Cask ales from three local brewers are going on sale in up to 1,000 Punch Taverns in time for the Diamond Jubilee Bank Holiday and Euro 2012 tournament, following their success in the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) National Beer Competition earlier this year.
The three brews being offered to Jubilee revellers and football spectators are: Oakham Ales’ Citra; Lemon Dream from Salopian Brewery in Shrewsbury and Hill Climb from Cheltenham-based Prescott Brewery. All are included in Punch’s Finest Cask guest ale scheme, which features 18 ‘Award winning British Beers’ during May and June.
The featured SIBA beers secured their guest listing after winning a Gold medal in one of the Cask Ale categories of the National Beer Competition this year*. This is the first year that Punch has offered to showcase SIBA’s winners in this way.
SIBA chief executive Julian Grocock said, “We’re delighted that three of this year’s award-winning brewers are going to be on bars up and down the land over what will surely be one of the busiest trading periods of the year. To win a Gold Award at our National Competition is a tremendous achievement and these beers thoroughly deserve this listing.”
Salopian Brewery’s Jake Douglas commented, “This is a great opportunity to introduce our beer to a new audience – both new licensees and new drinkers. To have achieved this level of exposure on our own would have been a huge sales task, so we’re delighted that our success in the SIBA Beer Competition has led to this. Lemon Dream is a light, clean beer that is an ideal introduction to cask ale – and ideal for enjoying in beer gardens, so we’re confident it will sell well over the Bank Holiday and beyond.”
Andy Slee, Punch Taverns central operations director, added, “ We have been delighted to develop our relationship with SIBA nationally and see this as a great opportunity for 1,000 of our licensees nationwide to sample these award winning beers. I expect they will play a vital role in our “Winners” Cask Ale rotation during what is a critical trading time.”
*Oakham Ales won the Supreme Champion Cask Award for its Green Devil IPA, but is supplying its Citra – which is also based on the Citra hop – for the Finest Cask programme. This is communicated in the POS in participating pubs.
-ends-
Issued on behalf of: Society of Independent Brewers
By: ShielPorter Communications
For information: Ros Shiel: 07841 694137 / ros@shielporter.com