Hawkes, London’s first urban cidery, is offering a £1,000 ‘bounty for beer’ to one bold pub willing to switch out all beers on tap for draught cider this World Cider Day (Saturday 3 June).
Elliot Allison, general manager of Hawkes, says: “While it’s great to have such a vast choice of beers on offer – from stouts and porters, to sours and IPAs – it’s always disappointing to see just one or at most, two taps of cider on the bar.
“A standard pub will generally offer a token apple and – if we’re lucky – a berry cider, and they will almost always be from a mainstream producer.
“When I’m out at the pub with my beer drinker friends, they can always count on the opportunity to drink a different style of beer with every pint, whereas the cider drinker, will have to stretch two variants of cider across the night, before switching to a beer that wouldn’t have been their first choice.
“To rectify this lack of cider representation and to celebrate the brilliant and creative ciders that are available today, Hawkes is offering one daring pub £1,000 worth of cider as a reward for switching out all of its draught beer for cider this World Cider Day.
“There’s no need to worry, cider and the summer go hand in hand, and you never know, you may make a lot of new cider-drinking friends excited to see a more varied range of apply goodness on draught that will return in the future.
“If you’re not sure what a barful of ciders should look like, the perfect lineup should be just as assorted as the range of beer varieties that we’ve seen expand as a result of the thriving craft beer movement.
“A hero, session apple cider should always have a place at the bar – no two ways about it. Draught apple represents 57.4% of the on-trade volume split in 2022, and premium apple ciders are topping mainstream[1]. It’s vital, therefore, to have a trade-up, premium apple on draught and, if possible, a top-of-the-range crafted apple cider for consumers looking for an enhanced drinking experience.
“While draught fruit cider doesn’t hold as much market share, it’s always important to include an option for those looking for a fruity flavour, or, for session drinkers looking to titillate their tastebuds with something new or different.
“The standard is berry, but there are cidermakers out there making some very interesting creations with other, more adventurous fruits. At Hawkes, we experimented with pineapple to make our tropical Pineapple Punch, which turned out to be hugely popular. We’ve also recently called on the summery cherry to give our newest fruit cider a sour kick.
“So, the perfect cider lineup for me consists of a premium mainstream apple, a crafted apple, a berry cider and a cider made using a more unusual fruit, just for good measure.”
For pubs interested in partnering with Hawkes this World Cider Day, replacing all beer on tap for cider, with £1,000 worth of Hawkes kegs thrown in, contact the team at hello@wearehawkes.com and tell us how many beers you’d be switching out for cider this World Cider Day (full terms and conditions below[2]).
Bermondsey-based Hawkes turns unloved, ‘wonky’, or surplus apples into delicious real-apple cider and is on a mission to dispel the misconceptions around cider by injecting personality to the product and modernising the offering.
The brand currently produces three core real-apple ciders: vibrant, fresh and bright Urban Orchard (4.5% ABV); juicy, sharp and lush Dead & Berried (4.0% ABV); and tropical, zingy and offbeat Pineapple Punch (4.0% ABV).
ENDS
For further press information, please contact:
Will Challis | Elsa Findlay | Julie Aguilera Kemp
Rooster
T: +44 (0) 20 3440 8930
About Hawkes.
Founded in 2013, Bermondsey-based Hawkes is London’s first urban cidery, turning unloved, ‘wonky’, or surplus apples, which are too big or small for the shelves but perfect for juicing, into delicious real-apple cider.
Using only natural ingredients and never apple concentrate, Hawkes currently produces three core real-apple ciders: The vibrant, fresh and bright, Urban Orchard (4.5% ABV); juicy, sharp and lush, Dead & Berried (4.0% ABV); and tropical, zingy and offbeat, Pineapple Punch (4.0% ABV).
Hawkes collaborates annually with The Orchard Project – the only national charity dedicated to the creation, restoration and celebration of community orchards – to collect surplus orchard apples, allowing the cidery to turn vast amounts of otherwise waste fruit into planet-friendly cider every autumn. In addition to stocks from The Orchard Project, Hawkes’ Apple Donors initiative brings in donations from all over the UK. In 2021 alone, the annual apple drive saw the cidery save over 130,000 – or 12 tonnes – of apples from going to waste.
Hawkes was acquired by craft beer giant, BrewDog, in 2018. It is available to enjoy by the pint or can in all BrewDog bars nationally, in a number of Independent London pubs and pub groups around the UK, and at Hawkes’ Bermondsey-based railway arch Cidery & Taproom. You can also enjoy Hawkes in your own home; Pineapple Punch and Dead & Berried are stocked in 150 Sainsbury’s stores across London and key UK cities, and packs of all Hawkes’ core ciders are available to buy via the Hawkes online shop wearehawkes.com
[1] According to data from the Weston’s Cider Report (2023)
[2] Hawkes World Cider Day ‘Bounty for Beer’ Terms & Conditions:
- Hawkes ‘bounty’ will be offered to one winning establishment that commits to replacing ALL beer on tap for one day only – World Cider Day, Sat 3 June.
- The reward will consist of £1,000 (wholesale value) worth of Hawkes core ciders (Urban Orchard, Dead & Berried, Pineapple Punch), equal to 10 kegs
- Deadline to apply for £1,000 worth of Hawkes ciders: Tues 30 May
- Contact details for applications: hello@wearehawkes.com
- Applications from mainland UK establishments only
- Winner will be drawn at random and contacted on Weds 31 May
- £1,000 worth of Hawkes cider will be delivered by Fri 2 June
- Hawkes will supply badges & tap lenses accordingly
- Winning establishment is responsible for sourcing any other ciders, as required, to fill remaining taps
- Winning establishment consents to inclusion in Hawkes PR & social media content to promote ‘World Cider Day takeover’
- No cash alternative will be offered in place of the stipulated prize
For further press information, please contact:
Will Challis | Elsa Findlay | Julie Aguilera Kemp
Rooster
T: +44 (0) 20 3440 8930