20 Oct 2015 --- Guinness has announced the launch of Hop House 13 lager, the latest beer from The Brewers Project at St. James’s Gate, Dublin.
Following a successful launch in Ireland, the new lager is now available in selected Greene King and Stonegate outlets in the on-trade and through wholesale channels in the off-trade.
Named after an early 1900’s hop store building at St. James’s Gate where hops are still stored today, Hop House 13 is a double-hopped lager made with Irish barley and aromatic hops. This distinctive golden lager is brewed with Guinness yeast, Irish barley and the high quality hops from both Australia and USA – Galaxy, Topaz, (AUS) and Mosaic (USA).
The new lager has a sweet fruity aroma, with hints of apricot and peach, and subtle malt notes breaking through. On taste, Hop House 13 is full flavoured while still being crisp and hoppy (but not bitter) with a refreshing clean finish.
Following its February launch in Ireland, Hop House 13 now accounts for 2.8% of Lager in Ireland, reaching one third of potential stockists after just six months.
Hop House 13 lager continues the journey that started last September when Guinness celebrated the quality and craft of brewing at St. James’s Gate, with the launch of The Brewers Project. The Brewers Project is a group of enterprising brewers who are on a quest to explore new recipes, reinterpret old ones and collaborate freely to bring exciting beers to life.
The new lager is the fourth release from The Brewers Project, joining Guinness Dublin Porter, Guinness West Indies Porter, which have been the number one and two NPD within Premium Bottled Ale category for the past 52 weeks, and Guinness Golden Ale, which launched in April this year as a result of growing demand for beers with more taste.
Guinness brewer, Peter Simpson who led the development of Hop House 13 said: “I personally enjoy more flavoursome beers, so I wanted to make a lager with lots of character and flavour. After some months of exploring different recipes and collaborating with other brewers at St. James’s Gate, we created Hop House 13.”
Nick Curtis-Davis, head of innovation for Guinness, said: “There is huge curiosity, interest and demand for new beers among drinkers nowadays and our brewers are excited to be playing their part in this beer renaissance. We believe Hop House 13 will appeal to premium lager drinkers who are looking for beer with more taste and more character but without compromising on the refreshing taste that lager offers.
“Hop House 13 embodies our passion for brewing, quality and innovation; values that have been at the heart of the Guinness story for over 250 years. The new lager is set to inspire consumers to broaden their beer repertoires and ultimately drive incremental sales into the category. With Hop House 13 now the no.1 selling lager in leading outlets in Ireland, we are incredibly excited to launch our new crafted lager in Great Britain.”