Greene King, the UK’s leading managed pub company and brewer, is releasing two refreshing seasonal favourites for venues to order just in time for spring.
The brewer is excited to announce the return of the much-loved Spring Break to its calendar this year, which will be available for March & April to order for the bar. The full bodied 4.4% ale includes the perfect balance of citrus flavours and delicious malt characters. This is a refreshing beer and ideal to have on offer during the Easter period, as it adds some urgency for guests that will only have a limited time to enjoy it.
Spring Break was first launched in 2022 and was created through a partnership with Greene King and the National Brewing Apprentice Programme, called Future Brewers, which offered students the chance to be involved with the process of creating the beer.
The new addition to the calendar last year, Hopping Special, will also be returning as a limited-edition ale, available to stock from mid-March until mid-May. The 4.2% amber ale is hoppy by name and hoppy by nature, as it incorporates the process of late hopping into its brewing method to really enhance the fruity flavours. Proud of its brewing heritage, Greene King took inspiration for the name of Hopping Special from the train service put on for the hop picking families in the 19th-20th century.
To really engage with guests and their preferences it is worth having a rotating beer that can tap into seasonality, as the weather changes so does the types of beers that guests want to enjoy. In Spring last year, we saw overall beer sales grow by 4% as more people started visiting the pub as the sun started to come out, however golden cask ale grew by a whopping 11% in sales, suggesting that change for a lighter refreshing beer as we entered the warmer season*. Greene King’s Fresh Cask Releases calendar offers that opportunity to rotate an ale with the best style and flavours for the season.
Jack Palmer, Head Brewer at Greene King, said: “It is great to see Spring Break and Hopping Special appearing as our seasonals for spring as we know they are well liked by drinkers. These beers offer lots of flavour and refreshment, which is perfect for the time of year. Both cask ales are limited brews for 2024 and they won’t be around for long, so they are definitely worth ordering in a firkin or pin.”
Spring Break and Hopping Special 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 Cask Fresh Releases Calendar contact your Greene King sales representative or call 0345 600 1799.
*Source: CGA OPMS average 4 weekly sales for 8 weeks to 20/05/23 (April & May) versus the average 4 weekly volume for 2023.
ENDS
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 are located where people and communities come together; pubs enjoyed in cities, towns and villages throughout the country
- Destination Brands is a mixture of food and drink-led brands including Hungry Horse, Farmhouse Inns, Chef & Brewer, Flaming Grill and Wacky Warehouse
- 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.
Contact: Greene King Press Office; PressOffice@greeneking.co.uk
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