Beer we go as Scots brewers get a huge boost

A Scottish brewery has teamed up with a supermarket to create a bespoke beer for its next in-store Isle of Ale Festival promotion.

Lidl has teamed up with Fierce Brewery in Aberdeen, with to be sold exclusively in can format to customers during their next event.

The new beer, named Blackcurrant Tart, is a sour ale with a deep red colour, loaded with punchy blackcurrants, and will cost £1.49 for a 330ml can. This 4.5% ABV beer packs an intense fruit flavour.

Co-founder at Fierce Beer, Dave McHardy, said: ‘We’re delighted to again partner with Lidl for their Isle of Ale Festival. It’s a fantastic opportunity that offers us, and many other top Scottish breweries, a great platform for exposure and raising awareness of Scotland’s thriving craft beer industry.

‘We’ve been involved since the first festival, and this time we’re excited to collaborate to create a brand new product exclusively for Lidl customers in can format. The Blackcurrant Tart is bursting with jammy blackcurrants and packs a real fruity punch.’

Some of the drinks in Lidl’s fourth Isle of Ale event championing 15 regional breweries and cutting-edge flavours

The full festival line-up will welcome a host of new and existing local breweries across the nation, bringing Scottish customers a taste of 20 craft beers from just £1.29, showing that Lidl is a one-stop shop for the craft-beer-curious.

The supermarket is working with 15 innovative breweries across Scotland, to bring Scottish craft beer direct to Lidl customers, marking an investment value of £100k.

Showcasing creamy stouts, mango IPAs and citrusy lagers, the promotion provides a real taste of craft beer innovation, catering to all tastes and styles. The new 20 craft beer products are now available across all 95 Scottish stores, whilst stocks last.

Lidl’s twice annual Isle of Ale Festival solidifies the grocer’s position as leading player in the craft beer market, with a core beer range that includes BrewDog, Williams Brothers, and Fallen breweries.

Lidl’s head of Scottish buying, Paul McQuade, said: ‘At Lidl Scotland we work closely with a network of innovative brewers across different regions from Orkney to the Scottish Borders, in order to showcase the best craft beers the country has to offer, and always at unbeatable value. The Isle of Ale festival complements our outstanding everyday range of craft beers by bringing new flavours and styles to our customers.’

Additionally, Scottish breweries will also bring their beers to a wider Lidl customer, as part of a British beer festival across a further 624 stores in England and Wales. William’s Brothers March of the Penguins stout and Caesar Augustus IPA lager hybrid, and Innis & Gunn’s Mangoes on the Run will feature in Lidl’s inaugural UK event line up, providing a great opportunity for Scottish suppliers to expand and market their products to a UK audience.

In 2017 Lidl increased products sourced from Scotland by 25%, underpinning the long-standing support of Scottish producers across all sectors in food and drink.