Carlsberg brews beer made from hops immersed in Reds’ match footage

Kuala Lumpur, 18 December 2017 – Carlsberg and Liverpool Football Club, both iconic brands in the world of football, have probably the best partnership in the Premier League. The 2017/18 season marks the 25^th anniversary of Carlsberg’s sponsorship of the legendary football club as its Official Beer, with improved pouring rights at Anfield, pitch-side LED signage rights, exclusive access to players and hospitality packages. To celebrate the milestone, Carlsberg launched a unique limited-edition beer brewed from special red hop plants exposed to 25 years of iconic Liverpool FC footage and infused with the sound of roaring fans.

Hops is one of the main ingredients in beer as the cones from hop plants give beer its hoppy taste. For six months, this special red hop plants grew in soil sourced from the Anfield turf and immersed in the famous Kop supporters’ roar through 360-degree video screens and high-end sound systems at the Carlsberg brewery’s greenhouse in Copenhagen. The harvested crop was then brewed into the Carlsberg Liverpool FC limited-edition beer and packaged in an exclusively designed gift pack to mark the 25^th anniversary of Probably the Best Partnership in the Premier League.

This limited-edition brew, available in 4.8% ABV and 330ml, is a red and white dry-hopped premium strength lager with a nice head and hint of gooseberry and Sauvignon Blanc white wines. Only 800 sets of this exclusive beer gift pack have been imported from Denmark for the Malaysian Liverpool FC cum Carlsberg fans to be able to taste both victory and defeat in 25 years of the legendary club’s history. 

Managing Director of Carlsberg Malaysia Lars Lehmann said: “Our scientists at the Carlsberg Research Laboratory believe hop plants grow better when exposed to sound vibrations. They decided to raise the bar and let these hops thrive in both the sounds -- and sights -- of 25 years of Liverpool FC match footage. We thought what better way to celebrate with the Malaysian Liverpool FC fans than a beer infused with the taste of its victorious legacy.”

Liverpool FC manager Jürgen Klopp during his site visit to the Carlsberg Research Laboratory was amazed to see the red hops and said: “I believe in atmosphere as it really has a big influence on performance”, while Liverpool FC legend Robbie Fowler added: “As players we were all influenced by the roar of the supporters at Anfield, so it makes sense that the hops could experience the influence too.”

In conjunction with the 25^th anniversary, Carlsberg ran two online contests, the “Carlsberg – LFC 360° Photo Contest” from 25 November to 2 December 2017 and the “Red Hops Contest” from 4 to 9 December 2017 on the CarlsbergMY Facebook page.  Fifty fans won the limited-edition beer gift pack set, and Tan Yan Ken a diehard Liverpool FC fan was the sole winner of the exclusive limited edition Liverpool FC jersey.

Additionally, fans who want to get a hold of the Carlsberg Liverpool FC limited edition beer gift pack are invited to participate in upcoming contests and other exciting games at the viewing parties of Liverpool FC games to be held soon at ten Movida Kitchen and Terrace outlets in Sunway Giza, Kepong, Puchong, PJ Centrestage, C180 Cheras Selatan and Publika in Klang Valley as well as in Batu Pahat, Mount Austin, Johor Bharu and Melaka.

Alternatively, fans can also get the Carlsberg Liverpool FC limited-edition beer gift pack for every online purchase of three cartons of Carlsberg and/or Carlsberg Smooth Draught in 24-can pack on sites such as Wine Talk, Boozeat and HappyFresh, until stocks last.

Learn more about the #RedHops experiment at https://www.probablythebest.com.my/red-hops or https://www.facebook.com/CarlsbergMY/