Popular ale brand Hobgoblin has been given a stripped back new look as part of the biggest overhaul in its 31-year history. The Hobgoblin character that terrorised the “Lagerboys” of yesteryear still enjoys a prominent place on the label, but the new look is designed to be more contemporary. It covers bottles and cans of the classic ruby ale, plus Hobgoblin Gold and IPA. It…

Badger beer has launched a digital competition that will send 54 winners on a camping weekend in Dorset. Competition winners will stay in Badger’s bespoke tent and they will be given two cases of beer and a voucher for a nearby Hall & Woodhouse pub. The competition goes live on May 6 via the brand’s website and social media pages and there trips to six…

Beer is becoming an increasingly popular accompaniment to meals and one of the world’s best chefs has given it his endorsement.  A Global Data report shows that 47% of consumers find the concept of pairing food and beer appealing, leaving it behind only wine in terms of popularity. Joan Roca, chef of Girona’s three Michelin-starred El Celler de Can Roca –…

The UK Supreme Court has given the Scotland the green light to introduce a minimum unit price of 50p following a five-year battle. Scottish parliament approved the measure in 2012 in a bid to curb Scotland’s “unhealthy relationship with drink”. The Scotch Whisky Association, backed by European trade associations, challenged the bill and it has been held up in the various courts ever since. The…

Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP) has unveiled Diet Coke’s latest on-pack promotion and stand-out limited edition designs, offering consumers the chance to win £5,000 every day to help retailers increase sales. Packs of Diet Coke and Diet Coke Caffeine Free have been given beauty, fashion, music and travel graphics to appeal to the brand’s predominantly female drinkers.  The competition will run until 22 October 2017, encouraging…

Back in 2005 (how’s that for a topical intro, folks?), we were on the panel of judges at the International Beer Challenge which awarded the Supreme Champion gong to Rogue Mocha Porter. All the beers entered were vying for the top prize of a listing at Sainsbury’s and, given it was an exclusively off-trade battle between bottled beers, they weren’t just judged…

The world’s largest bourbon producer has given Maker’s 46 an official UK launch to build on strong growth in the American whiskey category. Brits are increasingly turning to bourbon in favour of rival spirits and it has become one of the star performers in the off-trade, with value sales up 7{7c69fd72f8e2bab9ee87ef5a2685d86c0107c79a8a610a3574925e3ec9a3ba47} to £204 million (Nielsen, year to April 2016). There are now 5 million American…