Limited-edition lager launches at scale across Tesco, the on-trade and D2C, backed by a major Harvest campaign featuring Andy Cato and the Hawkstone Farmers Choir
Hawkstone and regenerative farming pioneers Wildfarmed have joined forces this Harvest to launch Hawkstone Wildthing Lager, a limited-edition beer created to celebrate British farming and get more people talking about where the ingredients in their pint come from.
The 4.6% Wild Barley Lager marks Hawkstone’s biggest seasonal launch to date and the first time the brewer has taken one of its limited-edition specials to scale across retail, on-trade and D2C. From 8 September, Hawkstone Wildthing Lager will be available in more than 300 Tesco stores, alongside Hawkstone.com and the on-trade, where more than 600 pubs have already signed up to take part in the exclusive launch.
The launch comes as Hawkstone continues to build significant momentum as one of Britain’s fastest-growing beer brands, with some of the strongest gains across the industry.
Putting British farming in the spotlight
The collaboration brings together two businesses with farming at their heart. Hawkstone has built its brand around British farming and ingredients, while Wildfarmed is pioneering regenerative farming practices designed to support healthier soil, greater biodiversity and a more resilient food system.
It comes at a time when provenance is increasingly important to shoppers. YouGov data shows that one in three shoppers say they are eating more locally sourced produce for environmental or sustainability reasons, while 47% say they look out for where products are made or grown.
Hawkstone Wildthing Lager brings that story into the beer aisle and onto the bar. Brewed with Wildfarmed barley, the 4.6% lager is crisp and clean with a pronounced malty character, combining cereal and biscuit aromas with subtle fruit notes and a gentle bitterness.
More than a beer launch
Hawkstone Wildthing Lager will be backed by a major integrated Harvest campaign spanning PR, social, CRM, paid media, OOH, retail media, in-store activation and the on-trade, designed to build awareness of the collaboration and turn that attention into demand for Hawkstone.
At the heart of the campaign, Wildfarmed co-founder and Groove Armada’s Andy Cato has teamed up with the Hawkstone Farmers Choir to record a new version of the iconic track Wild Thing, bringing together music, beer and farming to create a soundtrack to Harvest.
The track will be launched alongside Hawkstone’s Harvest Festival at The Farmer’s Dog, with further content, PR and live activations continuing throughout the campaign. The wider campaign will draw on the combined reach of Hawkstone, Wildfarmed and their respective communities, which together represent an audience of more than 16 million followers on Instagram.
Taking Wildthing into the trade
In the off-trade, Hawkstone Wildthing Lager will be exclusively available in Tesco supermarkets, launching into more than 300 stores from 8 September. The launch will be supported by significant shopper and media investment across the customer journey, including feature space, digital screens, targeted media, OOH and in-store activation.
For the on-trade, the launch also represents a first for Hawkstone, with a seasonal special being made available in keg at scale.
More than 600 pubs have already signed up to take part in the Wildthing campaign. Participating venues will receive two complimentary kegs of Hawkstone Wildthing Lager alongside bespoke point-of-sale support, giving publicans the opportunity to bring the campaign to life at the bar and introduce drinkers to both Wildthing Lager and the wider Hawkstone range.
The activation forms part of Hawkstone’s continued drive to grow its on-trade footprint, with new participating outlets committing to stock a core Hawkstone line for a minimum of six months as part of the campaign.
Andy Cross, sales director at Hawkstone, said: “We’ve always loved creating seasonal specials, but until now they’ve largely been something we’ve shared directly with our own customers. Wildthing felt too important and frankly too good to keep to ourselves.
“This is much bigger than putting another beer on a shelf or a bar. We’ve got two businesses with farming at their heart coming together, a brilliant beer, and a campaign designed to get people talking about British farming while creating genuine demand for our customers.
“We’re backing it properly across retail and the on-trade, and the fact that more than 600 pubs have already signed up shows there’s a real appetite for it.”
Andy Cato, co-founder of Wildfarmed, said: “Not many people have traded DJ booths for tractors, and for good reason. It was, to say the least, a wild move. 18 years later, teaming up with Hawkstone to combine music, farming and a great pint has been the best of homecomings. Wildfarmed’s mission is to support farmers in regenerating soils and nature. With ‘Wildthing’, we’re putting our regenerative grains straight into your glass. The music is all about farmers too – the reason we got the farmers’ choir into the studio was to raise vital funds for the farming community. Stream the track whilst enjoying a pint and you’re directly helping the people who need it most.”
Beer Done Good
The partnership will also use the launch to support farming and hospitality communities, with £100,000 being committed to charitable causes as part of the campaign. The Choir’s £50,000 will be shared equally between Mind, RABI, the Farming Community Network (FCN), Shout, and the DPJ Foundation. Hawkstone’s matching £50,000 will be used to extend our partnership with the 24/7 mental health text service, Shout, specifically expanding their network to support the hospitality workers who are feeling the strain of pouring our pints.
Proceeds from the release of the Wild Thing track will also support farming charities, bringing the campaign’s focus on British farming beyond the beer itself.
Hawkstone Wildthing Lager will be available from 8 September at Tesco, Hawkstone.com and participating pubs nationwide, while stocks last.
