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First printed in Checkout Magazine
Premium beer status lined up for ale brand
East Anglia brewer Greene King is planning to extend the appeal of Old Speckled Hen (OSH), the leading take-home premium bottled ale, by marketing it as a premium beer.
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| Greene Kings new bottling hall |
Greene King is due to discuss the future of OSH with the major multiples over the next few months, with the siting of the brand in-store and its promotional programme top of the agenda. The brewer now believes Old Speckled Hen is a big enough national brand to warrant it being merchandised away from other bottled ales, most of which have regional loyalties.
The brewer has signalled its commitment to the take-home trade, which now accounts for 14% of sales, by the recent commissioning of a new £8m-plus bottling hall close to its Bury St Edmunds brewery.
Take-home director Neil Jardine said there was plenty of activity planned for Greene Kings off-trade brews during 2006, including plans to make the Beer to Dine For brand, designed to encourage beer and food matching, more accessible to consumers.
Greene King has just launched an export strength India Pale Ale (IPA) into the UK take-home market. The 5% alcohol-by-volume ale is said to be a more robust beer than Greene Kings original 3.6% abv IPA and its refreshing, bitter finish will make it a good accompaniment to spicy foods and strong curries. The beer is packaged in 500ml bottles.
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