Greene King Unveils its 2026 Cask Calendar Driving Another Year of Innovation

Greene King, the UK’s leading cask brewer*, has announced the launch of its 2026 Fresh Cask Releases calendar, following a year that saw continued investment in seasonal innovation.

Continuing its commitment to championing cask beer, Greene King’s 2026 calendar introduces some new brews alongside increased choice in pump clip designs, giving pubs greater flexibility and helping them create exciting seasonal cask offerings to suit their bar and drive guest engagement.

Demonstrating the impact of this approach, Greene King’s festive favourite Rocking Rudolph, and the No.1 Christmas cask ale, delivered a strong performance during its most recent run surpassing 2024 sales. The uplift was driven in part by the introduction of a new pump clip design, which refreshed the beer’s branding and helped generate renewed attention and excitement among both publicans and drinkers. The success highlights the important role that visual appeal and innovation can play in supporting growth within the cask category.

The brewer also saw wider success with its seasonal calendar, selling more than two million pints of seasonal cask beer in 2025 and demonstrating that there is demand for fresh cask releases.

The 2026 Fresh Cask Releases calendar will feature 12 limited‑edition beers, each carefully timed to complement key moments throughout the year. Continuing on from the 2025 programme, Fireside, the 4.5% ruby winter ale, and Abbot Reserve, the 6.5% premium ale, will be available across the early months of the year.

Making its annual return in February is much‑loved, sport‑inspired Scrumdown. The 4.1% fresh golden ale pays homage to the rugby tournament and offers pubs a seasonal pint designed to enhance matchday occasions and the overall pub experience. Scrumdown will be available throughout from the end of January till the end of April.

Greene King is also introducing an alternative pump clip design for the Scrumdown seasonal beer. The Golden Dawn pump clip is ideal for venues without a sport offering, presenting a Spring‑themed twist on a returning favourite. Customers will receive both pump clips with each order, allowing them to select the option that best suits their venue and drinkers.

Jack Palmer, Head Brewer at Greene King, said: “Our 2026 Fresh Cask Releases calendar builds on the success of our portfolio last year, bringing back much‑loved favourites alongside a few exciting new brews and seasonal celebrations. By continuing to invest in seasonal quality cask and offering a rotating range, we’re helping our customers create fresh interest in cask beer throughout the year and deliver great experiences for drinkers.”

All seasonal cask beers will be available in firkins and pins (36‑pint units), providing pubs with greater flexibility and helping them manage throughput effectively.

To order any seasonals in 2026 for venues visit the Greene King Value for Venues website: www.valueforvenues.co.uk.

^*CGA OPMS MAT data to 29/11/2025

ENDS

For more information please contact hollylander@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 40,000 people across the group with three divisions: Greene King pubs, Destination Brands & Ventures, and Brewing & Brands.

• Greene King pubs: 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”. Pub Partners runs our tenanted and leased pubs business and Hive Franchise pubs.

• Destination Brands & Ventures: 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. Venture includes Hickory’s, Premium (Crafted Pubs & Metropolitan Pub Company) and Hotels which operate autonomously of Greene King’s managed pub brands. 

• 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. 

Third-party news items that are posted on the Guild website come from press releases and emails received by the Guild. These are posted as they have been received. Their publication on the Guild website is an informational service only and is neither an endorsement of the content, nor its sender, by the Guild. For enquiries, please use the contact details that can be found at the bottom of each post.