The latest beer to go into a bigger bottle is Interbrew's white beer Hoegaarden. It is being launched in a 75cl bottle with a champagne style cork in response to demand from both the on and off-trades. The new bottle has already won listings with Tesco and Majestic Wine Warehouses. Booth's will stock it by the middle of this month. Brand manager Stuart Ibberson said the new style packaging would help create new usage occasions and gain distribution in new areas. He said the beer has many of the flavour characteristics ­ including wheat, coriander seeds and orange peel ­ which are normally associated with wine. In its native Belgium it is drunk with a wide range of food, including shellfish and smoked salmon. "Putting Hoegaarden in a larger format which is ideal for sharing, and which reinforces the good-with-food message, was an obvious conclusion," said Ibberson. The brand is backed by a £1.8m marketing support package this year including sampling activity. The new size bottle will retail at £2.99. Hoegaarden is currently available in 33cl bottles and on draught. {{DRINKS }}

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