Carling Black Label brand to be revived
Molson Coors is reintroducing the Carling Black Label brand name in a new beer launch that is set to hit shops next month.
The new 4.7% ABV “premium British lager for modern day beer drinkers” will become available across grocery, wholesale and convenience channels from 16 March and has been created to complement the core Carling range.
The new lager, made with 100% British barley and brewed in Burton on Trent, has been cold-filtered and is anticipated to be “ instantly familiar to loyal Carling drinkers” since “ it was how the brand was known in the UK until the late 1990s and remains part of the brand’s identity in certain markets to this day”.
The ‘I bet’ adverts
Black Label was first introduced in the UK back in 1952 and became well known in the seventies and eighties after being launched in cans and boosted by television adverts featuring the catchline: “I bet he drinks Carling Black Label”.
In 2019. Michael Stones, the producer behind the famous Carling Black Label ‘Dambusters’ adverts, died aged 75. The “I bet” strapline had been used in a series of Carling adverts but the Dambusters version made by Stones has often been considered the funniest and won several awards for its creators.
The “Black Label” part of the Carling name had been dropped from the brand and logo in Britain in 1997 but is now set to gain fresh appeal with the launch of the new beer.
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Carling, which has long held sporting partnerships with British football, is due to be “complemented” by the addition rather than see the flagship brand cannibalised. According to Molson Coors, the new Carling variant will “help retailers offer a full-bodied, premium option”.
Carling Black Label will be available in both four-packs and 10-packs of 568ml cans with the launch being supported by a full consumer marketing campaign featuring social media and influencer engagement.
Loved for decades
Speaking about the launch, Carling brand director Ryan Mclaughlin said: “Carling has been loved by people for decades, bringing mates together for occasions that matter. Now we’re taking the brand into the future, while honouring its heritage – giving drinkers an exciting new lager that celebrates the role Carling continues to play in British drinking culture.”
Molson Coors UK sales director Kevin Fawell explained: “Carling Black Label is a full-flavoured lager designed for today’s beer market, and we’re confident it will resonate with both those who remember the name and those discovering it for the first time. To be able to expand the Carling offering for our customers is a really exciting opportunity for us to reach new and existing Carling drinkers.”
Mplson Coors beer sommelier Paul Rudge added: “Carling Black Label has a slight appley fruit note on the nose backed up by a hint of digestive biscuit. As you taste the beer you get the rounded sweetness of the malt, but the hops have become more pronounced giving it a fuller body with plenty of pleasant bitterness and a rounded finish.”
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