Adnams Marks Ghost Ship Anniversary

Adnams has announced the launch of a limited-edition pale ale, marking 15 years since the arrival of its runaway success brand, Ghost Ship.

Ghost Ship Session IPA will be available throughout Adnams’ own stores and online, as well as across the pub trade. It will also be found as bottles in supermarket chain Morrisons.

Ghost Ship Session has an alcohol volume of 3.4%, making it a perfect lower alcohol option, sitting between Ghost Ship Alcohol Free and the original Ghost Ship Pale Ale 4.5% ABV.

With its base of oats, wheat and malts, it has citrus flavour notes of lime, orange and lemongrass. It was back in 2010 that Adnams first launched its Ghost Ship brand – with the original pale ale intended as a Halloween offering.

The Ghost Ship Alcohol Free variant followed in 2018 and has been a standout success story since that moment, appealing to drinkers and non-drinkers alike.

Ghost Ship’s Alcohol Free offering is the fastest selling ale brand in the low and no sector. (Source: CGA data to December 2024).

It is widely recognised within the industry that consumers are increasingly wanting to moderate their alcohol consumption, both at home and in bars.

Adnams has been at the forefront of witnessing the trend and responding accordingly.

Some 73% of consumers now moderate their alcohol intake, with 13% drinking beers under 3.5% ABV. Sales of beers under 3.5% ABV doubled in 2023 compared with 2022. 50% of consumers would rather drink two low ABV beers vs one stronger beer. (stats according to Financial Times and KAM Media ‘Mid Strength Report 2024’).

Both Adnams’ original and Alcohol Free version have won scores of awards throughout the industry.

The brand has high hopes that their limited release 3.4% addition to the Ghost Ship fleet could now be just as much of a success both in the on-trade and within the home.

Dan Gooderham, Head Brewer of Adnams, said:

“Ghost Ship Session IPA is a great new arrival for our Ghost Ship fleet, neatly fitting between our original and Alcohol Free variant in terms of ABV."

“We’re really excited to introduce an IPA to the product family – particularly at a point when we’re marking 15 years since Ghost Ship first appeared."

“Throughout that last decade and a half, our customers have consistently shown us how their requirements and taste preferences have evolved, and that’s led to the development of a wonderful citrussy IPA which is lower in volume and deserves to be enjoyed both at home and in the bar.”

Cask Ale Week runs from 18th to 28th September, making it a perfect opportunity for Adnams to also celebrate its Ghost Ship anniversary with this limited release.