Premium Beers Focus: News of the brews

Kronenbourg 1664

Kronenbourg 1664 earned a Silver Licensee's Choice award in The Publican's Market Report 2010 in August and claimed a double gold medal at Brewing Industry International Awards. It's now time for a facelift. Font badges are currently being replaced throughout the on-trade as part of a marketing campaign to boost the brand's sophisticated credentials. A new multi- million pound TV and press advertising campaign will start next month.

Tiger

Heineken has put much behind Far Eastern beer brand Tiger in 2010 to celebrate the Chinese Year of the Tiger. Advertising and marketing at events will commence in October targeted directly at young, urban drinkers.

San Miguel

San Miguel has picked up major listings in the on-trade in the last year, particularly amongst regional and family brewers, such as Greene King and Shepherd Neame. A new nationwide billboard advertising campaign for the Spanish beer brand was unveiled last month and is the biggest ever undertaken by Carlsberg UK. It will run until September 12 with a second burst planned for key cities including London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds.

Heineken

Heineken remains the long term sponsor of the Heineken Cup rugby tournament, and is also an official sponsor of the UEFA Champions League. "This year the televised finals of both competitions took place on the same day in May giving the on-trade trade a massive pre- summer boost," says Darryl Hinksman, head of on-trade customer marketing at Heineken UK.

Further to this, a new series of TV adverts hit screens in August as part of a multi-million pound campaign designed to reach 70 per cent of Heineken's target audience.

Heineken has also said it plans to invest millions over the next year in boosting rate of sale in the on-trade through incentivising barstaff and getting new drinkers to try the beer. The brand's value has grown by 13.3 per cent in the on-trade in the past year (CGA Strategy, Value MAT, year ending May 15 2010 vs same period previous year).

Stella Artois

Stella Artois has launched a nationwide training scheme focusing on quality as part of its 2010 World Draught Master programme.

James Watson, Stella Artois marketing director, Western Europe says: "It will enable us to focus customers and consumers on the brand's brewing credentials, thus empowering pubs and bars throughout the UK to offer a superior drinking experience.

"We believe that the perfect pour using the correct Stella Artois chalice glass is an intrinsic aspect to the best possible consumer drinking experience."

Stella Artois training kits will be made available to licensed premises, which include training videos and materials, skimmers, coasters and drip catchers - the training initiative will be followed up with Cask Marque certification and training support.

Visit: www.stellaartois.com/wdm2010​

Freedom Brewery

Freedom has put its name to a number of arts and culture festivals over the summer and was present at the bar during Sunrise Celebration, End of the Road, Secret Garden Party and Manifest. "As an English lager brewery creating hand-crafted products, our biggest and most important challenge going forward is to generate more consumer awareness around craft lagers, and this is an area we endeavour to focus on in any way possible to us," says Susan Mayman, managing director of Freedom Brewery.

New rustic-style chalk boards are available on which to add tasting notes. They have been designed to sit next to the font or hang from it to grab customer's attention at the bar: www.freedombeer.com​ or call: 01283 840721

Meteor

International speciality food and drink importer Casa Julia has recently taken on the on-trade distribution of historic Alsace beer brand Meteor, as it looks to expand its world beer portfolio.

Meteor is the largest independent and family-run brewery in France and was founded in 1640. Its beer range includes lagers, wheat and abbey-style beers, and originally named flagship beer, Meteor. And of course, being French, the focus is very much on consuming the beer with fine food. Meteor is available in 24 x 33cl bottles at 4.6 per cent ABV and 30-ltr kegs at five per cent ABV. Bespoke point-of-sale packages are available.

Call 01376 320269 or email info@casajulia.co.uk

Otley Brewing Company

Each month the Welsh brewer launches a new seasonal beer, which is distributed nationally. It's a chance for Otley to experiment with new flavours and keeps trade customers happy as they're able to offer something new, says company director Nick Otley. "Seasonal beers we've got in the pipeline for the rest of 2010 include a chestnut-coloured, 4.5 per cent beer; Not-SO - a beer that tastes like an old ale on the first sip, and our ever-popular O-hO-hO which is subtly flavoured with blueberries and one that we'll be sampling to the trade later this year," says Otley.

This month's release is Amarill-O, a 4.3 per cent, single hop, American-style bitter.

www.otleybrewing.co.uk ​ or www.realbeerbox.com​

Corona Extra

Mexican beer Corona Extra has put much money behind sponsorship deals of late. It recently agreed a new five and a half year global premier partnership with men's professional tennis circuit, the ATP World Tour, with the brand being an official event partner at three major tennis tournaments in the UK this year.

It also backed this year's Clothes Show in London as the event's official beer sponsor. Angel Garcia Gomez, head of Corona Extra UK, said: "Corona Extra is a 'consumer pull' brand and benefits from a high rate of sale over the bar versus competitors.

"It remains one of the fastest-growing brands in the premium packaged lager sector, consistently proving more popular than rival brands."