Greene King, the UK’s leading pub company and brewer, is excited to announce the return of the nation’s favourite Christmas ale, Rocking Rudolph, for the season with some of the funds going to Macmillan Cancer Support.

Following on from last year, for each pint sold of the popular festive beer Greene King will give 5p (plus VAT) to Macmillan Cancer Support. The money raised will help the charity provide vital care and support for people living with cancer.

As the number one Christmas ale in the on-trade for the last nine years, the seasonal 4.2% cask ale is filled with fruity esters and a malted toffee taste, as well as a crisp bitter finish, providing a perfect taste of Christmas in a glass. Rocking Rudolph is available for all customers to stock, including free trade pubs and lease and tenanted.

Pubs that stock Rocking Rudolph will also be able to receive bespoke decorations this year to bring even more cheer into the pub and also highlight the support for Macmillan through the sales of the beer. With jumper shaped drip mats, bar bunting and helpful opening time posters, Rocking Rudolph is going big on Christmas this year.

For November and December, Fireside, the 4.5% ruby winter ale will also be available for pubs to stock, as part of the Greene King Fresh Cask Releases calendar. With a mellow fruity finish and grapefruit and lemon citrus characters, this ale is a delicious addition to the bar this season.

For pubs with a strong Abbot Ale fan base, for December only Abbot Reserve will be available to order from the seasonal calendar to showcase on the bar. The 6.5% premium ale is bursting with fruit cake and toffee flavours and is a great hit with beer lovers.

Jack Palmer, Head Brewer at Greene King Brewery, said: “Rocking Rudolph is a firm favourite every year and it’s great to be able to use our beer to also raise awareness and funds for such an important cause at this time of the year with Macmillan Cancer Support. Last year we gave over £24,000 from the sales of Rocking Rudolph to our charity partner and we’re aiming to raise even more this year.

“It’s also exciting to see the return of our other two seasonal ales that are perfectly suited for the winter season. If you are looking for the ideal ale selection for your bar, with festive bespoke point of sale to really drive the essence of Christmas, look no further.”

Since partnering in 2012, the UK’s leading pub company and brewer has raised over £16 million for Macmillan as the charity’s top employee fundraising corporate partner.

ENDS

Notes to editors

Greene King is the country’s leading pub company and brewer with c.2,600 pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, Wales and Scotland.
At Greene King we are passionate about delivering our purpose to ‘pour happiness into lives’. That’s for our customers, our team, our pub partners, our suppliers and the communities in which we live, operate and serve. Founded in 1799 with offices in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk and Burton on Trent in Staffordshire we employ around 39,000 people across the group with four divisions: Greene King pubs, Destination Brands, Partnership and Ventures, and Brewing & Brands.

• Greene King Pubs are located where people and communities come together; pubs enjoyed in cities, towns and villages throughout the country
• Destination Brands is a mixture of food and drink-led brands including Hungry Horse, Farmhouse Inns, Chef & Brewer, Flaming Grill and Wacky Warehouse
• Partnerships & Ventures includes Pub Partners, which runs our tenanted and leased pubs business and Hive Franchise pubs, and our Ventures Brands which is made up of Metropolitan Pub Company, Hickory’s, Hotels Group and Crafted Pubs
• Brewing & Brands covers the brewing sides of the business. Quality ales are brewed at the Westgate brewery in Bury St Edmunds and the Belhaven Brewery in Dunbar. Our industry-leading portfolio includes Greene King IPA, Old Speckled Hen, Abbot Ale, Ice Breaker and Belhaven Best and our premium beers, Level Head and Flint Eye, brewed for the modern-day drinker.