Asda customers can now pick up their favourite freshly poured tipple in reusable containers after the supermarket became the first UK grocer to launch a draught craft beer take-away concept.
Shoppers in Milton Keynes can sample from a list of 12 regularly changing brews and seek expert guidance to find something that suits their tastes.
Once they’ve selected their preferred drink, draft beer pumps are used to freshly pour their selection into refillable 1L or 2L glass container that can be taken away and enjoyed at home.
The specialised beer containers can then either be kept and used, brought back to store to be refilled again or returned and a deposit refunded.
To make this possible, the retailer will exclusively partner with Craft on Draft, a specialist retailer of craft beers and ciders, which was founded with the ethos of showcasing the very best of small batch beer production and offering a more sustainable way to shop for keg fresh drinks.
The Craft on Draft team will use their expertise in the hospitality industry to bring unusual beers from smaller and local breweries to the store that aren’t easily available in other retailers, pubs or smaller can and bottle formats.
Beers currently offered include Pornstar Martini IPA from Redchurch Brewery and Chew Chew Salted Caramel Milkstout from Fallen Brewing, with 1L of craft beer or cider priced from £5.90 to £8.20. As well as a range of alcoholic beers, Craft on Draft will also be stocking a selection of low and no alcohol beers, such as Paradiso Citra IPA, a 0.5 percent beer from the team at Big Drop Brewing.
Located at the end of the beer, wine and spirits aisle, shoppers will also be able to purchase drinks in cans to give as gifts in the run up to Christmas.
The trial sits within Asda’s ‘test and learn’ partnership strategy, which sees it bring relevant brands and services into stores to complement the retailer’s existing food and beverage businesses.
It also joins a growing list of pioneering initiatives that Asda has recently introduced, including a ‘sustainability store’ in Leeds.
The outlet features 15 huge refill stations offering a selection of more than 30 household brands sold in refillable format. They include various Kellogg’s cereals, PG Tips tea bags, Quaker Oats, Lavazza and Taylors of Harrogate coffee beans, Vimto cordial and Asda’s own brand rice and pasta (below). The refill zone also houses popular brands of shampoo, conditioner, Persil laundry detergent as well as hand wash and shower gel from Unilever brands like Simple and Radox – a refillable retail first.
Both this – and the draught beer concept – could launch in more stores next year if there is demand.
Matt Harrison, Senior Director of Business Development and Strategic Partnerships at Asda, said: “As part of our partnership strategy we want to bring new and exciting concepts into stores that have never before been seen by our customers – and Craft on Draft is a great example of this.
“The Craft on Draft team’s expertise in the hospitality industry will bring a range of drinks to our store that are unlikely to be found elsewhere and that complement our strong existing beers, wines and spirits offer.
“The refillable element of the trial gives customers the chance to pick up a new tipple and make a small change to help them shop more sustainably in our Milton Keynes store.”
