Big Drop Award Wins Grow
Big Drop Brewing is introducing a 0.5% ABV Citra IPA to its core product range – alongside its Stout, Lager and Pale Ale – following a string of award wins.
The Citra IPA, originally launched last year as a Citra 4 Hop special, recently won a Gold medal at the 2019 International Beer Awards (non and low alcohol category). However, it has also achieved the Holy Grail of any non-alcoholic drink by winning an award against full-strength competitors: the ‘King of Craft’ at the 2019 Casual Dining show.
Big Drop – which itself has just received the Best Business Innovation award from The Society of Independent Brewers – has now increased production and will be offering the Citra IPA to all customers – in cans for the first time – as well as bottles. It will be available both here in the UK and in Big Drop’s overseas markets including: the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, France and Germany.
Big Drop Commercial Director, Nick Worthington, commented: “We launched the Citra Four Hop pale ale last year as part of our Craft specials range and due to popular demand and the awards we’ve won, we’ve decided to bring it into our core range alongside our other award-winning Pale Ale, Stout and Lager. We’ll be calling it the Citra IPA. With this beer we’ve created an IPA with all the flavour you’d expect but without the ABV of a traditional IPA. We’re very proud to add it to our core range offering increased choice for thirsty drinkers looking for Low/No ABV options.”
As the world’s only brewer dedicated exclusively to making <0.5% ABV beer when it launched in November 2016, Big Drop has been a trailblazer of the alcohol-free beer category (<0.5% ABV being widely recognised as ‘alcohol-free’). A sales growth of 775% in 2018 and a recent £500k round of investment has set the business up for a stellar year with annualised revenue forecast to hit the £1 million mark by 2020.
We launched the Citra Four Hop pale ale last year as part of our Craft specials range and due to popular demand and the awards we’ve won, we’ve decided to bring it into our core range …
Listings include supermarkets (eg Tesco Extra, Morrisons), online retailers (eg Ocado, Beerhawk), quality independent shops as well as bars and restaurants nationwide. It is even now sold on tap in some outlets (eg Barworks) – a growing trend that Big Drop predicts will lead to wider appeal of alcohol-free beer in the years to come.
Diary dates confirmed by Big Drop this year include: Northern Bar & Restaurant, Taps19, Edinburgh Craft Beer Festival, Bristol Craft Beer Festival, Imbibe, London Craft Beer Festival and BCB/Brew Berlin. Big Drop’s Founder and CEO – Rob Fink – will also be a keynote speaker at the International Beer Strategies conference in May and the Brewers of Europe Forum in June.
Further information
Big Drop’s Awards & Accolades
Big Drop’s Pale Ale was named World’s Best Pale Beer (low strength) at the World Beer Awards 2017.
Its Stout won a Gold Medal at the International Beer Challenge and a UK Silver Medal at the World Beer Awards when judged against full-strength stouts and porters. It also won a Gold medal at the US Open Beer Championship.
Its Citra IPA was crowned ‘King of Craft’ at the 2019 Casual Dining show, which was dominated by full-strength beers. It also won the overall Champion’s trophy for ‘Non and Low Alcohol Beer’ at The International Brewing and Cider Awards and a Silver medal at the US Open Beer Championship.
Big Drop was also one of three ‘Best Drinks Producers’ in the 2018 BBC Food & Farming Awards.
“Big Drop specialises in alcohol-free beer and it’s all good. I tried the pale ale and the lager, too, and both are excellent, but the stout really is the business.” — Adrian Chiles, The Guardian
“The most impressive no/low alcohol beer I have ever tried; no argument, it just is.” — Melissa Cole, British Guild of Beer Writers
“In my view, by far the best of the low-alcohol brigade is Big Drop Brewing Co. All its beers come in at just 0.5%, and all of them are excellent – the stout in particular is a jaw-dropper. Superb flavour without compromise.” — Olly Smith, Mail on Sunday
About Big Drop
Big Drop was launched in 2016 as the world’s first brewer dedicated to alcohol-free beer by the-then City lawyer, Rob Fink and long-time friend James Kindred.
Both had recently become fathers and were looking to cut back on the booze but could not find any decent alternatives to their favourite craft beers.
Along with experimental brewer, Johnny Clayton, they perfected techniques to make a range of 0.5% abv beer styles – but crucially without the need for alcohol extraction – resulting in a fuller-flavour.
Big Drop has won over 40 major international beer titles including four times being judged ‘World’s Best’ at the World Beer Awards and beating full-strength beers in blind tastings.
Big Drop contract brews in batches through a network of brewing partners worldwide, meaning it can produce fresh beer – locally and ethically – with a minimal carbon footprint.
Recognised as the market leader in the rapidly growing AF craft beer sector, Big Drop can now be found in over 10,000 locations – including throughout Europe, Australia, Canada and – soon to be – the US. In the UK, Big Drop has listings with major pub groups (eg Mitchells & Butlers), restaurant chains (eg Nando’s) and retailers (eg Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Morrisons and Ocado) as well as on the High Street with Holland & Barrett and on doorsteps with Milk & More.
Its range of beers, which are all <0.5% abv, currently consists of: Stout, Lager, Pale Ale, Citra IPA, Brown Ale, Golden Ale, Hazelnut Porter and a Sour as well as special editions and collaborations with other leading brewers.
Further information: [email protected]