Lidl’s Isle of Ale Festival is back, featuring a line-up of 21 different Scottish craft beers, including a lockdown-inspired New England IPA called ‘Zoom Time’.
Crafted by Loch Lomond Brewery, Zoom Time is packed with citrus, peach and pineapple flavours, and is “perfect for brightening up those beer o’clock video calls during lockdown”.
Launching in stores from 22 October, this month’s festival also includes an autumnal theme with darker, sweeter styles of beer that complement the longer, chillier evenings.
For those clinging onto the last vestiges of summer, the hoppy and fruity Double New England IPA Luminous Nights (7.4% ABV) crafted by Dundee’s 71 Brewing is set to provide a tropical burst. This new edition is Lidl’s first dip into the growing trend for Double New England IPAs and is a reimagination of 71’s bestselling Luminous Lights New England IPA.
With prices starting from £1.19, other beers include the caramel-spiced Ruby Red IPA Amber Spyglass (5.1% ABV) from Glasgow’s Drygate Brewing, the dessert-friendly Marshmallow Milk Stout (7.4% ABV) from Edinburgh’s Barney’s Beer and whisky beer Ola Dubh (8% ABV) from Harviestoun, which is aged in 12-year-old Highland Park casks.
Loch Lomond Brewery’s boss Fiona MacEachern said: “Zoom Time is very much a nod to the ‘new normal’ of socialising virtually; catching up with friends for a beer being no exception. Brewed a stone’s throw from Loch Lomond, we hope that Zoom Time adds a fresh and fruity talking point to Lidl shoppers’ video calls in the coming weeks.”
Lidl’s Head of Scottish Buying Paul McQuade added: “Lidl continues to forge partnerships with the best breweries across Scotland to create collections of innovative and exclusive craft beers for our ever popular Isle of Ale in-store promotions. Our latest line-up features an excellent range of darker, seasonal styles that are great for autumn as well as fruity, hop-forward IPAs that offer customers choice, quality and value.”
