A new premium British lager founded by three former SAS Sergeant Majors is launching with a mission far greater than simply brewing beer.
Selection combines elite standards, British ingredients, and military precision in a lager that stands apart. It is brewed — in collaboration with Hall and Woodhouse — not only with patience and purpose, but with a commitment to supporting the mental health of the special forces community.
Inspired by the renowned SAS selection process — one of the toughest military training programmes on earth — the brand takes its values from those required to succeed in the force: resilience, discipline, and uncompromising standards. It has been created by three SAS veterans with more than 60 years of combined service.
The founders’ identities are protected due to the secrecy and sensitivity of the operations they undertook while on active duty. They were all sergeant majors, one an MBE and another with a Military Cross.
In a joint statement, they said: “When we started this journey, we knew we wanted to create beer worthy of the name Selection. In the SAS, selection represents the highest standards — resilience, discipline, patience, and attention to detail. You have to earn it.
“We approached creating our beer in the same way. Nothing rushed, no shortcuts, and no compromise on quality. Every decision, from the ingredients we source to the way the lager is brewed, reflects the values we lived by throughout our military careers.
“We wanted to create something authentically British, genuinely premium, and built with real purpose behind it.”
Crafted using premium British hops grown in Herefordshire — the spiritual home of the SAS — alongside British barley, water, and yeast, Selection is brewed over 28 days, the same length of time as the original SAS selection process.
Hall & Woodhouse was established in 1777 and has a unique connection to the origins of SAS selection. Lt Col John Michael Woodhouse MBE modernised the SAS after the second world war and was a key figure in the development of selection that endures to this day. Upon retirement from his distinguished military career, he joined the family brewery where Selection is now crafted.
The idea for Selection was born in a London pub when the founders, frustrated by the lack of premium British lager, decided they should make one of their own. What followed was a mission to create a beer held to the same standards they had lived by throughout their military careers, applying precision, patience, and relentless attention to detail to every aspect of the process.
A proportion of profits from every pint sold will support the SAS Regimental Association’s Sentinels initiative, a specialised internal mental health support network helping serving and former members of the SAS, and their families, who are facing psychological challenges.
Among Selection’s fans is Peaky Blinders creator and SAS Rogue Heroes writer Stephen Knight. He said: “I myself drink the beer, and I’m being 100% honest when I say it is a fantastic brew. I recommend it to anyone who loves lager.”
