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George the Bear’ who helped the brand become one of the top selling beers of the 1980s and early 1990s alongside the catchline “for great lager, follow the bear” is set to return as a “grown up, classier, sophisticated” bear compared “his former ‘geezer’” version, the company has stated. financial or tax advice of any kind. If you have any questions with respect to legal, financial or tax Richard Longhurst and Spencer Chambers, two of the investors who are part of the team behind the reborn Hofmeister. Photograph: Nigel Davies/Hofmeister Hofmeister Helles is made according to the ancient Reinheitsgebot German beer purity law by a 4th generation family brewery who are one of only four certified slow brewers in this historical brewing region. Using only three local ingredients; pure mineral water, locally grown barley and Hallertau Hops, Hofmeister beer is laagered slower at zero degrees for a fresh, crisp, Helles lager with an ABV of 5%.
But when a spate of beer mergers in the 1990s prioritised other brands, Hofmeister was quietly forgotten. In 2003 Hofmeister was brewed for what was believed to be the last time - however, that was not the end of the story. Gill said: “I was around at the birth of George at Hofmeister at a time when beer advertising was hugely popular, in the days before social media when everyone was talking about it in the office. We live in a very different world now and much of the humour and irreverence about beer advertising that we all loved, has sadly gone. The time has come for a great beer campaign and we’re very excited about it.”
Hofmeister Helles is produced by a fourth generation Bavarian brewery, Schweiger, one of only four out of 600 Bavarian breweries to be Slow-Brew accredited – a technique that helps to give the beer its fresh, crisp taste and 5% abv. It uses water from its own underground lake in the Ebersberger Forest in the heart of the region and hops from the prestigious Hallertau area. The beer, a Bavarian “Helles”, won best lager of 2017 at the International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWSC), cementing its return after a 13-year absence from the market. They hit upon award-winning fourth-generation brewery Schweiger, on the edge of the Ebersberger forest, which uses local Hallertau hops, natural spring water and barley from nearby farmers. In keeping with the new premium, authentically Bavarian, slow brewed Hofmeister, the new look George is a grown up, classier, sophisticated version of his former ‘geezer’ pork pie wearing hat version, that helped make him a household name in his heyday in the 1980s when millions of beer drinkers took up his call - “for great lager, follow the bear”. The new revamped range means it is ready to push on and really make its home in the best premium outlets in the country, according to Francis and Venters.
Secured listings in outlets for City Pub Company, Metropolitan Pub Company, Fullers, Brunning and Price, Cheshire Cat Pubs and Bars and LRLC. The new Hofmeister is brewed according to the German “Reinheitsgebot” law governing the ingredients of beer. The result is a pleasant, easy-drinking but relatively complex Helles lager with a long aftertaste, a world away from the original. Hofmeister Enterprises has an Invoice Discounting facility with HSBC to help cash flow. This enables them to access 85% of the gross invoice value that they raise against product delivered to a customer, within 24 hours. This allows them to turn 85% of invoiced sales into working capital almost immediately. When the invoice is paid, HSBC are repaid the 85% and Hofmeister retains the 15% balance.At the height of its fame and sales in the 1980s and 1990s, when Hofmeister was the fourth biggest beer brand in the UK, its advertising was based around ‘George The Bear’ who, it was claimed, had come from the forests of Bavaria. In reality the beer was made in the UK as a high volume, low abv mainstream lager. This is officially the best beer in the world". The Independent. 2017-10-18 . Retrieved 2017-10-20. Hofmeister Brewing Company was relaunched in 2017 by co-founders and friends, Richard Longhurst and Spencer Chambers. Now British owned and proudly independent, its signature beer, Hofmeister Helles, is an authentic imported Bavarian lager that’s slow brewed and cold fermented in the heart of Bavaria.
People drink with their eyes and how good the beer looks in the glass. Get that right and you can offer them the best drinking experience,” said Francis. The brand was retired in 2003 and there will be no nationwide TV campaign for its revival. Longhurst and Chambers are planning a more low key promotional strategy, making the beer available in regional pubs first while they gauge how well it is doing. In 2017, Hofmeister won the Best Lager award at the International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWSC), becoming the first lager to be given five stars at the awards. [7] [8] Production [ edit ] Francis said he was intrigued by the new look Hofmeister when he came across it at a trade show last year. “I first tasted the beer and thought it was amazing. Then I talked to Richard and Spencer about their plans for the brand and could see what an enormous opportunity this was. Hofmeister Enterprises Ltd is a 100% wholly owned subsidiary of The Hofmeister Brewing Company Ltd and controlled by the same Board of Directors.
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We will expand our growing team of regional Sales Managers to establish a presence across the whole UK. Investment in a new CRM system to enable efficient prospecting and account management. Hofmeister won notoriety in the 1980s and 90s thanks to its “Follow the bear” TV advertising campaign, fronted by George, a laddish fur ball who claimed Bavarian heritage despite having no links to the southern German region. We will continue to invest into launching our beer in new outlets pouring Hofmeister. We want to excite staff and consumers alike, ensure quality and add an injection of the personality that we want to be known for. Won 22 industry awards for quality since relaunch including IWSC’s World’s Best Lager, Gold at the European Beer Challenge for the past four years and a top 3 star rating in the Great Taste Awards for our Weisse beer. They have not just invested in the brand, but will be taking an active role in helping to develop it, with Venters focused on building Hofmeister’s brand credentials, whilst Francis lends his expertise to how it targets and grows its distribution.
National wholesale listings with LWC Molson Coors and Matthew Clark, alongside a strong network of regional wholesalers.
Relaunch of a UK favourite
Next month it will be introducing two new brands to its portfolio: Hofmeister Weisse, a traditional Bavarian wheat beer at 5.1% abv; and Hofmeister Ultra Low, a 0.5% abv Bavarian Helles lager made with the same local mineral water, barley and Hallertau hops. Since 2016, Hofmeister has been brewed by Schweiger, a German brewery located in Markt Schwaben near the Ebersberger Forest in Bavaria. [9] regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. It is not intended to be a promotion of any individual
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