BREWERY Thwaites is aiming to make the popular Wainwright beer one of the top 10 ales in the UK after the firm announced a £2million investment in the brand.

The 4.1 per cent ABV golden ale, which Thwaites named after Alfred Wainwright, author of the Lake District walking guidebooks, is the fastest-growing of the UK’s top 25 cask ales and a top 20 premium bottled ale.

Now the Blackburn brewery’s best-selling beer brand, Wainwright is set to scale new heights with an updated design, advertising campaign, consumer support and digital media initiatives.

Playing on the brand’s association with walking and the outdoors, a new strapline ‘A Breath of Fresh Ale’ has been created. As well as the new advertising campaign, the same eye-catching Wainwright creative design will adorn eight new dray vehicles and underpins a new dedicated website and Facebook page as the brand develops a far-reaching and innovative digital marketing platform. A Thwaites Wainwright Pub Walks App has been created, tapping into the 30,000-plus Google searches for pub walks.

The new Wainwright App will bring together Thwaites’ database of Wainwright stockists with Cask Marque’s 8,000 pubs to deliver searchable pub walks straight to smartphones.

Thwaites managing director Steve Magnall said: “This is an exciting time for Thwaites and the Wainwright brand.

“We are very proud of Wainwright and the great success it has achieved in a relatively short lifespan.

“Thwaites are investing heavily in promoting Wainwright because we firmly believe it can establish itself as a Top 10 cask ale within the next three to four years.” And he added: “We are keen to encourage drinkers who want something new and refreshing to give it a try.”

Wainwright was launched in 2007 and has already won numerous awards, including a Gold at the Brewing Industry International Awards 2011.

Most recently it won the best pale golden beer at the prestigious World Beer Awards 2012.

The investment in the brand will also see it available for the first time in the premium canned category and as part of Thwaites’ sports sponsorships, Wainwright will also partner with selected golf and rugby clubs.