Marks & Spencer has launched its own-label craft beer range with supplier partner Real Drinks.
Showcasing both craft beer and collabaorations, Marks & Spencer has rejuvenated the range to better reflect the market and customer preference in style, ABV, value, and design. It has worked with some of the best breweries in the UK to bring customers a modern unfiltered range in 330ml cans at £1.80 each.
The M&S Craft Own Label 330ml range features six new craft beers created from three UK breweries, curated by Real Drinks. Involved in this bespoke range are Fourpure Brewing Co, in Bermondsey, Harbour Brewing Co, in Cornwall, and Vocation Brewery, in Hebden Bridge.
Jenna Dunseath, technical director at Real Drinks, said: “Creating and bringing exciting new drinks to the market is what we love to do. We were instrumental in facilitating this collaborative exercise to work with M&S and the breweries, to bring new beers and brewing processes into a major retailer. This particular range is market leading in terms of their production process.”
From Fourpure comes the juicy and tropical Session IPA (4% ABV). Combining modern hops with a crisp malt body creates a full-flavoured IPA with fruity notes and a pleasant hop finish that’s uniquely its own. The Citrus Pale Ale (3.9% ABV) is a juicy, sessionable pale ale, bursting with citrus aromas.
Harbour Brewing Co brews solid, well-rounded beers reflecting the ruggedness of its home. It has created Helles (4.2% ABV), which is sterile filtered to bring a light and crisp character. Pairing high-quality malt and noble hops with spring water gives this Cornish-brewed lager a full flavour.
Vocation Brewery, known for brewing bold beers from its hilltop, provides American Pale Ale (5.3% ABV). An aromatic and fruity APA, it is initially soft on the palate, building builds to a generous, but clean bitterness, with hop aromas of pine, tropical fruit, and blueberry. American IPA (5.5% ABV) is a bold US-style IPA with flavours of tropical and citrus fruits and a lingering bitterness against a smooth malty backbone.
Real Drinks has supplied Marks & Spencer with own-label drinks, as well as a range of well known drinks brands, since 2007.
