Asahi is a rising star

FOR DECADES family and regional brewers, whose main interest was always in ale, also brewed lager under licence.

But rather than use it as a means of building their brewing business and creating profits for their pubs, brewers used the brands as a cheaper alternative to the growing national brands in the marketplace - and more often than not used them as a way of keeping the big boys out.

So we had lagers such as Hurlimann at Shepherd Neame, K2 at Fuller's and John Young's London Lager in Young's pubs. Hardly sold at a premium or with premium imagery, they nevertheless did a job.

Arguably it was Charles Wells in the 1990s which started to brew and market premium lager brands as a tool to grow its own brewing business. The Bedford brewer had the licence to brew Red Stripe and began importing Corona Extra.

Rather than just being used as cheaper 'own-brand' lagers, these were beers used as brands that would help build the Charles Wells brewing business outside of its own pub estate.

Shepherd Neame has now emphatically stepped up to the plate on this issue with the success of Asahi lager. While it still brews Hurlimann and Dutch lager Oranjeboom, Asahi (which it has brewed under licence since 2005) is the focus of its lager portfolio, and is the source of much pride within the business.

Brewed to the improbably high standards of Japanese brewing (just ask the chaps in Bedford who brew Kirin Ichiban just how hard it is to measure up to and stick to the standards demanded by Japanese brewers) Asahi has become a real flagship of Shepherd Neame's speciality beer portfolio.

Here Asahi brand manager Christian Hamilton reveals the key issues and challenges facing the brand over the next year.

Recent success​

"We believe the brand is really starting to break through - we are seeing it in bars and pubs which our brand reps haven't yet visited. In the past two years we have doubled the number of stockists. We have been picked up by wholesalers Waverley TBS and Coors and have bottled listings in the Punch Taverns estate."

Strategy for the coming year​

"For the past 12 months we have been focusing on the 'Rising Sun' advertising campaign. We reviewed it recently and while it had a great perception among the public, this was not the case among stockists. So our strategy for 2008 is to focus on the trade.

"We are doing this through sponsorship of awards, trade advertising and trying to ride on the current wave of popularity among the trade for niche beers - they want beers of taste, with a point of difference."

The GQ man​

"We are aiming at GQ man as our target market. A person who would drink bottled Asahi on a Saturday night and draught Asahi on a Sunday lunchtime.

"You need to find a way of getting noticed in this marketplace - you can't just be guided by brand advertising. So we are working very hard in the pubs and bars to create relationships with bartenders. We want to get them drinking the product so they will recommend it."

Can't be cool forever​

"We can't rely on the 'coolness' factor - we won't stay like that forever. We are riding on the back of the current wave of 'Japanese cool'. But we have to get people to love the taste.

"So this year it is about getting the beer in people's hands. We are on the road for an eight-week marketing campaign, visiting eight different towns.

"To raise publicity we have just launched a project in Selfridges as well, where we have a robot bar- tender serving bottles of Ashai."

Draught or bottled?​

"We are looking to introduce draught into the right places. I think if we push it out too far too fast we would lose our 'cool niche' quite quickly. People identify with drinking from the bottles - they have a much cooler perception. But we have tried to replicate that for draught through the introduction of more stylish glassware.

"We also have to ensure the quality of a draught account is top notch; that the tech services are right. That is why our ratio of bottled to draught is 80:20."

Being part of a regional brewer​

"The most important thing is that Sheps brews a great beer - it took a big pitch for us to win the licence from Asahi. We have great quality in the brewing team and a great tech services team, and being part of Sheps gives us a great distribution network."