Moorhouse’s, the leading Lancashire independent brewer, have joined forces to create a new beer with one of Manchester’s most legendary and enduring music acts, New Order.
Stray Dog, 4.2% ABV, is a refreshing and clean tasting golden premium ale, with hints of citrus fruit and lychee, all balanced by a subtle bitterness. Brewed using American Cascade, Centennial and Willamette hops, with English Maris Otter malt, it is intended to appeal to both craft and traditional ale categories, and the growing female market. The beer will be available in cask across free trade nationwide, with a 500ml bottled variant to follow later in the year.
Welcoming the collaboration Moorhouse’s sales director Mark Boardman said: “Stray Dog is a terrific addition to Moorhouse’s award winning portfolio and a significant brand milestone to follow up our successful 150th anniversary last year. We expect it to play well in cask with our own loyal followers, New Order fans, and in today’s fast moving craft ale marketplace, which increasingly appeals to a younger audience.
We are a traditional brewery with a very modern style, and Stray Dog has been developed by head brewer Dan Casaru to champion this outlook. He has used well-proven brewing methods allied to his adventurous approach to fuse selected American hops with the very finest traditional English Maris Otter malt.
This exciting collaboration with New Order and Renegade reflects our real determination to develop business with creative initiatives, and meet the growing demand for quality, interesting ales with real provenance.”
Developed at Moorhouse’s new £5m state-of-the-art brewery after a series of tastings earlier this Spring, head brewer Dan Casaru commented : “What a privilege to create a beer for a band that were a massive influence on me and the music I have grown up listening to. Having partied in the Hacienda in Manchester, I’ve always loved the bands and attitudes coming out of that great city, which in my mind New Order have always been at the forefront of. I’ve tried to create a beer that represents this in its style and vibrancy, and captures some of that spirit.”
Director Ian Parkinson said: “Working closely with the band, we added another fantastic product to our range. Moorhouse’s is ideally placed to work on these intimate projects being small enough to care but large enough to cope”.
New Order commented : “It’s been a pleasure to work with Moorhouse’s of Burnley on our first foray into the brewing business. Even more so that they’re celebrating their 150th anniversary, and have such a rich heritage in the north west”
Moorhouse’s of Burnley, who celebrated their 150th anniversary last year, are one of the biggest independent brewers in the north west, especially famed for their award-winning Pendle Witches Brew, and fast-emerging brands Blond Witch and White Witch. This is the first time that the brewery has collaborated with a band to brew a beer.
The Stray Dog project has been realised by London music marketing consultancy Renegade Music, who delivered the original concept and first nationally-distributed band beer to the marketplace in 2012 with Manchester band Elbow and regional brewer Robinsons. Renegade have since been involved in other very successful beer projects, including a collaboration with Stereophonics and Wales’ largest brewer Brains, plus a second beer for Elbow with national brewer Marston’s.
Renegade CEO Chris Smith commented : “We’re delighted to be working on this new beer with another of Manchester’s greatest ever bands and Moorhouse’s, a forward-thinking yet traditional brewery, who have ambitious plans for this project. New Order are truly a band that span generations in terms of fanbase, and we’re confident that ‘Stray Dog’ will be enjoyed by both new and established beer drinkers alike”.
Stray Dog will be available exclusively in Mitchells & Butlers pubs, including Nicholson’s from August Bank Holiday weekend, ahead of nationwide release from mid-September. The beer will officially be launched at a special event at Mitchell’s & Butler’s The Sawyer’s Arms Nicholson’s site in Manchester on Sunday 28th August.
Mitchell’s & Butler’s Ben Lockwood commented “It’s great that iconic bands such as New Order are getting excited about beer and lending their hands to creating their own. Having tasted the beer, I know the band have created something our guests are going to love, and I’m excited at the interest and excitement this will create in our pubs. We’ve had great success with other band inspired beers and now it’s New Order’s turn.”
General Enquiries – Chris Smith – Renegade Music chris@renegademusic.co.uk 07973 157854
Moorhouses Sales Director – Mark Boardman mark@moorhouses.co.uk 01282 422864 / 07970 620272
For New Order enquiries, please contact Jack Delaney at The Outside Organisation
jack.delaney@outside-org.co.uk 020 7436 3633
New Order – A Brief History
NEW ORDER are a legendary Manchester band formed in 1980 after the demise of JOY DIVISION.
Combining post-punk & electronic dance music New Order have become one of the most critically acclaimed bands of the last 35 years.
The band were signed to the Iconic Factory Records and worked with the legendary Tony Wilson.
Designer, Peter Saville, has worked with the band, for over 30 years and as a result New Order artwork is instantly recognisable.
New Order have had 2 Number 1 albums and 13 albums in the UK top 30, as well as 8 Top 10 singles.
Since 1980 New Order have toured the world building a loyal and fanatical fan base.
The band’s single ‘Blue Monday’ is the biggest selling independent 12” single of all time, selling over three million copies.
In 1990 the band released “World In Motion”, which was produced for the England football team’s World Cup campaign of the same year & features a legendary rap by John Barnes. The single reached Number 1 in the official UK charts.
New Order have heavily influenced techno, rock and pop musicians including Pet Shop Boys, The Killers and Moby.
New Order were joint-owners of ground-breaking Manchester nightclub The Haçienda, open from 1982 to 1997.
Bernard Sumner of the band has recently published his best selling Memoirs – “Chapter and Verse” – New Order, Joy Division and Me.
In 2015, the band signed to Mute Records and released critically acclaimed tenth studio album Music Complete. The record stormed the album charts, coming in at Number 2, and features guest vocals from Iggy Pop, Brandon Flowers and Elly Jackson of La Roux.
New Order are currently performing a series of sold out dates around the world to round off their Music Complete tour, which has included UK shows at Glastonbury, Latitude and Manchester’s Castlefield Bowl.
New Order are: Bernard Sumner, Gillian Gilbert, Stephen Morris, Tom Chapman and Phil Cunningham
Moorhouse’s Brewery
Founded by William Moorhouse in 1865 as a mineral water business, Moorhouse’s is now Lancashire’s leading independent brewery. The internationally acclaimed cask ale brands pay tribute to the legend of the ill-fated ‘witches’ of landmark Pendle Hill near Burnley who were tried and executed at Lancaster in 1612. Moorhouse’s has won many awards including Black Cat (3.4% abv) crowned Supreme Champion Beer of Britain at the Camera (Campaign for Real Ale) Great British Beer Festival 2000 and Pride of Pendle (4.1% abv) proclaimed the Champion Cask Ale title at the BIIA.
White Witch (3.9% abv) session strength blonde brew is the latest to join the core portfolio, after being introduced as a seasonal ale, and is the fastest growing brand. In 2011 a £5m ‘tower’ brewery was launched to replace the cramped Victorian premises. With a 100 brewer’s barrels brew length it trebled production capacity to 1,000 barrels a week to make Moorhouse’s ‘the North West’s newest regional brewery’.
Renegade Music
Founded by Chris Smith in 1999, London-based Renegade Music provide music marketing and promotion services to the UK music industry, working extensively for all major and many independent labels, including Universal, Sony Music and Warners. Their creative division works on new concepts combining music acts with suitable brands outside the music industry, most recently specialising in the licenced trade. Their original concept for the first nationally-distributed band beer in 2011 for Elbow served as the blueprint for many other band beers, including Iron Maiden ‘Trooper’. Projects in recent years have included two beers for Elbow, plus other projects for Stereophonics and New Order, with further products currently in development.