E-Malt.com News article: Ireland: Diageo launches the six-pointed star Guinness North Star

The third in the Guinness Brewhouse series, North Star, is launched to the on-trade this month. This follows the introduction of Brew 39 and Toucan Brew, Drinks Industry Ireland released October 11.

Each stout in the Brewhouse Series has the same natural ingredients and rigorous quality standards as Guinness but it’s brewed differently to give it a unique taste.

North Star has been brewed using a blend of lighter malts to produce a silky, well-rounded finish and named in honour of the Brewer’s Star.

This six-pointed star has been used to symbolise purity as far back as the 1300s. Each point represents an aspect of the brewing process that is critical to purity: water, hops, barley, malt, yeast and of course, the brewer.

“Consumers love the concept of trying something new from the Guinness brand every six moths” commented Tracy Atherton, Marketing Manager for Guinness Stout in the on-trade at Diageo Ireland, “with some really getting into the spirit of it! For example in some pubs consumers are having sweepstakes on the much-anticipated name of the next brew!”

North Star, currently being rolled out in 2,000 outlets, will build on the 1.5 million pint contribution of its two predecessors.

“The introduction of the Brewhouse Series has also translated into extra volume for Guinness in outlets,” said Tracy Atherton, “In test outlets we have seen a positive shift in actual Guinness sales of four per cent versus outlets that don’t stock the Brewhouse Series.”

The Guinness brand is owned by the Diageo group. Diageo is the world's leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of alcohol beverage brands across spirits, wine and beer categories. These brands include: Smirnoff, Johnnie Walker, Guinness, Baileys, J&B, Captain Morgan, Cuervo, Tanqueray, Crown Royal and Beaulieu Vineyard and Sterling Vineyards wines.

Diageo is a global company, trading in over 180 markets around the world. The company is listed on both the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and the New York Stock Exchange (DEO).

It employs over 20,000 people worldwide with offices in around 80 countries. Diageo has manufacturing facilities across the globe including Great Britain, Ireland, United States, Canada, Spain, Italy, Africa, Latin America, Australia, India and the Caribbean.
Diageo was formed in 1997, following the merger of Guinness and GrandMet and is headquartered in London. The word Diageo comes from the Latin for day (dia) and the Greek for world (geo). The company takes this to mean every day, everywhere, people celebrate with its brands.


13 October, 2006