St Austell Brewery rolls all-British Anthem ale out in Tesco

St Austell Brewery has launched its Anthem session pale ale in the off-trade.

Cans have rolled out in more than 650 Tesco stores (rsp: £4.50/4x440ml).

Anthem has been available in St Austell Brewery’s pub estate and independent pubs across the UK since 2022 in cask format (at an abv of 3.8%).

The beer, made with 100% British ingredients including malted barley grown in Cornwall and East Anglia and four English hop varieties, offered “juicy tropical notes of mango, peach, and apricot,” according to brewing director Georgina Young.

It was launched as an “incubator brand” to “bring a bit of modernity and innovation” into the premium ale category, said St Austell Brewery marketing and communications director Laura McKay.

“As a more traditional brewer, we have to be seen to be innovating,” she said.

With Anthem, St Austell Brewery was seeking to “strike a balance between not alienating our core drinker, whilst also thinking about whether there is a chance to appeal to a slightly younger demographic”, McKay said.

“We’re definitely not trying to be craft, but trying to bring some energy and something a little bit different.”

Dialling down Anthem in the off-trade would enable St Austell Brewery to “lean on sessionability and moderation trends,” she added.

Alongside the launch of Anthem in cans, Korev, St Austell Brewery’s flagship lager, is also launching regionally across the off-trade in a new 10x440ml can format.

The brewer launched a 0.5% abv version of its flagship Proper Job ale into grocery last October.