- Thornbridge invests heavily in bottling line to package ‘Fresh, Live Beer’ in to 500ml bottles after leaving category 6 years previously.
- Listings confirmed with Waitrose, Asda and Booths and in talks with other Multiple Retailers.
- Core range of 7 beers, all of which have National presence in cask format in the On Trade with quarterly seasonals also being released.
- Bottle Conditioned to ensure finer, softer carbonation to mimic a pint of cask ale.
Thornbridge have invested heavily in their production process in order to package beers in to 500ml bottles having switched solely to 330ml bottles in 2017.
Despite the PBA (Premium Bottled Ale) category being in double digit decline, Thornbridge have never been one to shy away from bucking trends. Simon Webster, CEO of Thornbridge say ‘At a time when National and large Regional breweries are falling over themselves to enter the Craft category, we see a huge opportunity to re-invigorate a stale category that is crying out for some new brands and innovation’.
Having switched from 500ml bottles in 2017 to 330ml bottles and to focus on the installation of a canning line, Thornbridge feels this is the right time to re-launch in to a category that is still considerably larger by volume than Craft, but desperately needs refreshing in order to arrest the decline.
Rob Lovatt, Brewing Director at Thornbridge says ‘We wanted to try and replicate, as closely as possible, a pint of cask ale in the pub. After many trials we have successfully ‘re-seeded’ our beers with live yeast to allow an element of Bottle Conditioning to produce a finer, smoother carbonation without the build up of hop matter and yeast associated with bottle conditioned beers of yesteryear.’
Thornbridge will initially launch with 7 beers in the core range and will release regular seasonal offerings also. Dom Metcalfe, Sales & Marketing Director commented ‘We are showing double digit growth on cask ale in the On Trade which is a category in decline and we think we can make a huge positive impact on PBA also with our ‘Fresh, Live Beer’. We will obviously lead with Jaipur, but will also have all of our staple cask ale brands including Lord Marples, Astryd and Crackendale in the 500ml format.’
Thornbridge have already secured Nationwide listings with Waitrose, Asda and Booths starting in early May and are in advanced talks with Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco with regard to listings later in 2023.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
Core Range Image Attached.
Website: https://thornbridgebrewery.co.uk/collections/500-ml-bottles
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thornbridge/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thornbridge
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Contact: Charlotte Walker, Social Media & Marketing Co-ordinator, Thornbridge Brewery, charlotte.walker@thornbridge.co.uk