Australian craft beer brand, Tinnies Beer, has introduced a new range of flavours to keep pace with growing demand for craft brews.
Tinnies Ultra-Low Alcohol Hoppy Ale was crowned the Best Non-Alcohol Beer at the Australian International Beer Awards (AIBA), the largest annual beer competition for draught and packaged beer.
Most low- or zero-alcohol beers are brewed like any other beer and then have the alcohol removed by filtration, a process which can tend to also remove flavour.
The Hoppy Ale is brewed using a specially selected yeast and careful temperature control so that the fermentation process naturally produces almost no alcohol, at 0.5 per cent ABV. This means nothing needs to be removed and the brew retains all the flavour that beer-lovers want.
Other than the AIBA award, Tinnies Ultra-Low Alcohol Hoppy Ale was also named Low Alcohol Beer of the Year at the 2020 Melbourne International Beer Competition and was the Country Winner at the World Beer Awards 2020.
Coles Liquor took home a total of seven accolades at the AIBA – gold for stablemate Tinnies Pacific Ale; silver wins for Tinnies Hazy Pale, Smithy’s Dry Lager and Smithy’s Mid Strength Lager; and bronze for Tinnies Pale Ale and Smithy’s Draught.
New analysis from Coles Liquor shows that demand for crafty cans continues to surge across Australia, as brews once considered a niche market for connoisseurs find favour with an expanding audience.
Across the Coles Liquor network including Liquorland, Vintage Cellars and First Choice Liquor Market, craft beer sales are growing at almost 20 per cent each year, with Coles Liquor adding around 100 new craft beer lines to shelves in the past year.
The shift to “quality over quantity” is part of a global trend towards moderation. UK market research found 60 per cent of beer drinkers would rather drink small amounts of premium beer than a larger amount of standard beer. Meanwhile, 18 per cent of Australians aged 18 to 34 said they want to cut back on their alcohol intake as one of their post-COVID-19 resolutions.
While 20 years ago the typical Aussie beer drinker would be loyal to a single brew, the growth of craft beer reflects a more experimental attitude among consumers, with 32 per cent of 18 to 34-year-old Australians saying they look for new flavours to try most of the time, while 29 per cent of international beer buyers say that a flavour they have not tried before would prompt them to buy a new product.
There was a high demand for locally made beer that doesn’t compromise on variety or quality, according to Coles Liquor Business Category Manager for Beer Richard Bryant.
“Our customers are moving towards locally-made products and interesting flavour options. Focusing on these insights and global trends, the new Tinnies range has been developed to make enjoying craft beer and supporting Australian production as simple as the sleek, new packaging,” Bryant said.
“We’re incredibly proud of our award-winning Tinnies range. Our team works hard with the best brewers in the country to bring fantastic, great quality brews to our customers, and these latest accolades show our customers can enjoy the best of the best without compromising on value.”
Tinnies’ new range includes six craft favourites, including the Ultra–Low Alcohol Hoppy Ale as well as an IPA, Pacific Ale, XPA, Pale Ale and Hazy Pale Ale. Seasonal releases are also anticipated throughout the year, with Hot Craft Bun Ale as the first.
“The Tinnies range is a straight to the point, no fuss way to enjoy craft beer and the updated look emulates this while holding onto the nostalgic idea of drinking from a tin can,” Bryant said.
“The packaging is not only sustainable but maintains the remarkable craftsmanship of the product and makes the experience of drinking Tinnies quintessentially Australian.”
Tinnies new cans and flavours can be found on shelves in Liquorland, First Choice Liquor Market and Vintage Cellars stores Australia-wide.