Arkell’s Brewery has renamed one of its most successful beers to underline its unique, healthy ingredient – honey.
The historic Swindon firm has been brewing Bee’s Organic Ale for more than 10 years. 
But it now wants to highlight the beer’s special taste and colour by renaming it Honey Pale Ale.
The beer is still brewed to organic standards with honey from a UK supplier.
Launched at the height of interest in organic food and drink, it started as a special bottled beer.
Discerning drinkers thought it was the bee's knees, so a few years ago Arkell’s began brewing it as a cask ale, available only at particular times of year.
With beer lovers again making a beeline for it and wanting to drink it all year around, last year Arkell’s began brewing it in kegs, so it can be enjoyed chilled.
Arkell’s head brewer Alex Arkell said: “Over the last few months we’ve chatted to lots of customers who were unaware of the key ingredient, the honey.
“It was almost like it was a secret ingredient, and that shouldn’t really be the case. We are shouting loud and proud about the quality of our ingredients so with the new name, we’ve put honey right at the heart of the beer branding.”
With its golden, amber colour, floral and honey nose, Arkell’s Honey Pale Ale tastes light and fresh with perhaps just a hint of tropical fruits.
The 4.5% ABV beer is now available across all participating Arkell’s pubs.
The beer created a buzz among judges at the 2014 National Honey Show and collected the top award in the Honey Beer class.
Family-owned Arkell’s brewed its first pint in 1843, making it Swindon’s oldest business. Today it owns more than 100 pubs stretching from Swindon into Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire and brews a range of draught and bottled beers including its flagship 3B bitter.
