NEWS

IPA looks to its roots as a new image is unveiled

Greene King will today unveil a new look for its main cask beer, with an emphasis on its East Anglian roots.

The brewer said it was "crucial for pubs to use every single tool and every single difference" to keep the punters coming through the door in a "difficult" trading environment.

The new look for IPA will see images of the cathedral at Bury St Edmunds and rolling Suffolk fields added to pump clips.

Greene King said cask ales were returning to fashion and were performing better at the bar than lager, stout or draught beers.

The brewer said recent research had shown that pubs serving a "good cask beer" have seen 14pc year-on- year growth compared to a 2.5pc decline for pubs without it.

Greene King's Justin Adams said the new look was also intended to "capitalise on people's increasing interest in the origins and quality of their food and drink".

Mr Adams added: "We are holding our nerve in this difficult environ-ment, continuing to invest in Greene King IPA at a time when you might expect us to be cutting back.

"By maintaining its success, we'll be helping to sustain the improved performance of the cask sector. It is crucial for pubs to use every single tool and every single point of difference they have to keep their pubs busy - and cask beer offers them a fantastic opportunity.

"It is up to us brewers to provide them with quality brands that drinkers trust - and to support them with advertising that works.

The old look.

"Our investment in a new look for Greene King IPA is all about that crucial support to licensees; at the same time as reminding people of our great heritage and the quality of the beer that is Britain's favourite cask ale."

Mr Adams added: "For more than 200 years, Greene King has been using the best ingredients - local East Anglian barley, water from the chalk wells below the town and the finest hops from Kent and Worcestershire. Most brewers would give their eye teeth to have their barley grown so close at hand - and we don't under-estimate our good fortune in this respect. In addi-tion to the good-will it engenders, it helps us to keep our car-bon footprint as low as possible."

Courtesy of EDP