Guinness introduced the Hop House 13 lager in 2015 as an alternative to the much darker, stronger Guinness stout and its lighter version the Guinness smooth. Hop House 13 is actually named after a hundred-year-old building in St James where hops were stored. A hop is a flower that helps to keep beer fresher for longer. It also ensures that the beer retains its foam, which is a key component of a beer’s aroma and flavour.
The Hop House beer is relatively new to the Kenyan market and Guinness is launching a cooking show to raise awareness of the product and to market it as not only a beverage, but also as an ingredient in cooking/grilling.
The Flavour by Fire show powered by Guinness Hop House 13 will bring 3 contestants together to battle it out in the kitchen to see who will emerge as the better griller of them all. The contestants will get to make grilled dishes, from lamb chops to chicken wings, as well as burgers, all infused with Guinness Hop House 13 as an ingredient as well as a pairing. The show will start in November and has 6 episodes. It will air on the Guinness Kenya Youtube channel. Consumers will get to watch and guess who emerges the winner.
Well, known personality Anita Nderu will battle against partners Elias Gatungu and Alice Watare which should make it interesting. It will be a show where the three budding foodies will get to learn as they compete. The judges are world-renowned Chef Leisamon, Content Creator- Cris Njoki, Model Khula Budi and Content Creator Muriuki Kagiri otherwise known as the Dapper Brother and Content Creator and Photographer, Victor Maina.
The show is set to be entertaining, educational and most of all, serve as a crucial marketing tool for the new lager in town. Speaking to Potentash,
Chepkemoi Kilel, the Guinness Brand Manager explained that she hopes the show will inspire the consumer to try out Hop House 13 as a casual drink and also as an ingredient in grilling. When asked about the response of the lager so far, she said, “The reception has been really good, we have been committed to activating different outlets. Every weekend we incorporate the lager in grilled meats and other dishes, offer samples to our consumers and there is always a sense of surprise from them when they realize that Guinness Hop House is a Guinness product.”
Flavour by Fire contestant Anita Nderu prepares a sauce infused with Guinness Hop House 13 during the Flavour by Fire show recording chief Les, who will be a judge on the show and a ten year veteran in the culinary industry, describes it as a platform for diversity in terms of flavours, dishes and personalities. He further explains that rather than being serious and uptight, the show itself will be a fun interaction between the contestants and the judges as both parties will be sharing ideas about how to best use Hop House as an ingredient. Chef Les represents Guinness Hop House as an influencer and chef. He says that he will be looking forward to tapping into his spirit of adventure and open-mindedness throughout the show.
We spoke to two of the three contestants who will be battling it out on the show. Elias Gatungu and Alice Gatere run the food blog Whereisthefood_ke on Instagram where they develop recipes, review restaurants and cook really delectable food for their followers. Guinness actually reached out to them via Instagram and invited the duo to be part of the competition. Being that they are partners, we were curious to know how this new dynamic would alter their relationship. Alice who is a teacher by profession hopes that her time on the show will expose her to new experiences and ultimately, a collaboration opportunity with Guinness.
“It will be a lot of fun because when we cook we always want to know who did it better so at least this time there will be a tie-breaker and we will finally know who has the bragging rights. People should look out for the show because we are both very creative in the way we prepare food, I am sure there will be some rivalry between the two of us as partners and also with other contestants. There will be a lot to learn about in the course of the show like how to incorporate Hop House in your dishes.” – Alice
Alice who is a teacher by profession hopes that her time on the show will expose her to new experiences and ultimately, a collaboration opportunity with Guinness.
Elias on the other hand is excited to see how far he can push himself as a contestant. Working with his partner will serve as good motivation for him to sharpen his skills and up his game. He feels like he has an added advantage because he is most comfortable grilling, which is most of what they will be doing on the show.
“I am definitely better at grilling as compared to other styles of cooking. I am already having so much fun with my fellow contestants, I am networking and making friends. These are experiences that will remain with me for a long time. I have also developed my skills in the kitchen, for instance learning how to barbecue with beer which is something that I had not tried before. Prior to the competition, I had not fused beer with meat before so I had to do some research online which didn’t help that much. It has been a learning experience but I have already won one challenge so that’s a good sign. ” – Elias
Speaking about why people should watch the show, Elias added that the audience will enjoy the experience of seeing ingredients come together to create scrumptious meals and most importantly, they will be introduced to new and exciting ways of using the Hop House lager to grill and cook.
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