnels beneath Bury St Edmunds, Subterranea invites you to lose yourself in its rich flavour and deep dark mysteries.
Will Hemmings, Brewing & Brands Marketing Director, said: “Our new range of premium craft beers is inspired by Greene King’s 200-year heritage; but the recipes and tales have been reimagined for the modern craft consumer of today.
“We’ve twisted and adapted traditional flavour profiles and channelled some of Britain’s colourful folklore to create authentic, modern, and exciting beverages, perfect for a new urban audience right across the UK.”
The new range of premium craft beers will launch into 27 Greene Kings outlets on March 28th, before expanding distribution to hundreds of Greene King’s most premium outlets and non Greene King outlets in the summer. Finally, the range will be available to purchase in key Grocers in Q4 this year.
The full list of participating pubs can be found below:
Globe (Marylebone)
Lamb & Flag (Westminster)
Marlborough Head (Mayfair)
Courtfield (Earls Court)
Hoop & Toy (Kensington)
Tattersalls Tavern (Knightsbridge)
Leicester Arms (Piccadilly)
Round Table (Covent Garden)
Shakespeares Head (Soho)
Kings Arms (Bishopsgate)
Royal George (Euston)
Green Man (Euston)
Prince of Wales (Covent Garden)
Camden Head (Islington)
Albert (Victoria)
Shakespeare (Victoria)
Blue Posts (St James’s)
Prince Regent (Cambridge)
Bath House (Cambridge)
Grain & Hop Store (Cambridge)
Chelsea Potter (Chelsea)
Prince of Wales (Wimbledon)
-ENDS-
Notes to editors
About Greene King:
- Greene King was founded in 1799 and is headquartered in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. It currently employs around 40,000 people across its five divisions: Local Pubs; Destination Food Brands; Premium, Urban and Venture Brands; Pub Partners; and Brewing & Brands.
- It operates c.2,700 pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, Wales and Scotland, of which c.1,700 are retail pubs, restaurants and hotels in the Locals, Destination and Premium, Urban and Venture divisions, and c.1,000 are tenanted and leased pubs in its Pub Partners division. Its leading retail brands and formats include Hungry Horse, Farmhouse Inns and Chef & Brewer.
- The Brewing & Brands division covers the brewing sides of the business, with quality ale brands brewed at the Greene King brewery in Bury St Edmunds and the Belhaven Brewery in Dunbar. The industry-leading portfolio includes Greene King IPA, Old Speckled Hen, Abbot Ale, Ice Breaker and Belhaven Best
Press release from Greene King
For more information, or any other media inquiries please contact greeneking@wearebrazenpr.com