Diageo’s Guinness brand has created two new beers for the UK retail market to capitalise on the growing appetite for craft beer in the country.
Brewed at the brand’s Open Gate Brewery in Dublin, the two new beers are called Open Gate Citra IPA and Open Gate Pilsner, and both will be available in cans and bottles.
The release of the two drinks follows the success of the brand’s Hop House Lager, as studies conducted by Guinness suggest 7.5 million UK consumers are ‘craft-inquisitive’, meaning they are open to buying craft beer but mainly buy mainstream beers.
Guinness claims that it wants these two new beers to serve as “gateway beers”, giving these 7.5 million consumers a craft option from a recognised brand and thus sourcing consumers from the mainstream beer market.
As well as being available in bottles and cans from UK retailers, the new beers will also be available in pint format for the UK’s off-trade.
Guinness’s lead brewer at the Open Gate Brewery Peter Simpson said: “As brewers, our goal is to introduce people to the more flavoursome possibilities of beer.
“It’s no secret that many peo ple are moving away from mainstream beers and seeking more flavoursome options – however this process can be daunting and that’s where our new Open Gate Brewery Citra IPA and Pilsner come in.
“Consumers won’t have to worry about quality or value issues because they know what they’re drinking has been released under the reliable and recognised Guinness brand.”
Katie Hunter, innovation manager for Guinness, added: “Our two new highly-crafted beers sit in the white space between mainstream and craft beers – enabling craft curious consumers to trade up from mainstream beer with the assurances of the Guinness brand.
“These two new beers are set to inspire consumers to broaden their beer repertoires in an accessible way, and ultimately drive incremental sales in the category.”
Open Gate Brewery Citra IPA will have a suggested retail price of £1.85 for a 330ml bottle, or £6.00 for a 4 pack of 330ml cans.
Meanwhile, Open Gate Brewery Pilsner will be available in 650ml bottles with a suggested retail price of £1.85, and will also be available in 4-packs and 12-packs of 330ml bottles with an RRP of £5.00 and £12 respectively.
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