Brewdog, Scotland’s premier craft brewery, has partnered with British Airways to create a special beer to commemorate the airlines 100th year in business. Named Speedbird 100, after British Airways call sign, this special Transatlantic IPA holds the impressive distinction as the world’s first beer brewed high in the sky- 40,000 feet of altitude, to be precise.
Brewdog founders Martin Dickie and James Watt teamed up with the British Airways cabin crew and started to brew the beer while cruising 500 miles per hour over the brewery’s native Scotland. They started by combining the water, hops, and barley using the airline’s beverage makers. You can watch a quick overview on YouTube here.
James Watt was honored to partner with the century- old airline on a new beer.
“It’s been incredible to be able to partner with British Airways in their centenary year and create a completely new beer for their customers”
Martin Dickie pointed out that certain qualities of beer are not affected by altitude, like some might believe.
“The key thing is that the bitterness and fruit flavours aren’t really affected by the altitude, so we wanted to play on those two things and ramp up the sweetness. We really hope British Airways customers love Speedbird 100 as much as we do,” said Dickie.
Hamish McVey, Head of Brand and Marketing for British Airways is equally thrilled to partner with Brewdog, one of Great Britain’s best and most highly recognizable malt beverage exports.
“We are hugely excited to have partnered with BrewDog, another British brand that is committed to bringing the best of Britain to the world. Alongside our £6.5 billion investment program we want to work with industry leaders to ensure travelling with British Airways is an unforgettable experience, so this partnership is a fantastic union,” said McVey.
Speedbird IPA will be available in canned form to British Airways customers on all long- haul and short- haul flights. It will also be served in selected lounges starting on May 1, 2019. And if you live in the United States and don’t have any future plans to fly the British friendly skies, Speedbird IPA will also be served at the all- new British Airway’s Club Lounge at New York’s JFK Airport, Terminal 7.
British Airways passengers will be able to view the ‘Making of Speedbird 100’ on the airline’s inflight entertainment system, starting in July, 2019. The new beer is part of a yearlong centenary celebration that includes partnerships with other British brands. We at Great Beer Now salute British Airways and its 100 years of quality service and look forward to another hundred years- and hopefully more beer partnerships- as the 21st century rolls on.
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