• All profits support community-focussed organisations in the UK
• Every UK pub, bar, licensed premises and brewery invited to take part – with their own big thank you to Her Majesty the Queen and local communities
• An industry-wide collaboration, led by The Good Beer Co., Adnams and Big Drop in support of The Big Jubilee Lunch and Thank You Day during the Jubilee Weekend
• Alcohol-free specialist Big Drop to brew a 0.5 percent Thank Brew
• Backed by the British Beer and Pub Association, UK Hospitality, Society of Independent Brewers, British Institute of Innkeepers, the Campaign for Real Ale and others’Pubs and bars all the way from Cornwall to Cromarty and from Anglesey to East Anglia are getting involved in a charity campaign, as part of celebrations to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. After tough times for the hospitality industry, and in every UK neighbourhood, they’re seizing the chance to help the whole country come together this summer: to raise a glass to the Queen, toast their community, and raise money for good causes too.
Opening hours have been extended for the 2nd to 5th June, and managers of every licensed premises in the UK are being encouraged to host a special Big Jubilee Lunch, or a Thank You Day party – and to serve limited edition Thank You beers.
These limited edition ales are being crafted by a host of leading brewers and beer brands – all to a recipe devised by Adnams Production Director Fergus Fitzpatrick. 100% of profits from Thank Brew sales will be donated to three good causes:
The /together coalition, on a mission to build kinder, closer and more connected UK communities by bringing people together and bridging divides, and organisers of Thank You Day
eden project communities, whose vision is a world full of happier and healthier UK communities where people know one another and neighbourhoods thrive, and organisers of
The Big Lunch Reset Communities and Refugees: supporting Ukranian refugees arriving in the UK to live with families in communities across Britain.
Fergus’s recipe calls for a delicious, easy-drinking 3.5% ABV pale ale, using a classic British ale yeast. He’ll also be teaming up with Big Drop to oversee the creation of a unique 0.5% version, brewed exclusively by the alcoholfree specialist.
Breweries from across Britain are signing up to brew the 3.5% Thank Brew with Adnams directly supporting our efforts to enlist breweries and brewers and, like all participating breweries, serving Thank Brew at their managed pubs.
Fergus Fitzgerald and The Good Beer Co previously created the Great Get Together Pale Ale for the Jo Cox Foundation and their Great Get Together UK events. He’s excited to be helping to build another beer industry collaboration for a good cause, saying: “We want as many breweries as possible to get involved in Thank Brew, that’s why we haven’t made it too prescriptive with the recipe and approach. The three main requirements are it should be 3.5% abv, it should be a Pale Ale and it should be delicious and easy drinking. Outside of that we encourage breweries to put their own stamp on it. And it can be cask, keg, bottle or can.”
“Adnams will be proud to serve Thank Brew in our managed pubs on the Jubilee Weekend and I look forward to raising a glass of Thank Brew at my local to mark the occasion,” he added.
Regarding the non-alcohol Thank Brew, specialist brewer Big Drop said: “As epic as it sounds, a four-day weekend is going to require a degree of stamina and, for a lot of people, that means moderation. So what better way to toast the Queen and go big for the entire Jubilee than with an alcohol-free beer specially brewed for that very purpose?”
James Grugeon, Founder of The Good Beer Co, said he was excited to see momentum building behind Thank Brew: “We’re really pleased to be backed by a broad coalition of beer and hospitality industry leaders who are lending their support to the campaign. With their help we’re busy signing up as many breweries, pubs and licensed premises as we can, so that everyone in the UK can come together and celebrate with a Thank Brew at their local and help raise funds for three causes close to the hearts of the British public.“
Industry veteran Christian Barden, former senior exec at AB-InBev and Royal UniBrew, ex Global CEO of Kegstar and current non-exec to industry SMEs like BrewBroker, Sprout and Pint Please has also joined The Good Beer Co team to help unite Britain’s beer and hospitality industry behind the Thank Brew campaign. “This is going to be a great weekend for the beer and hospitality industry and for their local communities,” he said.
Peter Stewart of The Eden Project, who are behind The Big Lunch, described this year’s celebrations, which include The Big Jubilee Lunch, as ‘a once in a lifetime event.’ “This unique Big Jubilee Lunch will be the biggest ever. We’re expecting millions of people across the UK to come together in communities to share friendship, food, fun and get to know one another a little better – and now we can share a Thank Brew beer too.” he added.
Brendan Cox, Co- Founder of the Together Coalition and Thank You Day, said: “Thank You Day this year is all about neighbours connecting with each other, to say thank you to HM The Queen and to each other. Where better to come together than at your local pub?”
“And with a non-alcoholic version of Thank Brew on offer, everyone will have the chance to toast HM The Queen and their local community,” he added.
Kate Brown, CEO of Reset, said: “This campaign, The Big Jubilee Lunch and Thank You Day are yet more examples of the warmth and generosity of the British public. We are seeing this time and time again in the extraordinary response to the Ukrainian crisis. With more than 200,000 people signed up to offer their homes under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, and hundreds of thousands more offering support, we are in a position to help more refugees than ever before.”
Thank Brew is being supported by UKHospitality, the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA), the BFBi – the trade body representing the entire supply chain into the beverage industry, and the British Institute of Innkeepers (BII).
Kate Nicholls OBE, CEO of UKHospitality, said: “The nation’s hospitality venues will be looking forward to a bumper weekend of celebrations for Her Majesty’s historic Jubilee, and it’s great that there will be a dedicated brew to mark the occasion. Our sector has suffered dreadfully over the past two years, so it will be wonderful to raise a glass to the Queen and each other, and look to happier times.”
Emma McClarkin, Chief Executive of the British Beer & Pub Association said: “Beer is Britain’s drink of choice, so what better way to celebrate Her Majesty’s Jubilee than with a toast of one that’s been specially brewed for the occasion? The Jubilee will be a time for celebration and community, and pubs play a part in both. That’s why we’re really pleased to be a partner in the Thank Brew initiative and are looking forward to seeing how pubs and brewers across the country lead celebrations across the joyous long weekend.”
Tom Stainer, Chief Executive of CAMRA said: “Bank Holidays offer a real boost for the beer and pub trade and provide a unique opportunity for communities to come together and socialise – something that has been sorely missed in recent years. We hope everyone will take advantage of the opportunity to raise a glass of Thank Brew to the first summer without restrictions!”
James Calder, Chief Executive of the Society of Independent Breweries, said: “Independent breweries across the UK will be brewing a Thank Brew beer in support of three fantastic causes rooted in their local communities, and to help celebrate HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. SIBA are delighted to be supporting the initiative and would encourage beer drinkers to keep an eye out for local Thank Brews over the Jubilee weekend.”
Ruth Evans MBE, CEO at the BFBi (the trade association representing the entire supply chain into the beverage industry), said: “We feel privileged to support the Thank Brew initiative, on behalf of BFBi and the supply chain businesses supporting the brewing, beverage and hospitality industry. A time to celebrate HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and a return to a concept iconic to the UK – the British pub.“
Steven Alton, CEO of the British Institute of Innkeeping (BII) said: “The team at the BII are passionate about doing all we can to keep great pubs at the heart of every community. The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee is a fantastic opportunity for everyone to come together at the heart of our communities in the pub and raise a glass of what makes our pubs so special, a great British beer. The Thank Brew initiative underlines why our pubs matter, bringing great beer and communities together to celebrate in their local pub and once again raising money for some outstanding causes.”
About The Big Jubilee Lunch
Eden Project Communities, the team behind The Big Lunch, are inviting communities across the UK to come together as part of official celebrations for HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Everyone in the UK is being invited to host a Big Lunch – in their streets, gardens and neighbourhoods – to have fun and get to know one another a little better, during the extended bank holiday weekend of June 2nd to 5th. A once-in-a-lifetime event, this unique Big Lunch will be the biggest ever – with millions of people across the UK expected to share friendship, food and fun.
edenprojectcommunities.com/the-big-jubilee-lunch
About Thank You Day
Thank You Day is being held this year on Sunday the 5th of June, to coincide with the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. It’s backed by everyone from the FA to the NHS, Facebook, itv and the Sun and is about building a day when neighbours reconnect, to say thank you to HM The Queen and to each other.
thankyouday.org.uk
About Reset Communities and Refugees
Reset Communities and Refugees, a UK registered charity, leads community sponsorship in the UK, connecting refugees with over 300 community groups since 2018. Reset is supporting Ukranisn refugees arriving in the UK to live with families in communities across Britain, through the UK Government’s Homes for Ukraine scheme.
resetuk.org
About The Good Beer Co
The Good Beer Co is a purpose-led beer company that works with breweries and the beer industry in the UK and Australia, to create beers and campaigns that raise funds and support for good causes. The Good Beer Co worked with the /together Coalition and the Royal Voluntary Service to coordinate industry support for Cheers for Volunteers on National Thank You Day 2021; and worked on the Great Get Together Pale Ale collaboration brew for the Jo Cox Foundation, as part of their nationwide programme of Great Get Together events.
thegoodbeerco.co.uk
About Fergus Fitzgerald
Fergus Fitzgerald is acting as an Advisor to The Good Beer Co, and Chief Brewer for Thank Brew collaboration beer. In his day job, he is Production Director and former Head Brewer at Adnams. A former senior brewer at Fullers, Fergus also worked with The Good Beer Co to create and brew the Great Get Together Pale Ale for the Jo Cox Foundation – a collaboration of 16 breweries from across the UK to raise funds and support for the Great Get Together.
adnams.co.uk
About Big Drop
Big Drop was launched in 2016 as the world’s first brewer dedicated to alcohol-free beer and is recognised as the market leader in the rapidly growing AF craft beer sector. It has won over 80 international beer awards, including seven times World’s Best at the World Beer Awards. By contract brewing in batches through a network of brewing partners worldwide, it can produce fresh beer – locally and ethically – with a minimal carbon footprint. It can now be found in over 10,000 venues – including throughout Europe, Australia, Canada and the US. In the UK, Big Drop also has listings with Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Waitrose, Morrisons and Ocado.
bigdropbrew.com
Press release from The Good Beer Co.