Pub company and brewer Greene King has launched its 2024 calendar of cask beers following the success of last year’s first ‘Fresh Cask Releases’.
The strategy of providing pubs with a rotating range of cask styles and flavours was clearly a hit with customers, as 2023’s calendar produced a 42% increase in volume of Greene King’s seasonal ales against 2022.
This year’s offering includes 13 limited-edition beers available at key times of the year, kicking off with Fireside, a 4.5% ruby winter ale to ‘ward off the January chills’, with what is said to be a mellow fruity finish and grapefruit and lemon citrus characters, with addition of black malt creating a balance of warmth and refreshment.
Making a return in February is the sport inspired Scrumdown, a 4.1% fresh golden ale said to be ‘fragrant and easy drinking’, targeted at guests enjoying a live rugby broadcast in the pub.
Insights show that the annual rugby tournament drives significant sales growth in the on-trade for beer and in particular cask ale saw a 56% increase in value rate of sale vs the national average last year for the opening weekend games.
Each of the seasonal cask beers in the calendar, excluding Rocking Rudolph, will also be available in pins (36-pint units) following the launch of this format by Greene King last summer.
The launch of pins had a great impact on growing cask stockists, said the company, with overall stockists of the calendar up 20% against the previous year. The smaller containers can give pubs that may not have that large footfall for ale they once did a chance to still offer rotating styles and regrow interest for the category.
Head brewer Jack Palmer said: “At Greene King, our heritage is embedded in the craft of cask beer, and we continue to celebrate and take pride in the beer and drive its uniqueness. We’re really excited to launch the new seasonal calendar for cask this year, with our carefully created selection of styles and flavours that have been allocated to suit the time of year, pubs can be confident that it’s something their guests will enjoy.
“It’s always great to kick off the year with Fireside, as it’s a delicious beer to enjoy as the colder weather continues. Then in February we get to celebrate a great sporting event with Scrumdown, the perfect pint to enjoy during the games.
Palmer concluded: “If you are looking to provide your guests with exciting cask beers, and the chance to offer something new and different, then it’s definitely worth getting in touch and taking a look at the cask styles we will have on offer in 2024.”
