Beer brands including Tooheys, XXXX and Hahn will be deleted from Tap King as the format becomes a purely craft affair.
Owner Lion has previously acknowledged that Tap King’s overall sales fell short of expectations.
The brewer this week confirmed James Squire will be the only brand to survive in the format as it moves to its next phase.
“Since launching Tap King, the craft beer varieties in our range have been a clear favourite of our fans around Australia,” a Lion spokesperson told Australian Brews News.
“We recently surveyed a number of our fans and the overwhelming majority requested we expand the craft beers we currently offer in the range.
“We’ve listened to this feedback and as a result, Tooheys New, Tooheys Extra Dry, XXXX Gold, Hahn SuperDry and James Boag’s Premium Lager will no longer be available in the Tap King format, as we make way for more craft beers to be added to the range in the coming months.
“While we know this will disappoint some of our loyal fans, we know that they can still continue to enjoy their favourite beers at home in a stubby or can,” the brewer said.
Limited options to play with
In deciding which craft beers to add to the range, Lion will likely be limited to those that are brewed at Lidcombe where the dedicated Tap King production line is located.
Either that or it would have to tanker in the beers from the Malt Shovel Brewery in Sydney or Little Creatures Geelong, just as James Boag’s was tankered in from Tasmania in the past.
Tap King fans can find out when new beers have been added to the range by becoming part of the Tap Kingdom at www.tapking.com.