Greene King launches 'craft' beers celebrating British folklore
Flint Eye (4.5% ABV), a dry hopped lager, Level Head (4% ABV), a session IPA, Western Zeph (5.4%ABV), a West Coast IPA, and Subterranea (6.2% ABV), an oatmeal stout, were launched across 27 Greene King sites yesterday (Wednesday 28 March).
The new offerings will be available at a wider variety of both Greene King and non-Greene King sites this summer as well as at key grocers in quarter 4 2022, with Flint Eye and Level Head set to be part of the operator’s core range while the west coast IPA and oatmeal stout will be limited edition brews.
Inspired by heritage
Greene King brewing and brands marketing director Will Hemmings said: “Our new range of premium craft beers is inspired by Greene King’s 200-year heritage; but the recipes and tales have been reimagined for the modern craft consumer of today.”
Flint Eye celebrates the Neolithic flint tipped arrows found in and around the brewery’s native Bury St Edmunds and combines orange peel and citrus aromas with subtle pine notes while Level Head is a hoppy IPA with tropical and grapefruit notes, named after the legend of St Edmunds, the original patron saint of England from who Bury St Edmunds takes its name.
Greene King’s limited edition Western Zeph IPA is brewed using new Harlequin and Godiva hops, as well as CF184, a hop so new it doesn’t have a name yet, and is 100% British, brewed with English malts and hops to create a bold, punchy beer high in bitterness but with underlying sweetness.
A twist on traditional
Subterranea, Greene King’s second limited edition offering, was created using a historic stout recipe from 1926 adapted to modern brewing techniques boasting roasted chocolate, coffee, and caramel notes, and named after a folk tale about a fiddler who got lost in the subterranean tunnels beneath Bury St Edmunds.
Hemmings added: “We’ve twisted and adapted traditional flavour profiles and channelled some of Britain’s colourful folklore to create authentic, modern, and exciting beverages, perfect for a new urban audience right across the UK.”
