Bass unveils designer ‘park bench’ lager

Bass is seeking to give a designer edge to the superstrength lager sector with the launch of an ice version of Tennent’s Super.

Tennent’s Super Ice will be launched shortly in blue 275ml bottles, and will have an alcoholic strength of 8.6 per cent proof.

The extension to the Tennent’s brand comes after Whitbread’s launch of Tungsten last autumn, a superstrength lager which the brewer claims may give less of a hangover than other beers.

Bass is combining high strength with the lighter, crisper taste produced by the ice beer process. However, some observers believe the combination could be confusing for consumers.

The brand was originally tested in Scotland between November 1994 and March 1995, and is now being launched amid growing activity in the superstrength sector.

Superstrength – known in the trade as the “park bench” sector – is one of the fastest growing in the beer market, and is worth more than 200m, about a tenth of the total take-home beer market.