To celebrate 20 years of brewing high quality, flavoursome beers, local brewer Bath Ales is rewarding its loyal customers with a Birthday Happy Hour and an anniversary beer.
On Tuesday 22nd September, members of The Loyal Hare Force will be able to enjoy a pint of Gem for just £1.50.
Taking its customers back in time, from 5pm until 8pm a pint of Gem will cost the same as it did in 1995 in participating venues; The Wellington, The Hop Pole, The Salamander, The Swan, The Grapes, Graze (Bristol, Bath, Cirencester) and Beerd.
Exclusive to Bath Ales, The Loyal Hare Force is a loyalty scheme where members can earn loyalty points and receive monthly offers on the high quality food and drink available at all Bath Ales venues and on great tasting take-home ale at the Bath Ales Brewery Shop.
Extending the celebrations further, the independent brewer has also crafted a limited edition anniversary beer. To commemorate 20 years since the first pint of Gem was brewed, Bath Ales is introducing MegaGem, a stronger version of the award-winning amber ale, Gem, into its pubs.
For those who prefer a high strength ale, MegaGem was double drop fermented during the brewing process, which increases its alcohol levels to 7.4% ABV.
Taking up the space between a dark bitter and a barley wine, MegaGem boasts intense malty flavours that are more complex than your normal bitter, with a slight bitterness and fruity aromas.
Visitors to any Bath Ales venues will be able to enjoy a pint of MegaGem on tap from Monday 14th September until stocks last and will also be able to purchase an exclusive anniversary commemorative glass.
Roger Jones, joint founder and managing director at Bath Ales, said: “Gem was the very first beer made by Bath Ales in 1995 when the hare was originally born.
“We were determined to create an exceptional ‘best bitter’ with a superb depth of flavour and great balance between the malt and the hops.
“Despite the influx of new breweries opening and more beers to compete against, Gem has continued to be highly regarded by competition judges and beer fans alike, which is testament to the quality of that original work.”
Over the course of 20 years, Bath Ales has secured a number of awards.
Gem was victorious twice at the prestigious International Beer Challenge, winning a silver medal this year and a gold medal and highly coveted trophy for its category – the ‘Best Ale up to 5% abv’ – in 2014.
The brewer has also won a number of accolades for its pubs, including the national The Publican Morning Advertiser Awards for Best Managed Pub Company (2-50 sites) last year.
Roger Jones continued: “We are incredibly proud of how far the business has come in 20 years. From when we brewed the first pint, we never dreamt the Bath Ales hare could have leapt to where it is now.
“The growth we’ve experienced in 20 years is fantastic. We now produce over 20,000 barrels annually and have our own bottling plant and brewery shop.
“The success we’ve enjoyed is down to several key components; hard working and dedicated staff, exceptionally high quality beer, loyal fans, strong performing venues and a well-recognised brand identity.”
The Bath Ales core range spans from dark stouts to lighter pale ales. It also produces limited edition seasonal ales available on draught across its venues and occasionally in bottle too.
The current seasonal ale, Forest Hare, will be available in the coming weeks for Autumn until stocks last.
In addition to its more traditional ales, Bath Ales also owns a craft microbrewery, Beerd which produces a variety of innovative, flavoursome beers to appeal to those seeking a different tasting brew.
Customers can sign up to the Loyal Hare Force at the Brewery Shop in Warmley or online at https://www.bathales.com/about-us/loyal-hare-force/.
