A new ale produced by a microbrewery in the Channel Islands hits Tesco shelves next week, with the aim of becoming a national brand.
Cynful, a 3.5% abv dark ale supplied by family brewer Randall’s in Guernsey, won a trial 18-week listing with the supermarket after winning its Beer Challenge competition.
Randall’s has allocated a £500,000 marketing and advertising budget to support the launch and invested in a new packing plant capable of 250,000 bottles a week.
Tesco will market the ale in-store as its Beer Challenge winner and is likely to extend the listing after 18 weeks if sales are buoyant.
Described as a “dark, subtly sweet ale with a gentle hint of hop and chocolate malt”, Cynful was produced specifically as a competition entry. It is sold in a 500ml bottle but may also be produced in bigger sizes as a dining beer if successful.
Ben Randall, sales and marketing manager, said he was confident the brand was well positioned to profit from healthy consumer demand for specialist bottled beers.
“We couldn’t hope for a better platform to launch the brand from than winning the Beer Challenge,” he said.
Selling exclusively at Tesco for around £1.49, Randall added that the company planned to avoid promoting on price as much as possible.
The other Beer Challenge winner, Humdinger from Joseph Holt Brewery in Manchester, has also won a trial listing with the multiple.

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