Greene King has been celebrating three Great Taste Awards for its beers, two stars of Abbot Ale and a star each for Hazy Day Fruit IPA and Abbot Reserve.
Abbot Ale is a 5% ABV traditional ale with a brewing process that has hardly changed over many years. Brewed for longer, the ale has masses of fruit character, malty richness, and a good hop balance.
Abbot Reserve, at a more robust 6.5% ABV, is a bottled premium ale bursting with fruit cake and toffee flavours. It is full bodied, rich and sweet, with an accent on bitterness.
Hazy Day Fruity IPA (4.3% ABV) is the newest addition to Greene King’s craft range, a smooth and fruity IPA with orange, citrus and tropical notes. The inspiration for the name dates back to the 16th century when, in Bury St Edmunds, those who were convicted of minor crimes were sentenced to a day in the pillories.
“We are thrilled to have received such brilliant results at this year’s Great Taste Awards,” said Will Hemmings, marketing director for brewing and brands at Greene King. “It’s a real testament to the passion, craft, and dedication of our brewing team, and we’re incredibly proud of the heritage of our beers and our brewers.
“We continue to build on our strong portfolio and innovate and develop our beers to ensure they align with current drinking trends.”
Meanwhile, Greene King has also released a summer seasonal cask ale, Radical Hoptimist (4% ABV). The amber beer has a slightly sweet and smooth amber malt base, balanced by tropical and citrus flavours. Hop forward, it is bursting with
flavours of passionfruit, peach, and mango, and will be available to order throughout August and September.
The beer was inspired by Jungle Punch, a very fruity juicy ale created by Greene King’s first wave of brewing apprentices a few years ago, and released as a small brew. The original beer recipe was 7.5% ABV and intensely hoppy. The brewers at Greene King have worked to recreate a beer that is inspired by the flavours of Jungle Punch and tailored to align with current drinkers’ preferences.
Alan Fulcher, technical brewer at Greene King, said: “When it came to creating one of the summer brews for this year’s calendar, I remembered Jungle Punch and how much I enjoyed my tasting of it, and decided to use it as inspiration for Radical Hoptimist, as it fitted the brief perfectly.
“This ale brings all the fruity and hoppy flavours of craft keg beer into a smooth amber cask beer, so it’s definitely something different to have on the bar to stand alongside more traditional and permanent cask styles this summer.”
