New look and new prizes for Henley Ale Trail

April 3, 2013

The Henley Ale Trail 2013 has started with a new look and new prizes. This, the seventh annual trail, has been launched earlier than in any previous year to allow customers to start this popular Henley fixture over the Easter weekend.

This year’s Ale Trail includes 10 of Brakspear’s pubs in Henley. As with past Trails, to participate and win a free pint of Brakspear and a prize, customers need to have their Ale Trail map stamped every time they buy a pint of Brakspear ale in one of the pubs on the route. The Ale Trail will run until 30th December.

New for 2013 is a link with artist Doug Myers, whose stunning oil painting of Henley Bridge is used as the visual identity for the Ale Trail, appearing on the map, all POS and the new, dedicated website www.henleyaletrail.co.uk.  Myers, who lives in Surrey, created the painting in 2004 and is selling the original to Brakspear.

The prizes offered for completed trails have been changed this year. The Ale Trail T-shirt, which has become a collector’s item for ‘trailers’, remains in place, but is complemented by an Ale Trail Gift Pack containing two bottles of Brakspear’s ales and a Brakspear tankard.

Brakspear chief executive Tom Davies said, “The Ale Trail has developed over the years into a Henley tradition, with many loyal ‘trailers’ who complete it every year. Clearly, we don’t want to change a winning formula too much, but we’re pleased with the improvements we’ve made this year.

“The artwork from Doug really gives the Ale Trail a strong visual presence in the pubs, and all our participating tenants are delighted with it.  And with this year’s earlier start, the Ale Trail will run for nine months, so we expect a number of local drinkers will manage to complete it more than once – so they’ll be able to claim a gift pack as well as a T-shirt.”

The pubs on the Ale Trail are: The Anchor, Bull on Bell Street, Angel on the Bridge, Little Angel, Saracens Head, Rose & Crown, Row Barge, Old Bell, Three Tuns and, the final point on the route, The Three Horseshoes.  

Like the Henley Ale Trail on Facebook at www.facebook.com/henleyaletrail or follow us on Twitter @henleyaletrail

Caption to image (courtesy of Henley Standard): above – Artist Doug Myers; below – Tuesdee Dixon, general manager of the Bull on Bell Street; Brakspear marketing manager Emma Sweet and finance director David Nathan