Hop to it

Suffolk behemoths Greene King aren’t shy of putting out the odd press release about their products, and neither do they mind blowing their own trumpet. “Think about the Mini, an updated English icon, or Paul Smith who revolutionised traditional tailoring – Greene King is doing the same for beer,” said their marketing director Fiona Hope. Fair enough, although I don’t think I’ve seen Paul Smith suits for 99p, unlike Greene King IPA. In fairness, that quote was from a product launch two years ago, long before Wetherspoons decided to slash their prices to attract drinkers smarting from the credit crunch.

That quote and press release was regarding Greene King’s Beer to Dine For (5%), which in 2007 was re-named and re-launched as simply Greene King Hop. Apparently aimed at the ‘discerning 30-something urban male’ it is supposed to sit beside the imported lagers and take away some of their custom. Neatly fitting that category, if I wanted to ‘step up from premium lager’, would it be something to consider? Well, it pours like a pint of flat lager – the sizable 750ml bottles give you that discerning man-sized portion, but mine wasn’t exactly appetizing in prospect.

Tastewise though, it’s a pretty refreshing option if you are sick of those lagers – the Tettnang hops give it a Germanic flavour (although they are from Oregon). Personally however, if I wanted something from that category I’d rather stick to something it’s clearly trying to emulate, such as a Budvar or Paulaner. In truth, Greene King Hop isn’t that spectacular – it’s nice enough, solid, and probably would go well with dining if you didn’t want to drink a more complex beer that might get lost. I can see how it might appeal to lager drinkers, so if that was their aim then I suppose they have to be satisfied. The customers might not be, however.