Starting March 1st, Cathay Pacific will be serving its own craft beer to first and business class passengers on flights between Hong Kong and the UK. Dubbed “Betsy beer”, the beer has been specially brewed for drinking at high altitudes, said Cathay Pacific.
Apparently, taste perception is altered at high altitudes and Betsy is created to reduce bitterness and enhance sweetness to compensate.
“We all know that food tastes very different while in the air, primarily because of the cabin pressure and the dullness of your taste buds affects the way you taste your food,” said Aaron Claxton, head of catering.
“When it comes to drink and beverages, we do a lot of work on how we pair our wines with the food we offer. That has been beyond the realms of possibility when it comes to beers – there is no way you can take a product that is brewed on the ground for consumption and actually match it in the air.”
“We know that when you fly, your sense of taste changes,” said Martin Lever, executive creative director of McCann Worldgroup Hong Kong.
“Airlines address this for food in certain ways. But nobody has ever tried to improve the taste of beer at altitude. Until now. This provided us with a perfect opportunity to go beyond traditional advertising in order to make a strong emotional connection with travelers.”
The specially crafted beer, which was named after Betsy, Cathay Pacific’s first Douglas DC-3 aircraft that flew during the 1940s and ’50s.
Here is a video explaining the beer in detail.
“To help passengers experience something memorable for the first time is a big part of what we mean by ‘travelling well’. Betsy beer is a great example of this,” said Julian Lyden, general manager, marketing at Cathay Pacific Airways. A beautifully crafted product designed purely with the traveler, and beer lover, in mind.”
Betsy beer will additionally be available at select restaurants in Hong Kong, including Mr. and Mrs. Fox, Cafe Gray Deluxe, Plat du Jour, Public, Sugar and The Continental.
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