Newcastle Importers, exclusive importer of Newcastle Brown Ale, America’s No. 1 imported ale, announces the launch of Newcastle Summer Ale, a limited release seasonal offering created to offer consumers a new refreshing blend from Newcastle and on-premise accounts the opportunity to grow their import sales during the summer’s warmer months.
Summer Ale will debut as a draught beer and will be available in select markets (listed below) for the initial June through mid-September, 2009 launch period.
The Newcastle Summer Ale recipe infuses Golden Promise and Optic Malts to provide a hoppier taste that is light in color. Golden Promise offers a clean experience while Optic Malt lightens the beverage, leaving it significantly paler than Newcastle Brown Ale. Newcastle Summer Ale also blends Fuggles and Super Styrian Goldings Hops, with Fuggles offering a mild hoppy taste with a light bitter flavor and Styrian creating a soft aroma. The fusion of a light crisp taste with a hint of bitter offers a refreshing companion beverage to complement summer dishes and social occasions.
“This is the first seasonal offering from Newcastle, which has been brewing The One and Only Newcastle Brown Ale in the United Kingdom since 1927,” said Colin Westcott Pitt, brand director Newcastle Brown Ale, Heineken USA. “Newcastle Summer Ale was created as a celebration for loyal Newcastle consumers, offering another distinctive experience for enjoyment through this light and refreshing summer beverage. In research, Newcastle Brown Ale drinkers were not only extremely interested in the new Summer Ale blend but they also really liked the product once they tried it.”
Limited edition Newcastle Summer Ale glassware, which is designed to accentuate the hoppy aromas, will also be available. The glass features a wider rim and is decorated with the new logo celebrating “Hops and Glory.” The beverage will be featured in bars with humorous artwork, driving consumers to pose the question to servers, “Ask me about the hops and glory.” Posters offer the announcement “New from Newcastle: An Ale for Summer” and “Hoppy and Glorious. Perfect if Thirsty.”
“The seasonal beer market continues to grow at a significantly faster pace than other beer segments. We are confident that Newcastle Summer Ale is the perfect extension of the brand that will allow us to further expand our interaction with consumers while remaining true to the Newcastle brand character,” Westcott Pitt added.
Newcastle Summer Ale will launch regionally in 14 markets: Denver; Los Angeles; Santa Barbara; San Diego; San Francisco; Las Vegas; Atlanta; Charlotte, N.C.; Minneapolis; Indianapolis; Milwaukee; Hoboken, N.J.; Orlando; and Philadelphia. The product is now also available in draught kegs through mid-September.
