Brakspear launches Organic Blonde Beer

Wychwood Brewery, owner of the Brakspear Brewing Company, has announced the launch of a new sister to Britain’s fastest growing organic bottled ale*, the hugely successful Brakspear Organic Beer 4.6%.

Brakspear Organic Blonde Beer (4% abv), which is cask-conditioned, is being made available to pubs and bars from March 2007.

Wychwood Brewery’s MD, Rupert Thompson, stated:
“The launch of Brakspear Organic Blonde Beer in cask is an exciting development for us, allowing us to offer pub goers a cask-conditioned variant of our highly successful Brakspear Organic Ale. We believe the on-trade organic ale market will increase in value during the next few years fuelled by demand for quality beers, especially those with a point of difference - as with Organic ingredients.

“We have seen phenomenal consumer interest in organic ale in the Off Trade, sales of which grew by 30% in 2006, so this launch aims to answer a growing demand. We believe firmly in innovation, as seen in our recent launch of Green Goblin’s oak aged bottled cider and with the introduction of “BeeWyched” Fairtrade Honey Ale; and we are delighted to bring this organic ale to a new market channel, with strong support from our on-trade customers.

“Brakspear were early pioneers of organic brewing in modern-day Britain and their bottled Brakspear Organic Ale has developed a considerable reputation since its launch in 2000, winning the Soil Association’s Organic Beer of the Year Award in 2003. Wychwood are now the UK’s largest producer of organic beers, with our own Brakspear Organic and Wychwood Circle Master brands, and through our brewing of all the Duchy Original beers.

Wychwood’s brewer, Jeremy Moss, comments:
“Brakspear Blonde is a remarkably zesty brew, with fresh, citrussy aromas and a firm, fruity flavour. Pale ale malts provide the beer with its gold-gilt shimmer, spruced by a hatful of crystal malts to give body, texture and a delicate honey’d wrap. Organic Target hops deliver a shamelessly fresh perfume, whilst late hopping with organic Goldings and fermentation by our Brakspear yeasts give Brakspear Blonde a fabulous, fruity finish. This beer is a perfect partner for fish dishes, shellfish, chicken or salads.”

*Source: AC Nielsen, December 2006. Brakspear’s Organic bottled Ale is the UK’s number one organic bottled beer with sales of £1m. It is available in Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Asda, using the same yeasts, malts and hops as the new cask version, Brakspear Organic Blonde.

For more details, please contact: Rupert Ponsonby at R&R Teamwork Rupert@randr.co.uk
Tel: 020 7384 1333
For a high resolution image please contact AJ Sharp – annajane@randr.co.uk
March 2007

visit www.brakspear-beers.co.uk