Greene King, leading pub retailer and brewer, has been awarded its first medals for its recently launched craft beers, Flint Eye and Level Head, and also Ice Breaker Pale Ale at the Bartenders’ Brand Awards this year.
The Bartenders’ Brand Awards are a unique blind tasting, design and value-tested competition for spirits, wines, beers and drinks products in the UK bar industry. Flint Eye, Level Head and Ice Breaker have all been awarded medals for the taste, design and value of the beers.
The awards land just ahead of the first anniversary of the launch of the brewer’s craft beers, Level Head, a session IPA (4% ABV), and Flint Eye, a dry hopped lager (4.5% ABV), which were launched in July last year and embody Britain’s eccentric past.
The brewer also announced that it would be investing £10 million into the launch of the craft beers over the first two years, including an advertising campaign to drive further brand visibility through billboards, digital display, social media, and video on demand.
The two new craft beers, designed for a modern-day drinker, are a homage to Greene King’s 200 years of brewing heritage and the historical myths and legends of Bury St Edmunds, the home of the Greene King brewery.
Level Head is a session IPA that is light in body, but slightly dry with a medium bitterness and pithy aftertaste and has an aroma sitting somewhere between tropical and grapefruit notes. The Session IPA secured silver medals for taste and value at the awards, with a bronze medal for design.
Greene King’s dry hopped lager, Flint Eye combines peach aromas and taste with subtle pine notes, creating a crisp and refreshing beer that has a delicate balance of flavours. Flint Eye secured all bronze medals for taste, design and value at the awards.
Securing a silver medal for value and bronze medals for taste and design, Ice Breaker Pale Ale (4.5% ABV), was launched in 2019 and crafted by Greene King’s brewing apprentices. The unfiltered pale ale is bursting with fruity hop flavour and emanates waves of guava and passion fruit, which crash with big citrus flavours.
Alex Radcliffe, Marketing Controller at Greene King said: “We are thrilled to have secured medals for all three of our modern beers and it is a testament to our brewers and their skills that we have such a brilliant portfolio to share.
“We are incredibly proud of Ice Breaker and how that has continued to grow following its launch, we are sure that Flint Eye and Level Head are sure to follow in succession after a brilliant first year. Keep your eyes peeled as there is so much more to come from these brands in 2023!”
Level Head and Flint Eye 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 craft beers are also available in several major supermarket chains across the UK, including Tesco, Morrisons and Waitrose, and Sainsbury’s by the end of March.
Ice Breaker Pale Ale is currently available in over 2,000 Greene King pubs and also independent venues, as well as major supermarkets including Tesco, ASDA, Sainsburys, Morrisons, Waitrose and Ocado.
-ENDS-
Notes to editors
For further information, please contact pressoffice@greeneking.co.uk.
About Greene King Craft Beer range:
- 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 that will be available seasonally.
- 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.
- 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 will be available in several major supermarket chains across the UK, in early 2023, including Tesco, Morrisons and Waitrose.
About Greene King’s Ice Breaker Pale Ale:
- In 2019 Greene King launched its first beer crafted by its brewing apprentices, Ice Breaker Pale Ale (4.5% ABV). The unfiltered pale ale is bursting with fruity hop flavour and emanates waves of guava and passion fruit which crash with big citrus flavours.
- The pale ale’s name was born from the freedom given to apprentices to break boundaries of brewing within Greene King and develop the beer of their choice.
- Ice Breaker Pale Ale is currently available in over 1,500 Greene King pubs and independent venues, as well as major supermarkets including Tesco, ASDA, Sainsburys, Morrisons, Waitrose and Ocado.
Press release from Greene King.
For further information, please contact pressoffice@greeneking.co.uk.