Mr Trotter’s to launch beer

Mr Trotter’s, the pork scratchings brand part owned by the Duchess of Cornwall’s son, Tom Parker Bowles, is to release its first beer onto the market this year.

Mr Trotter’s Chestnut Ale, brewed by the Lancaster Brewery

Mr Trotter’s Chestnut Ale will be produced in collaboration with The Lancaster Brewery, with bottles expected to go on sale this summer.

The English cask bitter weighs in at 4% abv and has been trialed on tap at The Sun Hotel & Bar in Lancaster, run owners of the Lancaster Brewery, C2.

“We were approached by the brewery who told us they wanted us to work together on a Mr Trotter’s branded beer,” Matthew Fort, food writer and a judge on The Great British Menu told the drinks business.

The Mr Trotter’s team

“It’s the ideal brand extension for us. We want people to have the whole Mr Trotter’s experience, so they can sip on our beer while nibbling our pork scratchings,” Fort added.

He also revealed that a cider was in the pipeline.

Launched in November 2011, the triple cooked pork scratchings made from 100% British pork skin are now on sale across the UK and in France and Spain.

“We had no idea the brand was going to be so successful. We’ve had a lot of demand for new flavours so we’re about to launch a jalapeño version,” Fort told db.

“You’d think that it would be men that were buying the majority of them but we’ve had more interest from women,” he added.

Along with Fort and Tom Parker Bowles, the brand is also part owned by Rupert Ponsonby, co-founder of The Beer Academy, where students can take courses in beer and become accredited beer sommeliers.