UK: Hoegaarden opts for champagne lifestyle

Hoegaarden, the white beer owned by Interbrew, has launched an alternative 75cl bottle and the brand will be backed by a £1.8m marketing support package this year. The bottle, topped off with a "Champagne style" cork, is an attempt by the company to match the beer more closely with food. Hoegaarden's brand manger Stuart Ibberson said: "Hoegaarden goes very well with food. Research into Hoegaarden's taste and consumer appeal by Interbrew UK has shown that the drink's ingredients, in particular its wheat, coriander seeds and orange peel, give it many flavour attributes normally associated with wine. So putting Hoegaarden in a lager format, which is ideal for sharing and drinking with food, an obvious conclusion." The sparkling wine-style bottle has already gained off-trade listings with Tesco at £2.99 a bottle and at Majestic Wine Warehouse by the case. Booths Supermarkets and the beer-specialist restaurants Bierodrome, in London, will stock the product by mid-August.Chris Brook-Carter