Greene King Brewery is excited to announce the 4.5-gallon pins have officially been released to operators with its July seasonal cask ales, Ale Fresco and New Tricks, a Nethergate Brewery collaboration.
In January, the brewer announced that it would become the UK’s first major brewer to launch cask pins to its customers. The seven-figure investment aims to help licensees minimise wastage and ensure the best quality of cask ale is reaching guests every time.
Offering the smaller unit will give operators the ability to manage a lower throughput at quieter times of the week, meaning less waste from unsold beer or out of date beer being sold. The launch of pins with Greene King’s Fresh Cask Releases calendar provides a brilliant opportunity for operators to showcase different styles and flavours of cask ale for guests to explore.
One of the beers that will be available in pins in July and August is Ale Fresco, a 4.3% smooth and easy drinking golden ale. The ale is brewed using Centennial hops to deliver the light citrus flavour, a perfect choice for guests to enjoy during the summer months.
The second beer available will be New Tricks, the brewer’s second collaboration with the also Suffolk-based Nethergate Brewery. The 4% golden beer combines ginger and lemon to deliver delicious fruity characters and refreshment. For guests looking for a longer drink, you can recommend topping up the ale with fiery ginger beer to add even more of a zing to the flavour.
Greene King has said firkins will still be advised when operators have that busier footfall and demand, however pins can offer an additional seasonal cask ale on the bar or to provide that lower throughput when needed.
Jack Palmer, Head Brewer at Greene King said: “We’re passionate about the cask sector and launching pins is a great achievement for us, and the category, in helping to address some of the key challenges that serving this unique product can bring.
“Cask ale is part of our heritage and the core of a great pub, and we continue to invest and innovate to secure its future. Our Fresh Cask Releases calendar shows the many styles and flavours that cask ale can offer, and we’re excited to be able to provide this in a smaller format for operators to introduce on the bar and explore with guests.”
Ale-Fresco and New Tricks golden ales form part of the wider Fresh Cask Releases calendar, a portfolio of 18 limited-edition cask beers available at specific times throughout the year. From July onwards the seasonal ales will now have the option to be purchased in a firkin or in a pin format, excluding only Rocking Rudolph.
Nethergate Brewery will also be offering New Tricks on draught at its taprooms in Long Melford and Bury St Edmunds. The limited-edition ale will also be bottled and available on Nethergate’s and Greene King’s online shops.
To order from the Cask Fresh Releases Calendar and pins contact your Greene King sales representative or phone 0345 600 1799.
-ENDS-
Notes to editors
For further information, please contact pressoffice@greeneking.co.uk.
About Greene King
Greene King is the country’s leading pub company and brewer with c.2,600 pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, Wales and Scotland.
At Greene King we are passionate about delivering our purpose to ‘pour happiness into lives’. That’s for our customers, our team, our pub partners, our suppliers and the communities in which we live, operate and serve. Founded in 1799 with offices in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk and Burton on Trent in Staffordshire we employ around 39,000 people across the group with four divisions: Greene King pubs, Destination Brands, Partnership and Ventures, and Brewing & Brands.
- Greene King pubs are located where people and communities come together; pubs enjoyed in cities, towns and villages throughout the country
- Destination Brands is a mixture of food and drink-led brands including Hungry Horse, Farmhouse Inns, Chef & Brewer, Wacky Warehouse, and Pub & Carvery, Pub & Dining and Pub & Grill
- Partnerships & Ventures includes Pub Partners, which runs our tenanted and leased pubs business and Hive Franchise pubs, and our Ventures Brands which is made up of Metropolitan Pub Company, Hickory’s, Hotels Group and Crafted Pubs
Brewing & Brands covers the brewing sides of the business. Quality ales are brewed at the Westgate brewery in Bury St Edmunds and the Belhaven Brewery in Dunbar. Our industry-leading portfolio includes Greene King IPA, Old Speckled Hen, Abbot Ale, Ice Breaker and Belhaven Best and our premium beers, Level Head and Flint Eye, brewed for the modern-day drinker.
For further information, please contact pressoffice@greeneking.co.uk.
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