After two years of working together on one of the first music beer collaborations in the UK, Robinsons and elbow have decided that it’s last orders for ‘build a rocket boys!’ beer.
Multi-platinum selling Manchester band elbow has recently announced a new studio album to be released in March 2014. To coincide with the end of the ‘build a rocket boys!’ campaign, both the band and Robinsons have decided to cease brewing the beer which was named after the album.
Guy Garvey and the rest of the band designed their ‘build a rocket boys!’ beer back in 2011 after a series of tastings at Robinsons Brewery in Stockport, a stone’s throw from elbow’s Manchester heartland.
Initially expected to be a two-month limited edition ale available in cask, a surge in demand from across the globe led to a rethink which resulted in creating a bottled version of ‘build a rocket boys!’ which has proved very popular with fans and supermarket chains over the last two years!
‘Build a Rocket Boys!’ beer has sold nearly 750,000 pints in its two years – gaining listings with Makro, Nisa, Booths, East West Ales, ABV Wholesale, Carlsberg, Molson Coors, Spirit Pub Group, Punch Taverns, Amber Taverns, Heineken, Mitchells and Butlers, JD Wetherspoons, LWC, Classic Drinks as well as national supermarkets Morrisons and Tesco – and was also one of the first beers to be globally available to fans by post.
Over £40,000 was raised for the Oxfam East Africa appeal within this time following the unprecedented success of the beer brand through sales in pubs, supermarkets and home deliveries. The beer is currently being phased out and stocks are expected to have diminished by Christmas.
Robinsons’ Brand Manager John Robinson explains: “It has been a fantastic journey and one we have been proud to be a part of. This was a great partnership which marked a real turning point for us as a family company. In addition, there was a particularly great feel good factor with joint venture as the ‘beer money’ raised and donated to Oxfam, from sales of ‘build a rocket boys!’ beer, has quite literally saved lives and helped thousands of people in East Africa, who continue to face desperate food shortages.”
Robinsons also won the ‘Best Marketing and Communication Award’ at the SIBA National Finals, earlier this year, for the brand development of ‘build a rocket boys!’ beer. Following a structured PR and Communications programme (utilising social media to drive demand and interest) the Cheshire family brewers successfully opened new doors to a rich vein of ale drinkers who may not have otherwise tried real cask ale.
For your last chance to purchase ‘build a rocket boys!’ beer – created by elbow, brewed by Robinsons – please visit http://shop.elbowbeer.co.uk where you can get 50% off ‘build a rocket boys!’ beer while stocks last.
