A team of brewers and beer lovers have launched an ale designed to get people back into pubs and bars - and they hope the celebration of beer culture will become an annual event.
Manchester’s Track Brewing Co and Liverpool branding agency Continuous teamed up with suppliers to the beer industry to create Fusion Pale Ale. The ale will only be available in kegs at pubs and bars, in a move to encourage people to visit pubs and bars that have been hit hard by the cost of living crisis. Independent bars across the country held launch parties last night to mark the launch of 5.1% Fusion, with one being held at Dead Craft Beer Company in Liverpool.
David Beattie, senior client director with Continuous, came up with the idea for Fusion. At the Liverpool event on Thursday he was clearly pleased at the reception Fusion has received. And he’s looking to make Fusion February a regular event in the 海角视频 to help bars recover from their quiet Januaries.
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He said: “We really hope that given the enthusiasm from all the venues taking part, as well as all of the partners, that we can make it an annual event at least in the 海角视频, or scale it to something bigger and make it a real date in the beer calendar. We’re hoping at this stage that it will be a once a year thing to really kick start the year in earnest for venues after a tough trading period in January.
"Obviously they’ve got the December period which will be bountiful for them, but January is really tough for a number of reasons. We really want to drive footfall to independent on-trade venues in early February if we can."
The other partners in Fusion are Yakima Chief Hops, yeast and fermentation specialists White Labs Copenhagen, and Norfolk-based 海角视频 malt suppliers Crisp Malt Gareth and Vicky Morgan opened Dead Crafty in 2016 after being inspired by America’s craft brewing scene, and have grown it into Gareth said that, like so many other pub and bar owners, they were finding it tough right now.
“It’s really hard,” he said. “We’re still struggling. Christmas wasn’t Christmas. The cost of living is absolutely killing everyone at the moment. So people are being very wise. “We’re lucky because people like coming here and we are a specialist bar. But people that would come once or twice a week are coming once or twice every two weeks. So it’s tough. But we’re getting on with it.”
Vicky and Gareth were serving plenty of pints of Fusion - and Gareth thought Fusion was a great idea.
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He said: “It’s just a good initiative. It’s great beer and yes, it’s a great idea to get people off their couches, out of the supermarkets, and into actual bars that are the bread and butter of the city.
The craft beer industry in the North West and beyond is close-knit, and companies want to support each other.
Stefan Melbourne, Events & Creative Manager at Track Brewing Co, said: “I know it sounds cheesy, but the beauty of our industry is that it’s very connected. Bringing the whole supply chain together to give back to the front end - the bar and hospitality sector - is what we care about. Because without any of those parts of that chain, it all falls away.
“This is possibly about the hardest time it’s been since I’ve been in the brewery game, which is coming on to ten years. It’s been really tough. Like we said in the press release Fusion is no magic wand. It can’t solve every problem. But it’s a way of giving back to as many many people as we can. It’s meaningful - it’s about bringing people in and having a beer, which is what hospitality is based on.”