JW Lees launches Manchester Pale Ale
Manchester Pale Ale (MPA) was launched yesterday (17 April), and will be available in cask and bottle exclusively in JW Lees managed pubs until the end of the month, when it will be rolled out nationally, starting with a push in its home city and London.
It is the “single biggest product launch” for JW Lees, said managing director William Lees-Jones.
“Now that Boddingtons is no more and Hydes no longer brews in Manchester city [Hydes moved to a new brewery in Salford Quays last year] we feel there is a real opportunity for a beer inspired by — and brewed by — the city,” he said.
The pale ale was first brewed as part of the company’s seasonal offer last year, when it was branded British Jewels, and is made with Liberty and Mountford hops. It will be 3.7% ABV in cask and 4.1% ABV in bottle.
The new brew is aimed at 24 to 40-year-olds, a younger market than the core JW Lees drinker, said Lees-Jones.
The drink is set to be promoted with all the “confidence and swagger” that consumers might expect from a brand that comes from Manchester, including tie-ups with famous Mancunians.
