Greene King Brewery have officially released the 4.5-gallon pins to operators with its July seasonal cask ales, Ale Fresco and New Tricks, a Nethergate Brewery collaboration.
The brewery, which announced that it would become the UK’s first major brewer to launch cask pins to its customers in January, have made a seven-figure investment to “help licensees minimise wastage and ensure the best quality of cask ale is reaching guests every time”. The lower unit means operators can manage lower throughput at quieter times of the week, meaning less waste from unsold beer or out of date beer being sold.
Greene King has said firkins will still be advised when operators have that busier footfall and demand, however pins can offer an additional seasonal cask ale on the bar or to provide that lower throughput when needed.
Jack Palmer, Head Brewer at Greene King said, “We’re passionate about the cask sector and launching pins is a great achievement for us, and the category, in helping to address some of the key challenges that serving this unique product can bring.
“Cask ale is part of our heritage and the core of a great pub, and we continue to invest and innovate to secure its future. Our Fresh Cask Releases calendar shows the many styles and flavours that cask ale can offer, and we’re excited to be able to provide this in a smaller format for operators to introduce on the bar and explore with guests.”
Ale-Fresco and New Tricks golden ales form part of the wider Fresh Cask Releases calendar, a portfolio of 18 limited-edition cask beers available at specific times throughout the year. From July onwards the seasonal ales will now have the option to be purchased in a firkin or in a pin format, excluding only Rocking Rudolph.