Greene King has relaunched its successful Beer to Dine For lager in an attempt to compete with the growing speciality beer sector.

Renamed Hop, the beer is aimed at discerning 30-something urban males who want to step up from premium lagers.

"Beer To Dine For was very successful - so much so we realised that promoting it solely as a beer to be drunk with food would limit its market," said Fiona Hope, marketing director.

"Research showed us that consumers perceived the Beer To Dine For liquid as a speciality beer and with the recent sustained growth of this category, we recognised the opportunity to reposition this as a modern, English speciality beer. This resulted in a change to the name and a change in positioning," she said.

The speciality beer sector, which includes imported brands such as Hoegaarden, Leffe and Duval, is worth £81m in the UK, up 29% in value over the past year in the UK off-trade [Nielsen, year to December 06].

The brewery has kept the recipe the same and continues to use Tettnang hops, giving the 5% abv beer a smooth citrus taste and a subtle fruit aroma.

Hop has also been given a new look and bottle shape to differentiate itself from Beer To Dine For.

"Think about the Mini, an updated English icon, or Paul Smith who revolutionised traditional tailoring," said Hope. "We are doing the same for beer and creating a modern yet crafted English beer brand."

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