New Badger Iron Hart Pale Ale targets growing higher ABV sector

Guild Secretary
2 days ago
3 min read

Dorset-based independent family brewer Badger Brewery is adding a new beer to its successful Premium Bottled Ales (PBA) range: Iron Hart, a 5.2% ABV Pale Ale.

Billed as a ‘beer with backbone’, Iron Hart is brewed with a firm malt base and a bold blend of Cascade and Amarillo hops, offering fresh citrus aromas and a dry, bitter finish. At 5.2% it taps into consumers’ growing thirst for PBAs with a higher ABV, while staying within the Pale Ale taste and cues expected by drinkers.

Iron Hart introduces a new character – a white hart – to the collection of quirky Dorset wildlife featured across the Badger PBA range, which lend it a distinctive personality and strong on-shelf standout. It has an RRP of £2.35 for a 500ml bottle and will be distributed in Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Asda and Morrisons

Badger Brewery head of retail marketing Giles Mountford says: “Higher ABV Pale Ales are currently one of the most vibrant sectors of the PBA category, as drinkers look for more intense flavours within the style they know and love.

“Iron Hart was created to meet that shift in consumer preference head on, bringing a bigger ABV punch to a style more traditionally associated with mid-strength beers. We’re confident it will appeal to craft beer drinkers and PBA drinkers attracted by a Pale Ale with more substance, flavour and bite.”

The launch comes at a time when Neilsen data shows the Badger single bottle range is significantly outperforming the overall single bottle PBA market (Neilsen 52 w/e 24/01/26 value). At 5.2% ABV, Iron Hart sits well above the traditional 4-4.4% strength of most PBAs, meaning it will add further incremental value to the category for retailers. It bridges the gap between classic sessionable Pale Ales and more overtly craft styles.

Badger Brewery’s successful PBA range comprises 10 beers, including long-established brands such as Fursty Ferret, Golden Champion and Tangle Foot as well as newer additions such as Master Stoat coffee stout.

Badger beers have national off-trade distribution, with listings in all major supermarkets and in thousands of independent grocery and specialist drinks stores, as well as with leading wholesalers and cash & carry outlets. They are also stocked on draught and in bottle across the 180-strong Hall & Woodhouse pub estate.

Iron Hart: tasting notes

5.2% modern Pale Ale: pale, full-bodied, bold and approachable
Brewed with Extra Pale malt and Cascade and Amarillo hops, delivering fresh, fresh citrus notes and a dry, bitter finish.
Pairs well with roast beef, aged cheddar and other full-flavoured foods

Notes to editor

Badger Beers have been brewed in Blandford, Dorset since 1777 by independent regional family brewer, Hall & Woodhouse, which also owns around 180 pubs across the south of England. The business is now under the stewardship of the seventh and eighth generations of the Woodhouse family.
The Badger range of characterful, award-winning premium bottled ales (PBAs) have widespread, national distribution, with listings in all major supermarkets and in thousands of independent grocery and specialist drinks stores, as well as with leading wholesalers and cash & carry outlets.
The PBA range includes well-known names such as Golden Champion, Fursty Ferret and Tangle Foot. In September 2023, Badger launched vibrant new designs, with each beer featuring an illustration of a Dorset wildlife character – including a mouse, ferret and hare - above a clear, brief taste description.
In April 2023, Badger launched a range of craft beers under the new Outland brand. The range now includes nine variants, packaged in 440ml cans. Outland was developed to offer the interesting, innovative flavours associated with craft beers, presented in a way that also appeals to more mainstream beer drinkers.
Badger Beers have won an impressive number of awards in UK and international beer competitions over the years. In 2024, Outland was a finalist in the Grocer Gold Awards, and in 2023 was named Supreme Champion, Pack Design, in the International Beer Challenge. Badger took eight medals in the World Beer Awards 2024 across its PBA and Outland ranges, including a Country Winner medal for Outland Ginger Pale Ale.