Greene King Magazine Issue 10 - May-Jun 2024

The next chapter…

New beers join premium craft range

PAGE 51 Got a problem in the cellar? Why not visit the Cellar Doctor?

PAGE 19 Euro 24 Finals offer month-long sales opportunity PAGE 36 Greene King helps rugby clubs flourish PAGE 64 Time to freshen up your rosé range for summer?

42 deals in this issue!

MAY & JUNE PROMOTIONS

BEER & CIDER

Deal 1 Hazy Day Install Deal p6

2 x Free Kegs and POS kit with every install of Hazy Day.

Deal 2 Prior Life Install Deal p8

2 x Free Kegs and POS kit with every install of Prior Life.

Deal 3 Greene King Keg Deal p10

Buy 5 x Greene King Kegs and Get 1 Keg free.

Deal 4 Greene King Packaged Deal p12

Buy 3 cases of Greene King bottles and get 1 case free.

Deal 5 Belhaven Best/Black/80 Install Deal p14

1 x Free Kegs and POS kit with every install of Best/Black/80 Shlling Keg.

Deal 6 Old Speckled Hen Scratchcard Kit Promotion p17

Buy 2 x 9gs or 2 x 4.5g and Receive a ROS-driving Scratchard Kit.

Deal 7 Maltsmiths Install Deal p18

Free 50L keg and POS kit with every install of Maltsmiths.

Deal 8

Deal 9

Estrella Galicia Install Deal p22

Free 50L keg and branded glassware with Estrella Galicia install

Estrella Galicia Packaged Deal p22

Buy 2 cases of Estrella Galicia 4.7% or 5.5% Gluten Free and get a case of Estrella Galicia 0,0% free

Deal 10 Premium Beers Install Deal p26

2 x Free 50L keg and POS kit with every install of Level Head, Flint Eye, Prior Life or Hazy Day.

Deal 11 Greene King Collector Card Kit p30

Free Collector Card Kit - Speak to your Sales Development Manager.

Deal 12 San Miguel Install Deal p34

Free Keg & POS kit with an install N/A

Deal 13 Corona Install Deal p40

Install Corona Draught and get a case of Corona Cero (24 x 330ml) to have a chance to win a free 1-night hotel stay at a Hilton Hotel in the UK. N/A

Deal 14

Carlsberg Keg Deal p44

Free POS kit when you buy 3 x Kegs of Carlsberg Danish Pilsner. N/A

Deal 15 Heineken UK POS Deal p46

Free Euro gatecrash POS Kit when you order 2 x kegs from the Heneken range. 1 per customer

Deal 16 Guinness POS Deal p46

Free Summer POS kit when you buy 3 x 50Ltr / 5x 30L Guinness. 1 per customer

Deal 18

Kopparberg 5+1 & POS p48

Buy 5 cases of Kopparberg 15x500ml and receive a free case of new Kopparberg Strawberry & Pineapple, plus x125 beer mats 4 per customer

Deal 19 Aspall Install Deal p50

Install Aspall 4.5 or Aspall Blush and recieve a free keg on install N/A

Deal 20 Westons Install Deal p52

Install a Henry Westons 50L or any Stowford Press 50L keg cider and receive a free keg + pos kit N/A

Deal 21

Rekorderlig 6+1 p54

Buy 4 Get 1 free 2 per customer

WINE

Deal 22 Chapel Down 6+1 p58

Buy 6 bottles get 1 free 1 per customer

SPIRITS

Deal 17

Loch Lomond Deal p48

Free POS kit & £3 off per bottle

Deal 23 Jack Daniels POS Deal p60

MAY & JUNE PROMOTIONS

Buy any 3 Jack Daniels and Jack Flavours for 1 x POS Kit (must contain min 1 x honey) 2 per customer

Deal 24 Campari Save £1 p60

£1 off a bottle of Campari Unlimited

Deal 25

Johnnie Walker POS Deal p62

Buy any 3 from the JW range 70cl (Black and Red) and get a free POS Kit 1 per customer

Deal 34 Whitley Neill 3+1 p74

buy any 3 Whitley Neill Gin’s get a Whitley Neill Rhubarb & Ginger 0.0% FOC Unlimited

SOFT DRINKS

Deal 35 Fentimans POS Deal p76

Buy 4 Fentimans Softs, Get Glassware & Fentimans Menu Free 1 per customer

Deal 26

Diageo BIB POS Deal p62

Buy 2x BIBs of any flavour for a FREE POS Kit! 1 per customer

Deal 27 Tails 2+1 p66

Buy 2 x Tails 1L Cocktails from the range, get a FREE Bacardi Pina Colada 6 per customer

Deal 28 Malibu 3+1 p68

Buy 3 x 70cl Malibu Original and get a free bottle of Malibu Strawberry 1 per customer

Deal 36 Fever Tree POS Deal p76

Buy 1 cases of Fever-Tree cocktail mixers, get 2 x custom made Easy Shakers 1 per customer

Deal 37 Schweppes Cans 4+1 p77

Buy 4 x 150ml Schweppes cans & get 1 free 10 per customer

Deal 38 Red Bull 3+1 p77

Buy 3 cases of Red Bull Energy, receive a free case of Sugarfree 1 per customer

Deal 29

Deal 30

Disaronno Velvet POS Deal p70

Buy 1 x 70cl and receive 6 x glasses free 1 per customer

Limoncella Save £1.50 p70

£1.50 off per bottle 1 per customer

Deal 31 The Botanist POS Deal p72

Buy 2 x 70cl of The Botanist and receive 6 Botanist glasses and a wooden Botanist planter 4 per customer

Deal 32 Southern Comfort POS Deal p72

Buy 2 x 70cl or 1x1.5L to receive POS 2 per customer

Deal 33 Sailor Jerry POS Deal p74

Get 6 free Sailor Jerry tin can serve vessels and cherries when you buy 2 x 70cl 2 per customer

Deal 39

Deal 40

Deal 41

Lucozade Sport Save £1 p78

£1 off a case of 12 x 500ML Unlimited

Orangina Save £1 p78

£1 off a case of 12 x 250ML Unlimited

Monster Energy 2+1 p79

Monster 500ml range - Buy 2 flavours get the 3rd free 6 per customer

Deal 42 Fruit Shoot 4+1 p80

Buy 4 cases from the Fruit Shoot range to receive 1 x case of Fruit Shoot Orange Free 2 per customer

PRODUCT DISCOUNTS NOW AVAILABLE

Discounts are reimbursed as account credit at the end of the promotional period

FOOTBALL

Sporting events are a great way of bringing customers into your venue and football is no exception! False Nine, a refreshing hoppy golden ale made with a fusion of fragrant hops is a delicious and thirst-quenching beer that pairs perfectly with pub classics like fish & chips and a game or two.

We’ve also created an extra premium pump clip to help draw attention on your bar.

AVAILABLE IN 9G FIRKINS AND 4.5G PINS

Our story is one of blood, sweat and beers. As professional rugby players, being part of a team was everything. So, it made complete sense to make a beer that would bring people together.

Wolfpack is our new sense of purpose, and we pull every pint with the same fierce commitment we showed in the field.

Wolfpack Sesh IPA is laid-back and refreshing with a golden sunshine glow. Expect the crisp embrace of floral hops and vibrant citrus notes, perfectly complementing many pub classics such as wings, burgers, pies - all you need is great company!

A truly sessionable beer!

AVAILABLE IN 9G FIRKINS AND 4.5G PINS

INCLUDES: GLASSWARE, BAR RUNNERS, BEER MATS, STAFF T-SHIRTS, LANYARDS AND MINI CHALKBOARD

In the 16th Century in Bury St. Edmunds, those convicted of minor crimes were sentenced to a day in the pillories. With clouded judgement & a hazy sense of morality, locals would come to heckle, goad & even throw things at the miscreants!

TASTING NOTES A SMOOTH, UNLAWFULLY FRUITY HAZY IPA WITH ORANGE, CITRUS AND TROPICAL NOTES HOPS CASCADE, CITRA AND TALUS

SUMMER IS COMING!

I don’t know about you, but I’m increasingly sensing that this summer could be the first one for a long time where the trade might edge towards something resembling normality. Yes, we still face plenty of challenges, but there are signs of light at the end of the tunnel – and at Belhaven we will be there to support you every step of the way.

We all know the huge difference that summer makes to trade, particularly if we enjoy some sustained periods of good weather. And if you have a beer garden at your venue, so much the better.

On top of that, however, we have an unbelievable summer of sport ahead of us which should drive footfall, sales and profits. There’s a lot to get excited about but the Euro 24 Finals in Germany and the Olympics later in the year are the obvious highlights.

Belhaven has worked really hard to build a brilliant support package for you to make the most of the Euro 24 Finals, particularly as the home nations are well represented, including Scotland – which means more interest and, hopefully, packed venues for the month-long festival of football.

Inside you’ll even find some suggestions for

great drinks to stock from 10 of the nations that have qualified for the Euro 24 Finals – and you can get them all from Belhaven. What better way to add further excitement on match days?

We’re also delighted to unveil two new beers in this issue. Hazy Day and Prior Life are two fantastic new brews that have joined our growing stable of craft beers. I would encourage you all to give them a go, particularly as we are offering some great launch deals to give you even more reasons to stock these lines and help drive sales in the growing craft beers category.

With summer drawing near, we’re also entering peak rosé wine time so inside you’ll find a guide to some fantastic wines you can add to your list to help set summer sales buzzing.

I wish you all fantastic trading over the next couple of months – and please do speak to your SDM if we can help in any way at all. We’re there for you. With

Paul Downing On Trade Sales Director, Greene King

INCLUDES: GLASSWARE, BAR RUNNERS, BEER MATS, STAFF T-SHIRTS, LANYARDS AND BEER INFO CARDS

A tribute to the original Bury St Edmunds master brewers, the Benedictine monks, whose ghosts are said to still walk our Abbey today. This sessionable IPA is as divinely fruity as the low strength beer they drank litres of daily, as it was safer than water at the time.

TASTING NOTES

ETERNALLY LIGHT, EASY DRINKING ALL DAY IPA WITH MELLOW TROPICAL NOTES AND CITRUS AROMA HOPS MALT

PALE MALT WHEAT MALT ROLLED OATS CARAPILS

P11 Greene King News

Two new premium craft beers unveiled.

P15 Industry News

Pub, club and bar spend continues to grow.

P19 Lead feature Cash in on a summer of top-class sport.

P23 Consumer Insight What consumers want around major sporting events.

P28 NPD

Hazy Day and Prior Life join Greene King’s craft beer stable.

P33 Brand Focus Up close and personal with Wolfpack.

P42 Customer Profile: Forbes of Kingennie From pond with a hut to a four-star country resort.

P51 Cellar Services

Got a problem? The Cellar Doctor will see you now.

P56 Meet The Team: Annabel South Premium beers in the spotlight.

P61 New Listings

Some of the latest products to hit the bar.

P64 Range Freedom: rosé wine Grow summer sales with rosé.

P71 Euro Finals Top 10 Great drinks from around Europe.

Request your kit today from your Sales Development Manager or Customer Sales

GREENE KING EXPANDS CRAFT BEER RANGE

Greene King has further expanded its range of craft beers with the launch of two new products, Hazy Day and Prior Life.

With craft beer continuing to help drive the beer category forward, Greene King has unveiled two new IPA additions to its fast-growing range of craft beers.

Hazy Day and Prior Life are now available and join Flint Eye and Level Head in the Greene King craft beer stable, helping to bring yet more excitement and momentum to this important category. Greene King’s craft beer portfolio now provides an enhanced craft offering for every venue to help drive volumes and margins.

Craft beer has been particularly successful in bringing younger drinkers into the category and the new brews will help demonstrate ale’s relevance to a younger demographic.

Hazy Day is a juicy, smooth and fruity 4.3% ABV IPA while Prior Life is a fruity and refreshing, 3.4% ABV All Day IPA that is light, easy drinking and packed with mellow tropical notes and a crisp citrus aroma.

Prior Life’s lower alcohol level means venues can take advantage of the growth at the value end of the craft ale market without sacrificing quality, as well as appealing to drinkers looking to moderate their consumption.

Both new lines are available in 30L keg and 330ml can formats.

To find out more, turn to p28.

PUB SPEND CONTINUED TO GROW IN FEBRUARY

Pub, club and bar spend continued to rise in February, despite challenging conditions, according to the latest monthly Barclays Consumer Spend Report.

February was one of the most challenging months for a while, with total consumer card spending rising just 1.9% yearon-year (YOY), significantly behind the official inflation rate at the time of 4.2%, the smallest growth since back in September 2022. Despite that, pub, club and bar spend continued to grow in the month, albeit by only 1.1% YOY, also the lowest monthly growth level seen since September 2022.

Those are two of the key findings from the latest monthly Barclays Consumer Spend Report, which combines hundreds of millions of customer transactions with consumer research to provide an indepth view of UK spending.

Restaurants also endured a much tougher month, down 13.4% YOY in February,

having fallen 11.6% YOY in January.

The report also highlighted how more consumers than ever are becoming aware of online ‘drip pricing’ with 36% saying they had seen examples of added extra and hidden charges at the checkout when spending online. This is most frequently spotted when paying for food delivery services (39%).

More positively, consumers’ confidence in their ability to spend on non-essential items reached its highest point since November 2021 in February, at 59%. Similarly, concerns about inflation and rising household bills also softened to 84%, the most positive figures for more than two years, indicating that easing inflationary pressures are having a positive impact on household finances.

CALLS FOR BLANKET EUROS EXTENSION

Business owners and trade associations are telling the Home Office that a blanket relaxation of licensing hours for the semi-final and final of the Euros will benefit football fans and businesses alike.

The Home Office is proposing a blanket relaxation of licensing hours if any of the qualifying home nations reach the semi-final or final of the men’s 2024 European Championships.

Licensing hours for these games are proposed to be extended to 1am in England and Wales, which will be particularly important for any games on a Sunday, including the final. On Sundays, many venues are only licensed until 10.30pm.

BUDGET FAILS TO DELIVER VAT REDUCTION FOR HOSPITALITY

The Government’s March Budget contained several positives for the trade but conspicuously failed to deliver a reduction in the 20% rate of hospitality and tourism VAT.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s recent March Budget delivered a number of positives for the hospitality and pub trade but failed to deliver a much sought after reduction in VAT for hospitality and tourism.

Trade bodies and business owners have long campaigned for a reduction in the 20% headline rate but the Chancellor was clearly not persuaded of the importance and urgency of a cut in VAT for an industry desperately in need of support.

In his Budget, Hunt confirmed that the freeze on alcohol duty which had been due to end in August will continue until February 2025, commenting: “We value our hospitality industry and are backing the great British pub.”

National Insurance was cut by 2% from 6 April, from 10% to 8% for employees

and from 8% to 6% for the self-employed with Hunt commenting that the average employee would be £450 better off a year.

The VAT threshold was tweaked with the amount small businesses can earn before having to register for VAT raised from £85,000 to £90,000 from April.

BUDGET: IN A NUTSHELL

Alcohol duty freeze extended until February 2025

National Insurance for employees cut by 2% to 8%

VAT threshold for small businesses raised to £90k (from £85k)

No reduction in VAT for hospitality and tourism

SUPPORT HOSPITALITY WITH ‘EXTRA CASH’

The Scottish Government is to receive around £295m in additional funding through the Barnett formula and is being urged to use it to back the hospitality industry.

Leon Thompson, Executive Director of UKHospitality Scotland, said: “With support for business the glaring omission from the Scottish Budget, it’s imperative that the additional £300m in funding for the Scottish Government is used to support hospitality.

“Having lost more than 1,300 businesses in Scotland since the start of the pandemic, business rates relief on par with what is being offered to English businesses is essential and I would urge the Scottish Government to implement that as a matter of urgency.

“Without it, our sector will remain at a significant disadvantage to our competitors in England and Wales. This will only risk further business closures and be detrimental to our ability to drive economic growth, create jobs and serve our communities.”

•

•

FREE KEG & POS KIT ON INSTALL*

KIT CONTAINS:

x Pint Glasses

2 x Bar Runners

x Dripmats

Speak to your Sales Development Manager for more information or to arrange an install

EUROS CAP STUNNING SUMMER OF SPORT

EURO 24 FINALS

14TH JUNE – 14TH JULY

A fantastic summer of top-class sport is set to create endless opportunities for venues to maximise footfall, sales and profits with the Euro 24 Finals in Germany the pick of the sporting bunch.

EURO 24 FINALS POS DEALS

Add some in-venue theatre during the Euro 24 Finals with some great POS deals!

P30 Collector Card Kit Order a free Collector Card Kit from your SDM for use on all Greene King and Belhaven beers, including our new craft range and download FREE social media assets.

P46 Heineken Order two kegs from the Heineken range to create the ultimate sports viewing experience with a FREE POS kit!

This summer has the makings of a cracker for venues across the country, particularly if the sun shines for extended periods, but what is most likely to drive footfall and sales is a packed calendar of amazing sport. From the FA and Scottish Cup Finals, the Champion’s League Final to Wimbledon and the

The undoubted key opportunity, however, is the Euro 24 Finals, held from 14th June to 14th July in Germany. It’s the first Euro Finals since 2020 when Italy beat England in the final and with both England and Scotland having qualified, it’s sure to be a massive opportunity for venues.

Both home nations will play in three matches each in the first round, guaranteeing at least six full houses for venues showing the matches live.

OPENING MATCH

FRIDAY 14TH JUNE

Germany v SCOTLAND – 8pm

SUNDAY 16TH JUNE

Serbia v ENGLAND – 8pm

WEDNESDAY 19TH JUNE

SCOTLAND v Switzerland – 8pm

THURSDAY 20TH JUNE

Denmark v ENGLAND – 5pm

SUNDAY 23RD JUNE

SCOTLAND v Hungary – 8pm

TUESDAY 25TH JUNE

ENGLAND v Slovenia

ROUND OF 16 MATCHES

SATURDAY 29TH JUNE

5pm and 8pm

SUNDAY 30TH JUNE

5pm and 8pm

MONDAY 1ST JULY

5pm and 8pm

TUESDAY 2ND JULY

5pm and 8pm

QUARTER FINALS

FRIDAY 5TH JULY

5pm and 8pm

SATURDAY 6TH JULY

5pm and 8pm

SEMI FINALS

TUESDAY 9TH JULY 8pm

WEDNESDAY 10TH JULY

8pm

FINAL

SUNDAY 14TH JULY

8pm

EURO FINALS 24 KEY MATCHES

Additionally, Scotland have the unenviable task of facing hosts Germany in the opening match on 14th June. It may be a tough start to the campaign for the Scotland team, but it’s likely to be a great start for venues, with so much interest in the tournament.

The event features back-to-back matches for a full month and has the potential to provide venues with an unbelievably strong start to the key summer trading period. Recent research shows that almost half of all adults – 45% – say they plan to watch a Euros match in a pub this summer. That’s an opportunity not to be missed!

SCORE WITH THEATRE

One of the most important things you can do in preparation is add some theatre in-venue to really bring the tournament to life for your customers.

Why not invest in some strips for your staff and hand out scarves to customers. It’s quick and inexpensive and it can help elevate the whole experience.

One thing that is an absolute must, however, is to order your Greene King IPA ‘Watch Football here’ POS kit. It contains everything you’ll need, including a pump clip crowner, fixture posters, empty belly posters, bunting, dripmats, social media assets and a consumer promotion that will help drive rate of sale.

THE POWER OF SPORT

Sky Business and CGA data from 2023 clearly demonstrates the enormous power of live sport in driving footfall and spend in venues:

Sport brings people together: 75% of fans visit with bigger groups than they usually would when visiting venues generally.

A sporting reputation builds loyalty: 89% are more likely to revisit a venue if they know matches are screened (and well over two-thirds (72%) would go less often if it stopped showing sports).

Fans spend more: Their average monthly spend on eating and drinking out is 36% higher than those who don’t visit pubs and bars to watch sport.

Sporting occasions lengthen visits: 87% say they stay longer than usual when a live game is on.

Live games create a unique atmosphere: 41% of fans say the lively atmosphere is a main reason they watch in pubs and bars instead of elsewhere.

Day parts: Sport can attract people to pubs and bars at times they wouldn’t normally visit. Significant numbers say they are more likely to visit at times (32%) or on days (38%) when they would otherwise be elsewhere.

SCORE WITH CASK

For the many cask ale fans out there, Greene King is making a special Limited Edition False Nine Golden Ale available in time for the Euros.

A refreshing, hoppy golden ale with a fusion of fragrant hops, False Nine is a delicious and thirstquenching beer that pairs perfectly with pub classics like fish and chips as fans watch the matches.

It even comes with an extra premium pump clip to help make it unmissable behind the bar during the Euros.

Available from 19 May, False Nine is available in both 9G Firkins and 4.5G Pins.

SCORE WITH SOFTS

It’s worth bearing in mind that while beer is likely to be front of mind for many of your customers during the games, data from Coca-Cola Europacific Partners shows that a significant 30% of consumers don’t plan to drink alcohol while watching Euros matches. Of those, 60% would prefer a soft drink to a low- or no-alcohol option.

So it makes sense to ensure you’re all stocked up on popular soft drinks options as well as providing some low and no options like Estrella Galicia 0.0% and Old Speckled Hen Low Alcohol.

The stage is set and a world of opportunity lies ahead. It’s time to make sure your venue is ready to cash in!

NO SOFT OPTION

While the Euro Finals are most likely to see spikes in sales of alcohol, don’t underestimate the power of soft drinks to help drive footfall, sales and profits. According to data from Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP):

45% say they plan to visit a pub to watch a Euros match this summer 3 in 10 don’t plan to drink any alcohol whilst watching the Euros 6 in 10 of those not drinking alcohol would choose a soft drink over mocktails or low/no

THE TOP THREE SOFT DRINK CHOICES ARE:

Cola

Adult Soft Drinks

Flavoured Carbonates

To score with soft drinks during the Euros, CCEP advises delivering a ‘hat trick’:

1. Right range, right outlet: 40% will consume more than one type of soft drink on the same occasion

2. Served perfectly: 83% say having their soft drink served perfectly improves the overall experience

3. More often: 83% say it would make them more likely to order another drink and revisit the venue

SPANISH, NOT SPAN"iSH"

CASH IN ON A SUMMER OF SPORT

This summer features a back-to-back calendar of top-class sport which offers fantastic opportunities to grow footfall, sales and profits – and the latest consumer research can help point you in the right direction.

By Caroline Morley, Insights Manager – Consumer

After the challenges of the last four or five years, the prospect of a long, warm summer is surely a very welcome one for all venues. Could this be the summer when things finally return to something resembling ‘normality’?

One of the keys to maximising the vital summer sales period is to unlock the huge opportunity created by sport. This summer again features a backto-back calendar of top-quality sport including standout events like the Olympics in France and the Euro 24 Finals in Germany.

To make sure that you squeeze every penny of profit out of the forthcoming summer of sport, it’s important to plan ahead and ensure that you have everything in place to help bring as many customers to your door as possible to enjoy these showcase events.

So, what exactly is important to consumers when choosing a venue when they want to watch live sport? To answer that question, we decided to ask pub-goers all about their priorities. Read on to find out what they said…

KEY POINT 1

WHAT ARE THE KEY DRIVERS OF VENUE CHOICE WHEN WATCHING SPORT?

The top things that people who watch sport are looking for when choosing a venue to watch sport in are:

52%: convenient location

50%: reasonable price of drinks

50%: ensuring I have a seat

High quality audio and visual equipment also rank highly, as does the venue capacity and ensuring it’s not too crowded.

A friendly atmosphere is also considered important, ensuring people feel comfortable and that there’s a good vibe in the venue.

SO WHAT?

Making the sport-watching experience easy for customers is key.

Customers want to watch sport somewhere that is easy to get to, with reasonably priced drinks and they want to be able to see the screen and hear the audio.

It’s critical to make sure your customers have good access to screens and that the venue isn’t too crowded with plenty of seating.

Who are we?

We

KEY POINT 2

FOOD AND SPORT

Of our sample, 60% told us that when they go out to watch sport, they order both food and drinks. This ranges from a full meal to bar snacks and is more important to customers aged 18-54.

61% told us they like to be able to order from the main menu.

52% said they’d like to be able to order snacks or finger food when they go out to watch sport.

SO WHAT?

Make sure a range of food is available when showing sport in your venue.

Offer a range of options from more substantial meals to snack foods and sharing platters.

KEY POINT 3

ENHANCE THE SPORTING EXPERIENCE

Almost half (44%) of customers told us that they would like to be able to pre-order a package of drinks when watching sport, at a set price.

43% told us they’d like to be able to book a private table or booth with a TV built in. This increased to 50% among those aged 18-34 years.

A third of customers told us they’d like to pre-order a meal.

SO WHAT?

Think about ways you can enhance the sport-watching experience in your venue.

This is particularly important for younger customers, so offering more innovative ways to watch sport and offering packages or deals on food and drink could drive more customers to your door.

Again, it’s about making it easy for customers and making the whole experience comfortable and enjoyable.

INCREASE SALES

READY WITH A

WORTH UP TO £10,000! PLUS £10,000 WORTH OF PARASOLS AND CAFÉ BARRIERS TO BE WON*

It’s not too late to get your garden ready for the summer! For stockists of Level Head, Flint Eye, Hazy Day and Prior Life, we’re still offering a helping hand…up to the value of £10,000 for one lucky winner! Plus we have lots of parasols and café barriers to give away. We’ll help bring your outdoor space to life and drive footfall to your venue, keeping the beer flowing all summer long.

How to qualify: simply purchase 10+ kegs of one brand during May and June. The first 35 customers to do so will receive their choice of 4 parasols or 4 café barriers!* Plus every qualifier will be entered into the draw for the £10,000 makeover!*

EXAMPLES OF COMPLETED MAKEOVERS

PLEASE SPEAK TO YOUR SALES DEVELOPMENT MANAGER FOR

WELCOME TO THE NEXT CHAPTER…

Greene King is expanding its craft beer range with the launch of two new brews – Hazy Day and Prior Life – providing an enhanced craft solution for every venue to help drive volumes and margins.

Craft ale has been a particularly exciting category for several years and is the fastest-growing ale category, according to CGA data. The same research shows that craft ale is proving attractive to younger drinkers and clearly demonstrates ale’s relevance to a younger demographic.

Exciting new craft beers, like Greene King’s Flint Eye and Level Head, have brought fresh energy and momentum to the category, and Greene King is now expanding its craft beer range with the launch of two brand new brews – Hazy Day and Prior Life. The result is that Greene King’s craft beer portfolio now provides an enhanced craft offering for every venue to help drive volumes and margins.

COMPREHENSIVE RANGE

Juicy, smooth and fruity, Hazy Day is a 4.3% ABV IPA with orange, grapefruit and tropical notes. The name of the beer was inspired by the habit of Bury St Edmunds locals in the 16th century who would gather with clouded judgement and a hazy sense of morality to heckle, goad and throw things at people who had been convicted of minor crimes and were sentenced to a day in the public pillories!

Prior Life is a fruity and refreshing, 3.4% ABV All Day IPA that is light, easy drinking and packed with mellow tropical notes and a crisp citrus aroma. Prior Life has been created as a liquid tribute to the original Bury St Edmunds master brewers, the

Benedictine monks, whose ghosts are said to still walk our abbey today. This sessionable IPA is as divinely fruity as the low strength beer the monks drank in vast quantities every day, at least partly because it was safer to drink than water at the time!

The lower alcohol level means venues can take advantage of the growth at the value end of the craft ale market without sacrificing quality.

Both new lines are available in 30L keg and 330ml can formats and both are being supported by an extensive array of branded materials to help bring these new legends to life in your venue. These include everything from T-shirts, branded glassware and drip mats to bar runners, lanyards and bar-top POS to prompt trial, as well as eye-catching taps.

CASH IN ON CRAFT

Craft ale is now worth more than £1.2bn in the UK and accounts for a significant 8.7% of the total draught beer category and 20% of the ale category, according to CGA OPMS data to July 2023. Growth is being witnessed across all segments of the category with mainstream and value outlets growing fastest.

This represents a huge opportunity for all venues. A massive 82% of craft beer consumers view the range available in a particular venue as important when choosing where to visit [CGA Brand Track, Aug 2022]. Additionally, we know that craft

“82% OF CRAFT BEER CONSUMERS VIEW THE RANGE AVAILABLE IN A PARTICULAR VENUE AS IMPORTANT WHEN CHOOSING WHERE TO VISIT.”

HAZY DAY

INSPIRATION

In the 16th century in Bury St Edmunds, those convicted of minor crimes were sentenced to a day in the pillories.

With clouded judgement and a hazy sense of morality, locals would come to heckle, goad and even throw things at the miscreants!

TASTING NOTES

A smooth, unlawfully fruity hazy IPA with orange, grapefruit and tropical notes.

FORMATS

30L keg & 330ml can

ABV

4.3%

PRIOR LIFE

INSPIRATION

A tribute to the original Bury St Edmunds master brewers, the Benedictine monks, whose ghosts are said to still walk our abbey today.

This sessionable IPA is as divinely fruity as the low-strength beer the monks drunk litres of daily, as it was safer than water at the time!

TASTING NOTES

Eternally light, easy-drinking all-day IPA with mellow tropical notes and citrus aroma. FORMATS

30L & 50L kegs & 330ml can

BRINGING THE LEGENDS TO LIFE IN-VENUE

T-shirts

Branded glassware

Drip mats

Bar runners

Sample chalkboard

Lanyards

Scan here for social media assets

drinkers are prepared to pay more for their preferred drink.

The addition of Hazy Day and Prior Life means that Greene King now has a quality craft beer for every venue – value, mainstream or premium – allowing them to capitalise on this important trend by bringing new drinkers into the category as well as helping them to trade existing drinkers up.

Level Head is already the number-two-selling craft ale in terms of rate of sale, second only to Beavertown Neck Oil, while Flint Eye is the UK’s second-best-selling craft lager with only Camden Hells ahead of it.

The success of these lines means that Greene King is now the fourth-largest craft brewer in the UK, so not only is the category growing, but the Greene King portfolio is also growing even quicker, up an amazing 37% year-on-year [CGA OPM, Jul 2023].

With Hazy Day and Prior Life now joining the portfolio, future growth is very much on the horizon – so why not stock up on the two new lines and be part of this exciting new chapter.

A SOLUTION FOR EVERY VENUE

Greene King’s enhanced craft beer portfolio means we now offer a solution for every venue, helping you to drive sales and profits:

WOLFPACK ON THE HUNT FOR GROWTH

Wolfpack, the beer brand created by former Saracens rugby stars

Alistair Hargreaves and Chris Wyles, is celebrating its 10th birthday this year with plenty to get excited about, including the launch of Wolfpack Alpha Stout and a range of cask beers.

When international rugby heroes Alistair Hargreaves and Chris Wyles were team mates at Saracens, they were both only too aware that life as a professional rugby player is extremely tough and relatively short, so they were both aware that they had to start making plans for life after rugby.

“We knew would have to get a real job one day,” laughs Hargreaves, a former Springbok and captain of Saracens. “Rugby was getting more and more painful, the older we got.”

Which is precisely how the pair ended up founding the Wolfpack beer brand in 2014 and launching Wolfpack Lager.

Also involved was Scottish international Jim Hamilton, who invested in the business at the outset and continues to actively support it today.

“Moving into beer didn’t seem like a massive leap for either of us,” says Hargreaves, with another laugh. “We enjoyed drinking

it and beer is a big and positive part of rugby culture, at all levels of the sport. Having a few beers with your mates is all part of that experience, it’s important in building that camaraderie – and that’s what we were trying to capture with ‘Wolfpack,’ which was our team mantra at Saracens. For us, it’s all about bringing people together and gaining that sense of camaraderie that comes from doing something bigger than yourself. Life is better when it’s spent together, and the strength of the wolf is in its pack. We totally believe that.”

In the early days, Hargreaves and Wyles simply sold their Wolfpack Lager to supporters at Saracens matches from a black and red double-decker Wolfpack bus they’d bought and kitted out with 20 bar taps.

“We almost drove the bus onto the fi eld!” says Hargreaves. “We parked it right by the pitch for the fi rst match of the season against Gloucester and we sold shedloads of beer! It was a bizarre experience to be playing on the pitch that day and to

keep seeing the bus out of the corner of my eye and hoping that we were shifting some beer!”

With that nerve-wracking launch out of the way, things quickly progressed and Wolfpack started supplying local pubs and bars.

Hargreaves explains: “It grew quickly and we were literally dropping kegs off after training. We were supplying five pubs, then 10, then 20 and it just kept spiralling.”

As if things couldn’t get any better, Hargreaves captained Saracens to the Premiership title that year, before being forced to retire in 2016 at the age of 30 after sustaining repeated concussions. By then, however, Wolfpack was very much in the hunt as a growing brand.

“Let’s be clear,” says Hargreaves, “we knew absolutely nothing about brewing beer or building brands on day one, but we figured we would learn on the job, and that’s exactly how it played out. For Chris and I, it was all about reinvigorating the brewing business with an innovative and exciting brand that offered a real point of difference.”

A decade down the line and the pair have unquestionably achieved their aims. As well as offering a range of three beers: Wolfpack Pilsner, Wolfpack Sesh IPA and Wolfpack Kolsch – the company also boasts three “Dens,” or pubs as most people know them. The outlets in Fulham, Queens Park and West Hampstead offer customers the chance to have the full Wolfpack experience complete with huge ranges of craft beers, a curated wine list, extensive food options and even

accommodation. All three Dens focus majorly on sport in general and rugby in particular, and visitors shouldn’t be surprised to rub shoulders with some of the international rugby legends who frequent the venues.

“The pubs are important to us, just like our beer, because our ethos is all about sociability and togetherness,” explains Hargreaves. “It’s about getting people off the sofa, off Netflix, off their phones and getting out to socialise. We are all social animals at heart.”

And the hard work never stops for the pair, with plenty more new activity happening this year.

“We’ve just launched Wolfpack Alpha Stout, which is our first foray into the exciting stout category,” says Hargreaves. “Stout is a wonderful and growing category and it’s such an unusual product that takes drinkers on a unique journey of taste. But we felt there was scope to develop the category and offer our own take on it. Guinness is such an incredible brand and they’ve done a great job over the last decade or so of making it appealing to a much wider audience, including younger drinkers. Our intention is not to compete with Guinness but to

complement it. We believe Wolfpack

Black is a phenomenal product and it offers good margins for venues stocking it, which is vital.”

Also launching shortly is a new cask range from Wolfpack, a really interesting move/ from a modern edgy brand like this.

“Cask beer is really the heart of what British beer is about,” comments Hargreaves. “So what we want to do with our new range is to bring new, younger drinkers into the category and give them a chance to explore the delights of cask beer. Cask was really the foundation of today’s craft beer movement because it offers more flavour, more excitement and great back stories. We want to take cask to a new audience in a way that will appeal to them.

“We have already produced one trial cask beer to raise money for charity and it was a huge success. We raised more than £15k for the Motor Neurone Disease charity so we believe there are people out there looking to try something different in the cask category.”

And while the hunt goes on for more growth in the future as Hargreaves and Wyles continue to share their unique ethos with a wider world, the heart of what they do and why they do it will always remain consistent.

“At the end of the day,” concludes Hargreaves, “we’re not pushing a product. We’re pushing a brand, an approach to life that’s edgier and fun but which has a heritage and is entirely authentic. The first 10 years have been a blast and we’re right up for the next 10!”

“OUR ETHOS IS ALL ABOUT SOCIABILITY AND TOGETHERNESS, ABOUT GETTING PEOPLE OFF THE SOFA, OFF NETFLIX, OFF THEIR PHONES AND GETTING OUT TO SOCIALISE.”

WINNING ON AND OFF THE PITCH

Greene King and Belhaven have a long and venerable history of supporting rugby at all levels and continues to proactively work with clubs of all sizes to help them achieve success on and off the pitch.

There has always been a deep and positive relationship between beer and sport and nowhere is that more evident than in the sport of rugby. Greene King and Belhaven have long supported rugby across the country at all levels, from the dizzy heights of the Premiership to the critically important community rugby clubs that help bring people together every week in villages, towns and cities everywhere to enjoy some healthy competition and, of course, a few beers.

The deep involvement of Greene King IPA with rugby is the perfect example, having been the Official Beer of England Rugby for eight consecutive years and title sponsor of the English Championship for eight years.

That high-profile relationship with high-level rugby continues to this day through Greene King IPA’s official partnership with

But it’s not just at the elite level that Greene King and Belhaven support the sport. Greene King IPA also supports grassroots rugby through its ground-breaking Proud To Pitch In initiative, as well as counting over 100 rugby clubs as Free Trade customers.

Similarly, Belhaven Best has enjoyed a lengthy involvement with rugby in Scotland and is a firm favourite of many drinkers when it comes to spending a few hours at pitchside or in the pub watching the match.

To find out how that relationship works in practice, Value for Venues decided to catch up with three different rugby clubs to find out how they work hand-in-hand with Greene King to deliver success both on and off the pitch.

Premiership clubs such as Saracens, Newcastle and Gloucester.

CASE STUDY 1

SARACENS RUGBY CLUB (PREMIERSHIP)

Playing at the very highest level of competition in English rugby, Saracens is a household name and over the years has seen some of the world’s most famous players wear its jersey including Michael Lynagh, Francois Pienaar, Kyran Bracken Maro Itoje and Owen Farrell.

Founded in 1876, this North London club has claimed every major trophy including winning the English Premiership six times, most recently in 2023, and being crowned European champions three times along the way.

Greene King’s links with Saracens go back for many years, as Saracens Commercial Director Lucy Englander explains: “We’re

now in our third renewal cycle with Greene King and we’ve been working with them for 12 years and counting.

“As well as having a great range and quality of products, we also appreciate the team and the people that support our partnership and we get 360 service support from marketing, sales and operations including cellar services and tech instalment support.

“They help us with quarterly review on sales to check we have the right range, they provide sampling support when launching new products and we fell like it’s not just left to us to maximise the sales.”

“WE HAVE BUILT UP HUGE TRUST OVER THE YEARS AND GREENE KING HAVE BEEN VERY LOYAL AND SUPPORTIVE PARTNERS THROUGH BOTH THE HIGHS AND LOWS. WE THINK OF THEM AS AN EXTENSION OF OUR OWN TEAM.”

LUCY ENGLANDER, COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR, SARACENS

“PEOPLE DO BUSINESS WITH PEOPLE AND THAT’S WHAT MAKES THIS RELATIONSHIP SO FANTASTIC – AND THE FACT THAT WE HAVE JUST COMMITTED TO OUR THIRD LONG TERM CYCLE RENEWAL CLEARLY DEMONSTRATES HOW WELL THE RELATIONSHIP IS WORKING.”

LUCY ENGLANDER, COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR, SARACENS

For Saracens, the financial support and business advice provided by Greene King has helped the club drive growth and profitability.

“Greene King’s support, expertise and technical capabilities have been key in helping us develop our new East and West Stands,” says Lucy. “They were involved in helping to design the floor plans for the cellar and bars and then installing and funding the tech. They massively helped reduce the cost of the tech in the new stands. Greene King shares and understands our growth ambitions for increasing secondary spend at our games. That’s a huge area for growth, but it needs to be working efficiently, and that’s what Greene King’s help allows to do.”

Greene King supplies a wide range of ale, lager, stout, cider, mixers and spirits to Saracens and also provides cellar services and bar tech support, including on match days.

“There are Greene King match day technicians on site to ensure that when we are at our busiest we are running efficiently and if there are any issues they can sort them as quickly as possible,” explains Lucy.

“The fact that we can source a full range of products is also very important to us because our fans have so many different preferences. Our customers are now used to having any product at the press of the button and we need to make sure that their experience here is no different.”

Lucy describes her relationship with Greene King as “fantastic”, commenting: “People do business with people and that’s what makes this relationship so fantastic. The fact that we have just committed to our third long term cycle renewal clearly demonstrates how well the relationship is working.

“We have built up huge trust over the years and Greene King have been very loyal and supportive partners through both the highs and lows. We think of them as an extension of our own team.”

Lucy wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Greene King to other rugby clubs or, indeed, to other large venues of any description. She concludes: “We feel like we are in good hands with Greene King and they give us access to their vast industry expertise and knowledge. Greene King has worked very hard at understanding our venue and our business and that allows them to support us every step of the way. They’re part of our team.”

BIRMINGHAM MOSELEY RUGBY CLUB (NATIONAL LEAGUE 1)

Founded in 1873 by members of Havelock Cricket Club who wanted a winter sport when the cricket season had ended, Birmingham Moseley Rugby Club competes in the third tier of English rugby. The club has been based at Billesley Common since 2005 and currently sits near the top of the table, a fact that pleases General Manager James Preston immensely.

“We have a long and complex history at this club, as you would expect of a club that recently celebrated its 150th birthday,” laughs James. “We are a true community club and we play a vital role in the local community and that’s something we’re very proud of.”

The club runs a number of teams from first XV to the Colts, a Women’s Team, Minis & Junior Teams and even a Walking Rugby Team for over

In the last decade or so, Birmingham Moseley Rugby Club has faced many of the financial challenges that rugby clubs across the country will

be familiar with but has remained resilient and proud, in part thanks to the support of Greene King, a fact that James is more than happy to acknowledge.

“We have been working with Greene King for a long time and their support has been invaluable,” he says. “We were relegated from the Championship after the 2015/16 season and, because of that, we lost our automatic sponsorship rights from Greene King – but they were fantastic and helped us through those challenging times by sticking with us. They continued to sponsor us and gave us a new barrelage deal that really helped us financially.

“We were building a new stadium at the time, to replace what had effectively been a glorified Portakabin, so the financial support was invaluable. The new stadium had a capacity of 775 and included bars and a banqueting suite for 350, as well as a gym.

“There’s no doubt that the hospitality side of the club has become hugely important and Greene King have been extremely supportive in helping us develop that side of the business,” says James. “We engage really proactively with the local community and local charities and the support of Greene King helps make that possible.

“We have a really good relationship with them, they’re always there to help when we need them.”

SHELFORD RUGBY CLUB (REGIONAL 1 SOUTH EAST)

Following a promotion at the end of the 2021/22 season, Cambridgeshire-based Shelford Rugby Club now plays in the fifth tier of English rugby and was founded in 1933. The club runs five men’s sides, two women’s sides and 15 junior teams for both boys and girls.

“As one of the biggest community sports clubs in East Anglia, we provide opportunities to participate in rugby for all men, women, young adults, teenagers and children of all abilities,” says Noel Woodgate, Chairman of the Bar at the club. “We are a place for people to socialise, stay active and everyone is welcome.”

Having celebrated its 90th birthday last year, Noel is looking forward to the centenary in 2033, having already spent more than 50 years with the club himself.

“We are first and foremost a community club and we take that role very seriously,” he says. “We try to be as inclusive as we can be because we believe rugby is for everyone. We’ve had a women’s team for 30 years, which is pretty remarkable, and the recent surge in interest in women’s and girl’s rugby we’re seeing is really encouraging. It’s fantastic!”

Shelford Rugby Club has adopted ‘Enjoyment, Welfare, Development, Inclusivity, Community and Sustainability’ as its core values and “these will always be the foundations of its continued progression and culture”, says Noel.

“As a community rugby club we aim to achieve rugby excellence from minis through to both of our first XVs, with the majority of our players and coaches

derived from the local area. We are largely volunteer run and will endeavour to always play a strong and positive role in the life of the community we serve, providing wellness, entertainment and social opportunities for all.”

As hospitality has continued to grow in importance over the years for the club, its relationship with Greene King has also flourished. “Greene King have been very supportive of us and we really appreciate that,” explains Noel. “They have been sponsoring us for years and provide us with a good barrelage deal. That makes a big difference because the hospitality side of the business is critical for us nowadays. As well as providing excellent hospitality facilities and a real community hub, we also host a lot of functions and private events from birthdays and weddings to corporate events.

“Our Main Hall can take up to 200 guests, the Mike Cooke Lounge has capacity for 80, our catering and bar facilities can take up to 200 and we have an outdoor event space that has a capacity of 400.

“Greene King have really helped us on the journey. Their range and pricing is great, their cellar services support is fantastic and they’re always open to having a conversation. We only sell products we get from Greene King because the range gives us everything we need. They also reworked our cellar for us and we now have a reputation for excellent beer.

“We are an ambitious club and we’re looking to keep growing the future. That’s something Greene King understands and is buying into with us.”

Fishing pond to 4-star resort!

From little more than a tiny fishing pond and a boathouse to a sprawling country resort inside 30 years, Forbes of Kingennie is a lesson in the value of vision, hard work, courage and investment.

It’s hard to believe as you stand in the sprawling Forbes of Kingennie Country Resort in a stunning little corner of Angus, not far from Dundee, that in the mid 1990s this was quite literally nothing more than a small fishing pond and a rudimentary wooden boathouse.

“It’s been an incredible journey, that’s for sure,” laughs General Manager Bruce Sheridan. “And it all started because of the foot and mouth pandemic! At the time the Forbes family who own the resort were pig and fruit farmers and foot and mouth was threatening to destroy their farming business. So Mike Forbes, who happened to be a champion salmon fisherman who fished for Scotland,

decided to diversify by turning the pond into a salmon fishery and making use of the boathouse to provide basic facilities to attract fisherman keen to try to hook a salmon or two in one of the most beautiful parts of the world.”

Things progressed quickly and the boathouse was converted into a fully equipped fishing shop and a café was added.

“It grew rapidly after that and Mike found he was attracting people from all over to fish, shoot and hunt,” explains Bruce. “So he built four self-catering cottages and very quickly started to attract general tourists who were as interested in the

spectacular scenery and the peace and quiet as the fishing and hunting. Then it snowballed!”

And snowball it certainly did. Today, alongside the main resort building, there are 14 self-catering lodges, eight glamping units, a purpose-built wedding and function venue, a restaurant and a bar. The little one-pond fishery now boasts five separate ponds, and a 9-hole UPGA standard golf course was added in 2007.

“It’s become a bit of a behemoth, and we now employ more than 100 people onsite,” says Bruce, who joined the business as GM just over six years ago. “We do about 110 weddings a year, we have over

400 members of the golf course and our occupancy levels in February this year were 91%. I think we’re bucking the trend for the hospitality sector, because business is flying.”

Of course, Forbes of Kingennie benefits from stunning scenery and an idyllic location but the present-day success of the venue has more to do with vision, courage and hard work than anything else.

“We’ve always been a very hands-on and tightknit business,” says Bruce. “It’s very much a family-run business and the family as well as many of the senior team all live on the farm so we’re close and we don’t

mind a bit of hard work.

“The reason we’ve been so successful after Covid is down to a couple of things, I believe: one, we used the enforced down time wisely during the pandemic and two, the way people holiday has changed because time is more precious and people don’t want to travel for ever to enjoy a break.”

So how did Bruce, Mike and team fill their time during Covid? “Well, living together on the farm meant we were effectively in our own little bubble and we knew that we had to make use of all the time we had on our hands to prepare the resort for a fresh start when restrictions were

FORBES OF KINGENNIE COUNTRY RESORT

eased. In total we invested more than £1m in the resort during Covid on shepherds’ huts, glamping units, an outdoor dining area with decking and retractable roof, an improved bar, upgrading the accommodation to four-star standard and more. We did most of it ourselves, bar the electric and equipment installation.

“We have always reinvested heavily over the years and, frustratingly, we had just spent over £100,000 in the restaurant only two months before lockdown. But during Covid we took our investment to the next level. We sourced all the grants we could, committed to a net zero journey and really went for it.”

Did spending all that money with no revenue to speak of make them nervous? “No,” laughs Bruce, “It absolutely terrified us!”

Fortunately, when restrictions were finally eased, it soon became clear that the investment would pay off. “It wasn’t all plain sailing though,” explains Bruce. “In the restaurant we typically did about 100 covers a day pre-Covid. When we re-opened, we were literally doing twice that from the off and we just didn’t have the kitchen to cope with that volume. We had been getting by with two fryers, one tiny grill, a four-top, a six-top and a Rational oven – but the kitchen just imploded when we tried to cater for 200 covers a day! So, in January 2021 we had to invest another £150,000 to fully refit the kitchen.”

Despite the instant spike in bookings and sales across the board, Bruce says cashflow remained precarious for a long time. He says: “For a start, we had about 200 backdated weddings to get through after the

“IN TOTAL WE INVESTED MORE THAN £1M IN THE RESORT DURING COVID.”

BRUCE SHERIDAN, GM

Order two kegs from the Heineken range to qualify please contact your SDM to organise

pandemic. We’d taken all the booking money and invested it but then we had to deliver 200 weddings, sometimes six in a week. It was very challenging to manage the cashflow but we got there, thankfully.”

The outdoor dining area has proven to be a particular success, so much so that it is due to be fully refitted and extended, complete with glass walls. The golf course has gone from 170 members pre-lockdown to 400 today, occupancy levels in the accommodation sit at 85% for the full year, the restaurant has seen growth of 6% in the last year and, frankly, everything is going swimmingly.

It’s clearly been an exciting few years for Bruce, a former Belhaven employee. “It’s been fantastic to be part of this adventure,” he says. “And it’s great to be

working with Belhaven again. I worked for lots of the big brewers but my last role before coming here was with Belhaven and I always enjoyed the family feel there. It’s very similar to Forbes of Kingennie in some ways. So when we were looking for a new partner here, Belhaven was an obvious port of call. We used to be supplied by Tennent’s but it wasn’t working for us and they were pricing themselves out of the market. We moved to Belhaven just under a year ago and the relationship is great. It wasn’t all about the money for us because we’re a four-star resort, so quality is critical and we like working with people who value relationships, so Belhaven ticked the boxes for us.

“They helped us instantly make some strong cost savings, boosting our GP and they’ve been very flexible in terms

of letting us stock local products, which is important to our customers. Belhaven has some great people and some great brands, and the relationship just works.

“We buy all our beer through Belhaven including Best, Black, Maltsmiths and Saltire, and we’re currently working on introducing a new house beer that Belhaven is making for us called Macnab. I’m looking forward to that because it adds a wee bit of character.”

And for those not up to speed on hunting and fishing terminology, a ‘Macnab’ is when you bag a stag, a salmon and a brace of grouse all in the same day. So now you know.

Interestingly, Bruce has replaced Guinness with Belhaven Black and is delisting Tennent’s in the wedding venue and all Diageo products in response to price rises. “The whole profit protection piece from big brand owners doesn’t sit well with me,” he explains.

With things progressing so well, Bruce says he has no plans to rest on his laurels and has yet more investment planned in the near future.

“We already have our plan in place for the next five years. We’re closing the fishing and golf shops for rebuilds and refits, we’re extending the bar and outdoor decking area and we’re adding a new smokehouse,” he says. “The smokehouse is part of a drive to attract younger customers so we’re going to add a grill and a wood-fired pizza oven to let us serve dishes like ribs

and dirty fries. We use all our own pork at the resort and the smokehouse will let us take it up a level again by smoking our own meat.”

Bruce is also spending £60,000 on developing a new website to market the resort more effectively to a wider audience.

“After that, the big project is to repurpose our Scullery restaurant to turn it into much more of a fine dining-type venue focusing on Scottish produce,” he says. “We’ve got a few hurdles to overcome but the planning applications are in and it’s exciting times. The staycation trend is really benefitting us because, as I said before, I get the feeling that people’s time is more precious after Covid. They want to spend more time with their family, and they don’t want the time and expense of always going abroad. At the end of the day, we’re a fourstar resort but if you look at six people sharing one of our lodges, per person per night it’s cheaper than a hotel – and the experience is on another level.”

Keeping the site working well of course, relies on a great team. “We employ over 100 people now, which is pretty big for a single site, and many of them stuck with us all the way through Covid. As a family business, we always try to do the right thing for our people. We want to keep repaying our team for their loyalty and their hard work. We have engaged a professional training and development business to help us support our team and help them continue to learn and progress themselves as well as giving our customers an unforgettable experience when they visit us.”

GOT A PROBLEM?

THE DOCTOR WILL SEE YOU NOW

Greene King’s Cellar Doctor is a one-stop troubleshooting online portal that can help you quickly and efficiently resolve common problems around beer quality 24/7.

WHAT CAN THE CELLAR DOCTOR HELP

ME

WITH – CASK?

ADVICE:

About the cellar environment

Handling cask beers

Stock management

Ordering and manging deliveries

Preparing cask beer for sale

Coolers

Line cleaning

Glass care

Presentation

FAULT FINDING:

Lack of head, bubbles and tastes lifeless

Large head/fobbing, engine pulls short due to intermittent excessive gas

Cloudy beer during dispense

Poor, slow or no dispense

Cellar cooler not working

Ale warm at dispense

Glass washing fault

WHAT CAN THE CELLAR DOCTOR HELP

ME

WITH – KEG?

ADVICE:

About the cellar environment

Handling keg beers

Storage

Dispense

Health & safety

Gas systems

CO2 cylinders

Mixed gas cylinders

Gas generation units

Ordering and managing deliveries

Coolers

Line cleaning and other essential system

cleaning

Glass care

Ice machines

Presentation

FAULT FINDING:

Cloudy beer during dispense

Lack of head, few bubbles

Beer fobbing in glass

Slow dispense at tap

No dispense at tap

Gas pump fault

Electric pump fault

Cooler not working

Glass washing fault

Every venue knows the mission-critical importance of serving beer in perfect condition. Brilliant beer means the best-possible experience for your customers, which will then drive repeat visits and repeat spend.

As in every aspect of life, however, things can go wrong and there’s nothing more frustrating than not being able to sell beer because of a problem in the cellar or with the equipment behind the bar.

Fortunately, most problems are caused by relatively common issues and can be resolved quickly and easily – if you know how. That’s exactly why Greene King established its invaluable Cellar Doctor online troubleshooting portal.

It’s available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year on any device and it can help you get back and trading in minutes, rather than hours or days.

If you haven’t visited the Cellar Doctor before, it’s well worth familiarising yourself with the support that’s available so that, when the time comes, you’ll immediately know where to go.

Found on Greene King’s wider Beer Genius platform – beergenius.co.uk – Cellar Doctor allows you to work through the problem you are facing and the Cellar Doctor will then provide the answers.

The site covers both cask and keg beers and offers either advice or fault-finding options. By simply working your way through the simple questions, one after the other, you can quickly home in on the specific help you need to resolve your problem and get back up and trading.

FREE E-LEARNING COURSES

Take your business to the next level by taking advantage of the free e-learning courses available on the Beer Genius website, including:

Genius – how to operate your own bar

Genius – how to manage your cellar

BEER GENIUS –EVERYTHING YOU NEED IN ONE PLACE

Cellar Doctor is found within Greene King’s wider Beer Genius portal which is truly a treasure trove of information, advice, support and inspiration to help serve the perfect pint, time after time. Helpful content includes:

In-depth information on Greene King and Belhaven’s entire range of beer brands and products

Informative videos on a range of topics such as how to sell beer to your customers and an insider’s tour of the Greene King Brewery

Online bitesize training videos

Free e-learning courses

Downloadable best practice guides providing everything you need to know about managing beer and your cellar and bar

Range includes: Strawberry-Lime, Wild Berries, Mango-Raspberry, Passionfruit, Blood Orange, Pink Lemon and Peach-Raspberry.

BEER GENIUS

And while you’re visiting the doctor, why not spend a few minutes checking out everything that’s available on the wider beer genius website?

There’s a world of expert information, advice and support on the site, all in one place.

Beer Genius provides everything from detailed information on all of our outstanding beers and why they are so special, to free e-learning courses and downloadable best practice guides covering every aspect of running a successful bar, cellar and venue.

Beer Genius is a great resource that’s available to you 24/7 and can be accessed from anywhere on any computer, smartphone or tablet. Whether you are simply looking for some tips on how to help your team sell more beer or deliver the perfect serve, or you have some more technical queries on issues like stillage or line cleaning, you’ll find all the help you need on the site.

We have recently updated and enhanced the Beer Genius portal so even if you are familiar with it, have another look and familiarise yourself with the extensive and in-depth support you can find there.

BITESIZE TRAINING VIDEOS

Beer Genius provides short, highly informative training videos covering areas such as:

Traditional stillage

Vertical extraction

Keg beer

Line cleaning

Glassware

management

The perfect Serve

CELLAR SERVICES SUPPORT KIT

Serving the best-possible-quality beer is key in driving repeat business and maximising profits – which is why Greene King and Belhaven’s free Cellar Support Services Kit can make all the difference.

THE FREE KIT CONTAINS:

1. Cellar Guide Top 10 Tips Poster

2. Cellar standard operating procedures

3. Cellar log book

4. Laminated cellar record & pen

Simply speak to your SDM to order your kit today.

Meet The Team: Annabel South

In this issue, we catch up with Annabel South, the Senior Brand Manager overseeing the launch of Greene King’s exciting and growing range of premium craft beers.

SO, ANNABEL, TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF…

I’m Annabel South and I’m a Senior Brand Manager at Greene King working on our exciting range of premium craft beers. When I joined in July 2021 I was new to the beer industry so it felt like there was a huge amount to learn but with a lot of work on the beer styles and overall brand concept already completed I had to hit the ground running with launching the beers to market. Whilst it was an extremely busy start to a new role, I have learnt a huge amount and it was an exhilarating time to become part of the Greene King family.

I am a graduate of Sheffield Hallam University where I earned a Hospitality Business Degree and I then worked as a Brand Manager for an equine feed company – I have a long-standing and deep passion for horses! – before joining a big audio-visual technology distribution company as an Account Manager working for major brands like LG and Samsung.

WHAT ARE YOUR WORKING ON AT THE

ABOUT ANNABEL

Annabel joined Greene King as Senior Brand Manager in July 2021 and is part of the team responsible for Greene King’s successful and growing portfolio of premium craft beers. When stepping into role she had to hit the ground running, overseeing the highly successful launch of the new Flint Eye and Level Head premium craft beers. With those beers now well established in market and performing well, recent focus has been on NPD and the launch of the new additions, Hazy Day and Prior Life to the premium craft

MOMENT AT GREENE KING?

As you can imagine every day is different and we always have multiple projects on at once but a big focus at the start of this year has been launching Hazy Day and Prior Life, the two new premium craft beers to join our portfolio! The addition of these two new beers means we now have a premium craft beer for every outlet, from value-led venues through mainstream and all the way up to premium. With Level Head, Flint Eye, Hazy Day and Prior Life we have a premium craft beer to suit every venue and every customer requirement.

WHY PREMIUM CRAFT BEERS?

The craft beer market continues to grow year on year and is now worth £1.8 billion. Many consumers continue to buy into craft beer, looking for new, exciting flavours as well as being willing to pay more per pint for it. It’s a very bright and busy market place with lots of players, many of them still in their relative infancy, but at Greene King we have something that noone else can match: hundreds of years of history and experience

in producing great quality beers. Our expanded premium craft beer portfolio now means every venue can now offer their customers a fantastic quality premium craft beer from a brewer that has been making fantastic beers for centuries. Or, as we like to put it, we make ‘legendary beers, centuries in the making’.

TELL US ABOUT THE NEW BEERS…

Hazy Day is a fruity, unfiltered IPA that is absolutely packed full of complex and delicious flavours. At 4.3% ABV it’s still sessionable and it has a fantastic, tropical and soft fruit taste profile. We know that hazy IPAs are huge in the off-trade, which means that lots of customers clearly like them, but there’s not much available in the on-trade. Hazy Day allows venues to tap into that trend. It’s squarely a premium beer because it’s a really high-quality liquid but we believe it will work really well in venues that attract customers looking for a full flavour, high quality craft ale.

Prior Life is a really interesting new beer too. The trend towards moderated consumption has being building pace for a few years

now and, at 3.4% ABV, Prior Life lets venues offer a lower ABV premium craft beer that doesn’t compromise on taste. The lower ABV means the duty levels are lower which in turn means that we are able to offer Prior Life at a very attractive price point. There’s nothing else like it on the market and we view it as a really powerful opportunity for venues to bring new drinkers into the premium craft beer category. It delivers outstanding value but doesn’t sacrifice quality and flavour in any way.

ARE THEY BOTH AVAILABLE NOW?

Yes, both beers are available now in 30L kegs and 330ml cans.

HOW ARE LEVEL HEAD AND FLINT EYE PERFORMING?

Exceptionally well, actually. We are very proud of the progress we have made in just a couple of years. Level Head is the second biggest premium craft beer on the on-trade by rate-ofsale, with only Beavertown Neck Oil ahead of it. It’s also the

fifth biggest craft beer in the market by value, which is pretty impressive from a standing start in under two years.

Similarly, Flint Eye is already the number two craft lager in the on-trade by rate-of-sale.

TELL US ABOUT THE EYE-CATCHING BRAND DESIGNS?

When we created the pack designs and the branding for Level Head and Flint Eye, we were keen to convey Greene King’s long history but also give it a modern twist. The wood-carving images and vibrant colours help set the beers apart but also communicate to the consumer that these beers are part of a brand family. We’ve carried that philosophy over for Hazy Day and Prior Life and we believe the results strong and unique. A POS kit is available to all stockists of the new beers that includes, t-shirts, branded glassware, bar runners and so on to help maximise the impact in-venue and, of course drive sales.

BE HONEST…WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE?

Of our four premium craft beers, I’d have to say that I have a real soft spot for Prior Life. It’s a unique offering on the market and what I like best is that, despite its lower ABV, it is absolutely jam-packed with flavour. It’s the perfect beer for so many different occasions. It was actually inspired by our

original Greene King Master Brewers, the Benedictine monks, who consumed low ABV beers very similar to Prior Life in vast quantities every day. At that time, drinking beer was safer than drinking water as the brewing process removed a lot of the impurities and hazardous elements from the water!

WE HAVE TO ASK…WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY LOOK LIKE?

It’s the standard answer, I’m afraid: there’s no such thing. And that’s what I enjoy about the job, it’s very varied. I can be working on anything: developing artwork concepts, creating assets, driving activations, generating POS, developing our plans for the off-trade, working with media agencies, planning ad campaigns, helping with events and festivals, creating sales decks, presenting to customers and teams….the list goes on and on.

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?

I’ll be busy with the new beers for at least the next 12 months but we are always looking at NPD as part of a three to five year forward plan. It’s a really exciting time for premium craft beer and I’m thrilled to be playing my part and helping our customers grow their footfall, sales and profits in a category that’s full of potential.

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ELEVATE YOUR DRINKS MENU

Why not try a few of the latest products listed by Greene King and Belhaven to help you take your drinks menu to the next level?

REAPER’S RUM 70CL

Modestly described by maker Pilgrim’s Drinks as “a spiced rum to die for,” Reaper’s is a fresh and indulgent take on dark spiced rum, packed with coffee, vanilla and chilli. Made in small batches in St Andrews, this a spiced rum like no other and gives your bar team a genuine talking point when serving customers interested in trying something with a little more kick!

TAILS PIÑA COLADA 1L

Cash in on the cocktail trend with this pre-mixed Piña Colada Cocktail from Tails Cocktails. Part of the Professional range, it’s a 14.9% ABV product made using Bacardi white rum and features coconut cream liqueur as well as pineapple and lime juice. It’s the easy way to serve a highquality cocktail quickly and easily with the very minimum of fuss. Combining all the flavour and complexity of a hand-made cocktail, this is an easy way to instantly elevate your drinks menu.

SMIRNOFF TAMARIND VODKA 70CL

Available now from the UK’s biggest vodka brand, Smirnoff Tamarind Vodka invites your customers to “taste the sweet and feel the heat”. The Mexican-inspired variant offers a unique fusion of unexpected and distinct flavours with the smooth taste of Smirnoff vodka. Zingy lime and chillies combine to deliver a sweet and spicy taste sensation.

KOPPARBERG STRAWBERRY & PINEAPPLE 500ML

The UK’s biggest flavoured cider brand is taking refreshment to the next level with this lively blend of apple cider with the summer tastes of strawberry and pineapple. Suitable for vegans, this is the perfect flavoured cider for a warm day in a beer garden.

KOPPARBERG SUMMER PUNCH 500ML

Ideal for lazy, warm summer days, Kopparberg Summer Punch delivers the crisp, punchy flavour of apple cider softened with the flavour of ripe, mellow peach to deliver a refreshing taste of summer in every drop.

WHITLEY NEILL RHUBARB & GINGER 0% 70CL

With moderation very much on trend, Whitley Neill’s alcohol-free version of its number one selling premium gin is a great option for the summer. Boasting the same great taste but none of the alcohol, it delivers an essence of rhubarb with a tart crisp edge while real ginger warms the palate. Made using the only spinning cone vacuum column still in the UK, this process ensures that flavours and characteristic top notes aren’t burnt in distillation.

BLACKEYE LONDON DRY GIN 70CL

Pitching itself as the “unofficial spirit of rugby”, Blackeye London Dry Gin is the brainchild of England rugby legends Mike Tindall and James Haskell. An exceptionally smooth blend of citrus-forward flavours, subtle floral notes and a burst of juniper, rounded off with a unique combination of botanicals harvested from the major rugby nations, Blackeye is so smooth it can even be enjoyed neat. A donation from every bottle sold is made to the Blackeye Rugby Fund.

THE FUTURE’S ROSÉ…

With summer on the horizon, Greene King offers a fantastic selection of rosé wines to grow your sales and profits in this vital category.

By Fiona Davies, Wine Category Manager

In this, the latest in a series of articles taking a closer look at Greene King’s extensive wine range, it will come as no surprise that we’re shifting our attention to the important rosé category as we move towards the summer months. Rosé wine has been performing well in recent years but it truly comes into its own when the sun starts to shine.

CGA data from 2023 shows that rosé grows its share of the total wine category by 1.1% in the summertime. That may not sound like much but remember that the total wine category is huge; Mintel estimates that the category was worth £14.4bn in 2023 and almost 30 million adults drink wine regularly.

The number of people regularly drinking wine has actually increased, with more people than before still regularly consuming it in the on-trade. It’s just that they are choosing to drink in moderation.

Additionally, a growing number of today’s wine drinkers are looking for more when they visit your venue: more variety, more information on what they’re drinking, more backstory. In other words, they are looking for a deeper and richer experience – and they’re prepared to pay more for the privilege.

FRESHEN IT UP

The great news is that Greene King’s extensive range has something to suit every taste and every budget, and is

packed with unusual, new and exclusive wines that can play a critical role in helping you ensure that your wine list sets you well apart from your competitors.

As highlighted above, despite the cost-of-living challenges facing consumers today, one of the most notable trends is the growth in importance of the premium end of the wine market with high spending, more adventurous customers actively seeking out higher quality, more unusual wines. This represents a huge opportunity for venues.

New and exclusive wines, of course, offer the perfect way to guarantee that you have something interesting and fresh behind the bar for all those customers of yours who are keen to seek out exciting new experiences in wine.

Why not try the new Mirabeau Azure from Provence that leads with citrus fruits on the nose and has exquisite notes of pomelo, orange zest, mandarin, peach and apricot on the palate? Perfect for a warm afternoon in a beer garden. Also new from Provence is the Quatre Vin Rosé which is packed with juicy stone fruit, freeze-dried strawberries and has lovely floral notes and a delicate, lingering finish.

EXCLUSIVE OPTIONS

If you really want to ensure that your wine list sets you apart from the competition, Green King offers an extensive range of exclusive rosé options – wines you literally can’t buy anywhere else.

SPEND INCREASING

There has been a notable increase in on-trend spend levels across all occasions, partly driven by inflation. In other words, it makes sense to ensure that you feature a range of premium and higher-end wines on your list. On wines of £30 and above, growth rates are as follows:

WINE SPEND PER BOTTLE BY OCCASION

[Source: Wine Intelligence Landscapes 2023]

FANCY A FREE WINE LIST?

In addition to helping you build the perfect range of wines for your customer base, Greene King and Belhaven can also help you make sure your physical or digital wine list looks its best – for free!

Our service allows you to choose from a range of wine list templates with design styles to suit every type of venue and every range of wines.

The templates can be quickly and easily populated with your wines, prices and descriptors and can be printed in seconds, taking the time and effort out of producing a high-quality, professionally designed wine list that can help you grow your sales and profits.

To find out more, simply speak to your Greene King or Belhaven SDM.

From the Three Pebbles Bay Zinfandel and Giotto Rosé wines at the value end of the spectrum all the way through to premium wines like the Création Provence Rosé at the premium end, we have something to suit every taste and every pocket – and all of them exclusive to Greene King.

From the new Côte Chalonnaise Pinot Noir from Burgundy to the exclusive Doctor’s Orders from South Africa and the new Yalumba Organic Shiraz from Australia, we’ve sourced the best of both the Old and New Worlds to help you create a standout list of reds.

We’ve listed several of the new and exclusive red wines in this feature and they will all make great additions to your wine list, keeping things fresh and giving customers more reasons to visit you rather than someone else.

NEW! QUATRE VIN ROUGE (12% ABV)

This is a super-crunchy wine packed with red cherry fruit, vibrant pomegranate and just a touch of spicy sophistication.

NEW! MIRABEAU AZURE (12.7% ABV)

Citrus fruits lead on the nose with pomelo, orange zest and mandarin arranged over a generous layer of peach and apricot. Soft and fresh on the palate with a neat citrus acidity.

NEW! QUATRE VIN ROSÉ (13% ABV)

Juicy stone fruit and freeze-dried strawberries with a light floral touch, a wine that brings Provence to your glass.

INCREASE RATE OF SALE THROUGH EXCLUSIVE POS, TRAINING VIDEO’S AND DIGITAL CONTENT*2 5 IN 10 CUSTOMERS WILL BUY WHAT THEY CAN SEE*2 SIGN UP AT

*ALLOCATED CREDIT IS BASED ON EVIDENCE OF JÄGERMEISTER SALES VOLUME, THIS WILL BE RELEASED IN QUARTERLY INSTALMENTS *2SOURCE INDEPENDENT CGA OUTLET RESEARCH

INTO THE RED

Elsewhere on our extensive list, you will find some exquisite red wines to tempt the connoisseurs as well as a wealth of midrange and budget wines to cater for those with more modest budgets or tastes.

Offering a full range of red wines that provides something for everyone is a great way of maximising wine spend and helping squeeze every penny of profit out of this vital category.

It’s the ideal time to review your range and add some fresh energy to your wine list, just as the summer looms on the horizon. A little time spent refreshing your range could go a long way to appealing to those experience- and adventure-hungry customers who are the new generation of wine drinkers.

EXCLUSIVE!

JOURNEY’S END PINOT GRIGIO ROSÉ (12% ABV)

A South African rosé, this wine offers aromas of fresh red berries and concentrated cherry fruit with a hint of melon. A beautifully balanced wine, it has a lovely crisp acidity and a refreshing finish.

EXCLUSIVE!

THREE PEBBLES BAY ZINFANDEL (10.5% ABV)

Fresh strawberries and soft red fruits on the palate, this is a classic rosé for an afternoon in the summer sun.

EXCLUSIVE!

CRÉATION PROVENCE ROSÉ (13% ABV)

A dry, fresh and fruity rosé with spicy and peppery notes, perfect as an aperitif.

EXCLUSIVE!

GIOTTO ROSÉ (11% ABV)

A light rosé colour, this wine carries an elegant bouquet and is dry, soft and well-balanced on the palate. Excellent with boiled meats, fowl and fish dishes in general and excellent as an aperitif.

EXCLUSIVE! SAVINO ROSÉ (11% ABV)

Boasting an elegant bouquet, this wine is dry, soft and well balanced and goes well with a wide range of dishes as well as being delightful on its own.

All Greene King and Belhaven customers should have received the Greene King Wine Brochure 2023-24 recently, which lists every wine that we offer and is a great place to start when looking to refresh and reinvigorate your wine range. If you haven’t received it, please request a copy from your SDM or you can visit issuu.com/greenekingft/docs/greene_king_wine_guide to view a digital edition of the brochure.

Promotion applies when purchasing 1 x 70cl bottle of Disaronno Velvet. One deal per customer per month. While stocks last. Kit contents may vary depending on availability. Please direct all POS kit queries to Ainslie Kelly at akelly@disaronno.com

EURO 24 CASH IN WITH DRINKS FROM AROUND EUROPE

With the month-long Euro 24 Finals football tournament on the horizon, we’ve selected 10 top drinks from 10 different qualifying nations to help you grow sales in June and July.

EURO 24 FINALS 14 JUN – 14 JULY

As one of the most important footballing tournaments on the globe, the Euro 24 Finals are set to not only be a sporting extravaganza of the highest order, but also a gilt-edged sales opportunity for venues across the land.

The fact that England and Scotland have already qualified for the finals in Germany and Wales still have a chance to make it only helps grow the opportunity for venues to drive footfall, sales and profits around a monthlong festival of near back-to-back matches.

A mouth-watering array of fixtures mean that venues kitted out with TVs and ready to show the games live can expect full houses

SCOTLAND

BELHAVEN BEST

GERMANY

ABK HELL

As a country world-renowned for its love of beer – – host nation Germany has plenty to offer football fans for the Euro 24 competition. Greene King stocks a vast array of German beers for you to choose from but we’ve chosen ABK Hell, a light, bright and very satisfying beer. At 5% ABV, it’s lightly golden with a bubbly, medium white head that steadily shrinks to a thin foamy lace. A great option for non-Scots for the first match of the tournament and one well worth stocking up on as Germany has a long-standing habit of progressing through major football tournaments.

As the country with the unenviable task of facing Germany in the very first match of the tournament, Scotland will be hoping to capitalise on their host’s recent patchy form by maybe snatching a draw, or perhaps even a win. Whatever happens, Belhaven Best is the perfect beer to toast an upset victory or drown the sorrows after a defeat. At 3.2% ABV, Belhaven Best is a wonderfully balanced, refreshing and easy drinking smooth session ale. It’s Scotland’s number one selling ale for a reason.

and packed audiences from the opening match on 14 June when hosts Germany face Scotland all the way through to the final on 14 July.

One great way to generate some additional excitement and add a little extra theatre throughout the tournament is to list drinks from the major nations taking part, perhaps offering incentives to your customers before, during and after each match.

To help you do just that, we’ve picked out 10 fantastic products for you to hero from 10 of the nations that have qualified for the Euro 24 Finals.

SPAIN

ESTRELLA GALICIA

Spain are certainly among the favourites at the tournament and the popularity of Spanish beer is certain to drive sales around Spain’s matches. While many brands may lay claim to Spanish heritage however, many are brewed in the UK. Not so Estrella Galicia, which has been brewed in the same familyowned brewery in Galicia since 1906. As the number one selling Spanish beer, it’s the obvious choice for taste and authenticity.

ENGLAND

LEVEL HEAD

England have been through a challenging period after losing in the final of Euro 2020 but the team may be clicking into gear just in time for this year’s tournament. All three England matches in the first round are surefire certainties to see packed venues across the country. What better way to enjoy the match than with a glass or two of Level Head, Greene King’s perfectly executed session IPA? The aroma is hoppy, balanced between tropical and grapefruit notes and, at 4% ABV, it’s a truly sessionable beer. And if England progress through the tournament, it might be Level Heads all round!

ITALY

PERONI NASTRO AZZURO

While current Euro title holders Italy’s fortunes have been somewhat erratic in recent years on the football pitch, the quality of their beers is undisputed – and Peroni Nastro Azzuro is a must-stock when the Azurri take to the field for their matches. As a beer, it exemplifies the traditions of Italian craftsmanship, passion and flair upon which it was formed and is Italy’s top-selling lager.

BELGIUM

STELLA ARTOIS

With a team full of superstars, Belgium are certainly in with a shout at this year’s finals – and the perfect beer to enjoy while watching the matches has got to be that Belgian classic, Stella Artois. The good folks at Stella Artois have been brewing beers for more than 600 years and the Stella Artois brew itself has been in constant production since 1926. A solid choice and one that will undoubtedly sell well this summer.

FRANCE

DESPERADOS

Another team jammed to the gills with household names and footballing megastars like Kylian Mbappe, France will approach the tournament with optimism –although they do have the habit, like their rugby-playing compatriots, of turning in “mercurial” performances which sometimes means unbeatable and sometimes means unwatchable. While waiting to see which team turns up, what better than a Desperados? Produced in France, this unusual combination of fresh beer with tequila spirit creates a unique taste sensation with a real edge.

NETHERLANDS

HEINEKEN

Another team capable of heroic beauty or catastrophic calamity on the pitch, the Netherlands will no doubt approach the tournament with the sort of optimism and confidence that characterises their national psyche, and what other beer could we recommend than Heineken? A global icon and a firm favourite in the UK, Heineken is, unlike the Netherlands football team, utterly dependable and is a must-stock for the Euro finals.

DENMARK

CARLSBERG PILSNER

Once a mighty force in European football, Denmark’s star has waned a little in recent years but the same can’t be said for their most famous alcoholic export: Carlsberg lager. Famously touted in the unforgettable TV ads as “probably the best lager in the world,” it remains a firm favourite with many and is inextricably tied to its Danish roots. Worth stocking up on before Denmark’s matches and likely to be popular with a wider audience too. Probably.

CZECH REPUBLIC

STAROPRAMEN

Last but by no means least on our Top 10 is Staropramen from the Czech Republic. Anchored by their talismanic captain Luka Modric, the Czech Republic are well capable of springing another upset at the finals. Staropramen, however, is a much more reliable bet. Hailing from Prague, it’s a smooth, rounded lager with oodles of history and fans across the globe. A great beer to bring in for the Euro finals and it will come in handy to toast one or two of the moments of magic that Modric has the habit of producing each game.

WANT TO HELP RAISE THE BAR?

Greene King raised over £3.8m for Macmillan Cancer Care in 2023 and is keen to ensure that 2024 delivers more of the same – and you can play your part, if you wish.

There’s no doubt 2023 was a landmark year for Greene King Brewery as it raised more than £3.9m for Macmillan Cancer Care. That means we’ve raised over £17m over the years – and we want to smash the £2m barrier this year.

Greene King customers more than played their part in 2023 by helping, for instance, to raise more than £36,000 by stocking Rocking Rudolph festive ale and ensuring that 5p + VAT from every pint sold went to the charity, a 50% increase on the previous year!

If you would like to help us by making a small contribution, either personally or through activities or events at your venue, please use the QR code here to make your donation.

Every penny is vital and your support is absolutely appreciated.

To donate to Macmillan Cancer Care and help them to continue to deliver their vital services, please scan the QR code: