27 April 2012 --- A very special beer brewed by Britain’s oldest brewery is being sold to beer lovers in bottles supplied by glass manufacturer Beatson Clark.

Generation Ale is a premium beer created by Kent brewery Shepherd Neame in recognition of   five generations of the Neame family.

Sold hand-wrapped through selected outlets in a wooden presentation box, the beer comes in an elegant 750ml customised bottle with embossed finish moulds.

It will be brewed once a year and combines five types of roasted malt with five varieties of traditional Kentish hops.

Beatson Clark supplied the packaging solution by designing customised finish moulds for an existing amber glass bottle, thereby creating a unique container with half the lead time and cost  of a full set of moulds.

The embossing, which reads ‘Shepherd Neame Faversham Brewery since 1698’, takes pride of place as there is no label applied to the front of the bottle, enhancing the purity and quality of the glass.

“Beatson Cark have supplied us with many different bottles in the past and we were confident that they would do an excellent job providing a superb bottle for our Generation Ale,” said Tom Falcon, Production and Distribution Director at Shepherd Neame.

“Other beers in our portfolio have highly recognisable brands, such as Spitfire and Bishops Finger, but with Generation Ale the brand is the brewery itself and it was very important that we got the presentation right.

“Beatson Clark were very helpful and receptive to our ideas, they worked in a very innovative way and their flexibility really made a difference.”

Beatson Clark’s Marketing Manager Charlotte Taylor said the flexibility of the company’s approach means it can supply unique bottles for specialist products at a reduced cost.

“By customising existing designs and offering small productions runs we can keep costs down for our customers and supply bespoke products to smaller, niche brands,” she said.

Shepherd Neame describes its 9% Generation Ale as “rich, full-bodied and packed with sumptuous fruit notes” and it retails at £17.50.