Brewery and pub group, Robinsons has today announced its brand-new collaboration, Unicorn Brewing, in partnership with the next generation of brewers at Robinsons and its Beer Crew (pub licensees, selected employees and brewers) to meet the changing needs of the modern sector.
Unicorn Brewing is a unique collaboration to explore, create and develop interesting beers that look towards the future and meet the ever-changing needs of modern-day drinking habits and key trends.
The new beers –available in both in cask and keg - will all be released as limited-edition ales, replacing the brewer’s popular seasonal beers (whilst they still maintain their core range).
Sam Kennerley, Beer and Drinks Manager, commented, “We pride ourselves on making great quality award-winning ales, but we wanted to explore something slightly different under the umbrella of Unicorn Brewing.
'We are creating these beers with ambitions to break the mould outside of conventional tastes and flavours that you typically see within our current range. It's an exciting time as we encourage and empower a new and younger generation within our brewery to help to create craft beers, so we can tap into current drinking styles.”
Perfect for craft beer novices and experts alike, the first beer released from February 2023 is Pilsner – a delicate, unfiltered 4.0% ABV lager, carefully crafted to honour the traditional methods of the past with a modern twist.
By not filtering the beer, Robinsons’ allow the fresh flavours of malt, Weihenstephan yeast and four German hop varieties to burst through for a naturally flavourful taste. Pilsner is also vegan friendly (these beers growing in popularity due to millennial demand) and delivers a clean and sweeter taste than traditional pilsners, whilst retaining a short bitterness.
Continued Sam, “A huge part of this project is feedback, not just from our customers but from our partners in pubs each of Unicorn Brewing’s beers will feature in pub feedback points through POS and QR codes, to help us understand what is working and what isn’t.
'We hope this feedback will help shape not just Unicorn Brewing’s future beers but our own core range at Robinsons as well.”
Eddie Leigh, licensee at the Flying Coach, Hazel Grove and Red Bull, Stockport, said, “It’s been a huge step forward for Robinsons to involve licensees in their beer planning to such a degree. As feet on the ground, we have a direct link to our customers and understand what is working and what isn’t within the wider industry.
'Pilsner is already getting a great deal of positive feedback from our customers and really marks a leap forward when it comes to appealing to the next generation of drinkers.”
Unicorn Brewing has a further number of beers launching from this summer.