FOREIGN travel, world cuisine and simple curiosity encourage interest in beers from around the world and UK distributors are continuing to develop a series of international beers.
• Charles Wells and the Spanish brewer Damm have signed an extension to their contract which will see the British firm sell and distribute Estrella Damm, the beer of Barcelona in the UK.
Justin Phillimore, chief executive of Charles Wells said: “Estrella Damm is a wonderful premium Mediterranean lager rooted in its Barcelona heritage and its light, pilsner style is proving irresistible to a growing consumer base.
“It drives good cash margin and, as the fastest growing premium world lager in the UK, offers compelling profit potential for retailers.
Both companies were founded in 1876.
• Carlsberg UK is refreshing the bottle of Spanish beer San Miguel with a design intended to reflect what it describes as the brand’s heritage and roots in exploration.
The bottle label’s new logo incorporates a globe with the message “Exploring the World Since 1890”.
Carlsberg says the move is “part of an ongoing programme of premiumisation for the brand which has seen a 27% increase in off-trade sales during 2015”.
It follows the launch of a new can design in November 2015 that features the new logo and a matt white finish.
• Halewood distributed Chinese beer Tsingtao really can lay claim to be a world beer. The flagship lager from the Tsingtao brewery is said to be the second biggest beer brand in the world by volume and China’s biggest export.
The beer is available at several Scottish wholesalers including United Wholesale, Filshill and J W Gray. Marketing activity includes its Speaking Chinese campaign, which illustrates common phrases in Chinese in POS materials and through social media.
• eineken Dutch brand Amstel is another international beer that’s about to get a new look.
Next month, Amstel will be unveiling its new packs for the off-trade.
Heineken says it sees a consumer trend towards premium lager, which has seen new shoppers enter the category and has helped Amstel achieve 25% volume growth in UK on-trade outlets.
