Tall order: Greene King teams up with Peter Crouch

Bury St Edmunds-based brewer and pub operator Greene King has partnered with ex-footballer Peter Crouch to give away 100,000 pints – but only if it rains.

People across the UK will be able to claim a free pint of Guinness from 25 March as soon as it rains in Manchester.

A giant pint glass-shaped raindrop detector will be installed at Great Northern Warehouse in Manchester city centre. The 9 foot tall glass (which towers over even the 6ft 7 Crouch) will light up once rainfall is detected. There will also be a livestream of the installation.

While the Lancashire city has a reputation for being the wettest in the UK, with more than 1 in 5 Brits reportedly believing this to be the case, it is actually the Welsh capital of Cardiff that receives the most rainfall, with 1,152mm on average each year, according to the Met Office. Indeed, according to the same data, Manchester is actually only 15th in the rainfall rankings.

Clair Preston-Beer, managing director for Greene King Pubs, said: “Since March 2023 was the wettest March on record, we decided to mark the beginning of spring by offering the nation 100,000 free pints in our Greene King pubs nationwide to celebrate rather than commiserate the first drops of rain, because let’s face it, it won’t be the last of the wet weather.”

Acting as the face of the campaign, Crouch said: “Having experienced playing football at the highest level for England, I know how much the nation loves their sport and hates the weather, so it’s no surprise to see that’s what people chat about at the pub most.”

“There’s no better place to go on a rainy day than a cosy pub to enjoy a well-earned drink, I’ll be on tenterhooks looking out for the rain on Monday,” the ex-Tottenham Hotspur striker continued. “With 100,000 free pints up for grabs, there’s only one place I’ll be heading when the rain drops start to fall.”

The campaign is intended to increase footfall into Greene King pubs, of which there are in excess of 1,600. It is certainly true that wet weather can severely dent on-trade sales, as was the case last summer when consumers opted to stay home rather than go out.

Crouch’s podcast, titled That Peter Crouch Podcast, previously had a longstanding relationship with BrewDog. Indeed, last May the controversial brewer renewed its sponsorship of the podcast for a further six months.