Whisky may be the first drink of Scotland but a local brewer has proved its worth at brewing beer.
A brand new liquorice-infused spring beer from Edinburgh-based Caledonian Brewing has been announced as one of the regional winners of the Sainsbury’s Great British Beer Hunt 2011, and is now in the running to win a permanent place on the shelves of Sainsbury’s stores nationwide.
Flying Dutchman Wit Bier will go on sale in Sainsbury’s stores nationwide for three weeks from 7th September, alongside 15 other regional winners from around the UK – including beers from two other Scottish breweries, William Bros and Harviestoun Brewery. The grand final will take place on 30th September, where two beers will be announced as the overall winners.
The winners will receive a guaranteed minimum six-month listing in Sainsbury’s stores across the UK from November 2011 onwards.
Steve Ricketts, national account manager, at Caledonian commented:- “We are delighted to have been selected as one of the regional finalists, it has give our whole team a lift and we look forward to seeing the beer bottled for the first time and in stores nationwide. We entered the competition because we wanted to see how our beer would stand up to the competition and we are so pleased that we’ve got through to the next round.”
Flying Dutchman Wit Bier’s success follows Sainsbury’s regional beer hunt heat which took place at Hibernian FC on 5th May, when local Sainsbury’s customers and beer experts judged 26 beers from across the North of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, picking the four best beers from the area as their regional winners. Regional beer hunts also took place in Watford, Bristol and Uttoxeter, with 106 beers from 46 different brewers tasted and judged across the events in total.
Oliver Chadwyck-Healey, beer buyer at Sainsbury’s, said:- “The fantastic quality of Scottish beer has really been highlighted by the success of Scottish brewers so far in this year’s Great British Beer Hunt and we’re proud to be helping Scottish brewers showcase their beers on a national level. We’re looking forward to working with the brewers to bring these exciting new beers to market in September and giving our customers the choice and value they have come to expect from Sainsbury’s in the beer aisle. We wish all our regional finalists the best of luck – may the best beers win!”
