Alpacalypse beer is a 4.3% session IPA from SALT, launched with Molson Coors in January 2025. Its story brings together a national pub rollout, an approachable flavour and some unusually memorable marketing.
If you’ve spotted the name on a bar or searched for it after seeing the alpaca glassware, here’s the background.
From a new launch to thousands of pubs
Alpacalypse arrived with a clear ambition: introduce more lager drinkers to craft beer.
In its January 2025 announcement, Molson Coors described a partnership covering both brewing and distribution, giving SALT access to additional production capacity and a national sales network. That helps explain how the beer could reach venues beyond SALT’s own bars.
By December 2025, a brand press release published by the British Guild of Beer Writers reported listings in more than 4,000 pubs and bars. It also described Alpacalypse as the UK’s second-highest-selling session IPA, citing CGA on-trade volume data for the 12 weeks ending 6 September 2025.
These are historical figures for that reporting period, rather than a current league table or a ranking of all beer sales.
The pint glass became part of the story
Alpacalypse’s distinctive glassware attracted attention of its own. Scottish Licensed Trade News reported in December 2025 that the brand had supplied 30,000 additional glasses to replenish stock amid reports of drinkers taking them home.
The resulting “Pinched from the Pub” campaign involved 2,400 specially marked glasses across 200 participating venues, with a social-sharing competition. That was a campaign announced in 2025, not an offer readers should assume is still running. Scottish Licensed Trade News coverage
Earlier that year, the brand’s “Alpaca Back & Sides” promotion had featured a pop-up barbershop offering alpaca-inspired haircuts. The December brand announcement reported that the July campaign generated more than 65 million impressions across social and earned media. Impressions measure exposure, not individual customers or pints sold.
What does Alpacalypse beer taste like?
Behind the branding is a lightly hazy session IPA. SALT describes a beer brewed with American hops, bringing citrus aromas, subtle tropical flavours and gentle bitterness, with a crisp finish.
Its intended appeal is straightforward: hop character without the intensity some drinkers associate with stronger, more bitter IPAs. It is an IPA, not a lager, even though lager drinkers were part of the audience the launch aimed to reach.
| Quick question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What style is it? | Session IPA |
| What is its strength? | 4.3% ABV |
| Is it hazy? | Lightly hazy |
| Is it vegan? | SALT lists it as suitable for vegans |
| Is it gluten-free? | No. SALT lists barley and wheat allergens |
Product and dietary details are from SALT’s published information.
Why is it called Alpacalypse?
The name connects the alpaca to Saltaire, the Yorkshire village associated with SALT’s origins. The brewery explains that it draws on the area’s textile history and alpaca wool.
That gives the unusual name a local connection as well as a recognisable character for its branding.
What could explain the search interest?
Our view is that broader pub availability and distinctive campaigns give people several reasons to look up Alpacalypse: to identify a pint they enjoyed, find out who makes it, explore the glassware or check where to buy it.
Those are plausible explanations, not proof of the cause of a particular Google Trends spike. Search interest also doesn’t tell us whether someone wants a pint, a glass or a full keg.
The news establishes the brand’s growing visibility during 2025; the search data needs its own date-by-date interpretation.
Considering an Alpacalypse keg?
For pubs and bars reviewing their draught range, Alpacalypse offers a session IPA with established brand recognition to consider alongside price, customer preferences and likely sales.
A 50L keg contains approximately 88 UK pints before allowing for foam and dispensing losses. Check the keg connection, cooling and gas requirements before ordering.
Ask Love Beer about SALT Alpacalypse 50L availability and compatible dispensing equipment, or explore our 50L beer keg range.