O’ye, o’ye Blond Witch in a bottle arrives in Clitheroe heralded by town crier Roland Hailwood who is pictured with Moorhouse’s David Grant and ‘ blond witch girls’ Leanne Oldham and Helen Pawson.

A 4.5% abv beer brewed with fuggles hops, Blond Witch cask was first introduced to meet the growing demand for pale bitters. It now joins the Moorhouse’s award winning bottled beer portfolio – the celebrated Pendle Witches Brew and famous Black Cat that are available through selected supermarkets and drinks retailers.

The distinctive 500ml Blond Witch bottle is slimmer and lighter than any beer bottle in the UK market, while the colourful label draws on the witch heritage of Lancashire’s Pendle Hill to feature a blonde peasant girl. Ahead of government legislation, the label also carries the units of alcohol and a responsible drinking message.

Earlier this year Blond Witch cask bewitched brewer’s at the SIBA (Society of Independent Brewers) North Conference when it took the gold award in the ‘Best Bitters’ class and then scooped a bronze triumph overall from the 94 beers competing at the conference awards. Since the initial roll-out in 2005 it has also chalked up several wins at leading CAMRA beer festivals throughout the UK.

In a humorous slant for the American market the beer will be sold there as ‘Blond Bitch’. Moorhouse’s brands are already extremely popular in the States around Halloween, but the name change is aimed at breaking away from the witches theme to gain further sales throughout the year.

The beer was rolled out at the New Inn, Clitheroe, at the heart of the Pendle area where the legendary witches roamed, and was heralded by town crier Roland Hailwood with the Moorhouse’s blond witch girls. Managing director David Grant said: “The terrific quality of cask Blond Witch was recognised when it launched as summer seasonal three years ago and it has proved enormously popular since joining our other four core championship ales*.

“Consequently it was a logical step to introduce a bottled version and we expect similar success. We have invested heavily to develop the beer for the bottle and ensure it reflects the standard of the cask conditioned version. With labelling based on a striking blond image the product will have a very strong shelf presence for retailers who offer quality ales. We have simply adapted the name for the US market to broaden its appeal there.”

So far this year the independent Burnley brewery has invested in a major extension and refurbishment of the Pendle Witch pub in Atherton and is poised to undertake an export drive in the US as it also plans to develop the Accrington Road site and double production.