Premium Bottled Badgers

Dorset brewer Hall & Woodhouse, producer of Badger brands, dispels the notion that cask beer is on the road to oblivion. It has seen sales of its bottled ales grow rapidly in recent years, with a 17% increase in 2005. It is now Britain's leading regional brewer in the bottled sector, with an 8.6% share of the bottled ale market.

The company, which has five brands in the top-selling 20 premium bottled ales category, is so bullish about the potential of the ale market that it has sold off its Panda soft drinks subsidiary to concentrate on brewing. It plans to build a flexible new brewery in Blandford Forum that will replace the existing brewery that was created in 1899.

David French, Hall & Woodhouse Head of Brands, says bottled ales are one of the fastest growing categories in supermarkets and off-licences, enjoying double-digit growth. "We aim to double the bottled category size," he adds. "Premium bottled ales growth out-performs premium and standard lager, standard ale and stout."

Rick Payne, the company's Brand Marketing Manager, says Badger has become the "driving force of growth in the PBA sector. Data shows that 18% of UK households buy bottled ales and we believe this can be raised to around 30%."

Badger beers include First Gold (4.2%), launched a few months ago on draught and in bottle. It uses the new First Gold hedgerow hop that grows to only half the height of conventional hops and is less prone to attacks from pests and disease. It has a pronounced resinous and fruity aroma balanced by biscuity malt. The beer won two gold medals at the 2005 Brewing Industry International Awards and is available in branches of ASDA, CostCo, Morrisons and Thresher. Other bottled beers include Tanglefoot, Golden Champion, Golden Glory, Fursty Ferret and Blandford Fly.

The most recent addition to the range is Stinger Ale (4.5%), made in association with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's River Cottage Estate and using handpicked organic nettles. The nettle is a member of the same plant family as the hop (though it's more difficult to pick!) and the beer has a superb piny and spicy aroma with a solid backing of juicy malt and a hint of vanilla, with a quenching and herbal finish.

H&W's innovative back labels give information about bitterness, hoppiness, maltiness and fruitiness, as well as suggestions for matching beer with food. The company supplied recipe cards to pubs for beer and food to coincide with National Beer with Food Week last April, and it will also host Badger Beer & Food Week in Dorset in the autumn.