Beer brings out the pig in Smiles chief

Bristol-based brewery Smiles has finally cracked the elusive female drinkers market with its latest May Fly ale, which features a picture of chief executive Martin Loades as a pig.

Loades – “a Yorkshireman!” – as the press release exclaims (that explains everything, then) is a well known character in the industry.

Smiles marketing director Mark Todd says: “The pump clip is a tongue in cheek reference to the fact that “pigs might fly” is a common lament when Martin gets carried away.”

According to Todd, the gossip doing the rounds in the brewery is that the pig’s body is not a cartoon but an actual picture of Loades in his birthday suit. Oink, oink!