By James Atkinson
Sales of Cricketers Arms have already jumped off the back of a recent revamp of the Asahi-owned craft beer brand, according to brand manager Grayson Cook.
Acquired by Asahi Premium Beverages 18 months ago, Cricketers Arms was relaunched at Melbourne Cricket Ground last night with a packed house of media and trade in attendance, along with Asahi Group Holdings representatives.
Cook said three out of four of the Cricketers Arms beers won bronze medals at the recent CBIA Craft Beer Awards and recent sales results provided another vote of confidence.
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Asahi Premium Beverages master brewer, Dermot O’Donnell
“With the new branding… our September and October has been fantastic, a massive sales spike and great result for the brand,” Cook said.
Along with new livery and branding and some recipe tweaks, the Cricketers Arms range has expanded to four beers with the addition of Spearhead Pale Ale, which alongside Keeper’s Lager will be the focus in draught format.
Cricketers Arms founder Paul Scott with Asahi Group Holdings representatives (L-R) Jun Yamaguchi, Hitoshi Ogita and Takashi Fujisaki
Spearhead is a ‘new world’ pale ale that is “late hopped with Amarillo for a subtle citrus aroma, dry hopped with Nelson Sauvin for a tropical finish and balanced with a pale malt and two specialty malts to deliver a caramel end note”.
The range also includes a mid-strength lager in Journeyman Mid and the Captain’s IPA.