Scottish Courage tests wheat beer rival to Whitbread’s Hoegaarden

Scottish Courage aims to rejuvenate the wheat beer sector with tests of its own draught version, Razorback.

The brand will take on Whitbread’s wheat beer Hoegaarden White Beer, launched earlier this year.

But Scottish Courage believes Razorback can out sell other draught wheat beers as it is clear, rather than cloudy.

The brewer believes that the cloudiness of wheat beers puts off consumers.

Whitbread is developing an ad campaign for Hoegaarden through its roster agency Lowe Howard-Spink.

Razorback is the first brand to be tested by Scottish & Newcastle’s new product development (npd) division, which was created last month (MW November 3).

The division is headed by John Roberts, previously Courage marketing controller for ales.

Roberts was handed control of npd by Scottish Courage marketing director John Nicolson when he integrated marketing at the two companies following Scottish & Newcastle’s takeover of Courage.