Long-term future's bright for Boddington's ­ Interbrew

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A new regional TV advertising campaign and an array of in-house support activities in pubs has been announced by Interbrew for Boddington's Cask, now...

A new regional TV advertising campaign and an array of in-house support activities in pubs has been announced by Interbrew for Boddington's Cask, now produced by Manchester family brewer Hydes.

The new campaign will hit TV screens in early summer in Boddington's heartland area.

Interbrew said the key message the beer will deliver is "tapping into the community".

Support includes new branded table football machines ­ 500 are already on their way to pubs this month ­ and the Boddingtons 501 Darts Championships which is open to all pub stockists, who will also be eligible for sales incentives rewards.

Boddington's will also continue its sponsorship of the Manchester Evening News sports pages.

Interbrew said it was anxious to develop its community links, which it admits were affected by the decision to close the Strangeways Brewery in Manchester.

Interbrew brew master Paul Buttrick believes the team of brewers at Hydes have done a fantastic job on matching the brew.

"I think we have got just about as close as it is possible to get and everyone is delighted with the results.

"We went through an enormous number of trials and tweaked things here and there after each one.

"What we have now achieved has reached all our initial matching targets and I think drinkers will be delighted when they taste it," he said.

Interbrew ales brand manager Kevin Ward revealed that Boddington's would also enjoy dispense using Interbrew's new cylinderless beer engine currently on trial.

A separate development will also see Boddington's keg Draughtflow receive a new dispense unit that will have a device to adopt a new pouring flow for use in shandies.

The new device will deliver "flat" beer, minus the familiar creamy head, which helps overcome the problem of mixing two carbonated liquids, beer and lemonade.

In general terms Ward feels Boddington's Cask is set for a bright future at its new home and for the long-term prospects of the brand.

Hydes brewing director Paul Jeffries also believes there are exciting times ahead for Boddington's Cask.

"We have invested £1m in the brewery to aid the transfer of Boddington's, which we regard as an international brand.

"This will give us an immediate 40,000 barrels a year volume growth and put our total output towards the 130,000 barrel mark, which makes us Britain's sixth-biggest family brewer," he revealed.

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