News Release

Summer offers 'fantastic opportunity' for cask ale

Traditionally, cask ale has not been thought of as a big seller over the summer, but licensees who look after their cask over the warmer months could reap the benefits from retaining the affluent, upmarket drinkers who choose cask ale.

Author of The Cask Report , Pete Brown, comments, "There’s no doubt that many of the cask drinkers who migrate to lager in hot weather would make a different choice if they had more confidence in the quality of the cask ales on the bar. Licensees who control the temperature of the cask in the glass should be able to maintain their ale business over the summer." The ideal temperature for cask ale is between 11°C and 13°C - although certain cask beers can be served colder than this.

Brown points out that not only are cask drinkers, as a rule, in a higher social demographic with greater spending power than the general population, they also visit the pub more often than non-cask drinkers and spend more when there. Cask drinkers are also, generally, the ones who choose the pub when drinking in a group. He adds, "If you can serve a consistently good pint of cask during the hotter months, you’ll earn credibility from a discerning, high-earning group of customers who will continue to drink with you year round." The Cask Report (www.caskreport.co.uk) explains this 'cask value chain'.

Cask ale volumes returned to modest growth in 2009 for the first time since 1982, in stark contrast to the continuing decline in overall on-trade beer sales, which fell by 5% over the same period1. There is also mounting evidence that pubs with a good cask offer have been more resilient to the trading downturn than those without: pubs with Cask Marque accreditation – an indicator of well-kept, well-served cask beer – are shutting at around half the industry average2. And 42% of licensees name cask as the drink that's outperforming everything else on the bar3.

Summer also brings tourists to pubs in many parts of the UK. Tourists from abroad make over 13 million visits to our pubs each year, and sampling a pint of cask ale is the quintessentially British experience that is near the top of the 'to do' list for many. Among the growing number of 'stay-cationing' Brits, 70% say they will visit the pub while away and are more likely to sample the local ale there - even if they're die-hard lager drinkers at home.4 Brown comments, "All the evidence points towards a genuine and lasting revival in cask ale's fortunes, and the role it can play in helping pubs not only stay afloat but thrive, despite the challenging market conditions. There's no reason why pubs should see their cask sales disappear over the summer and a bit of time and care devoted to maintaining cask quality will be repaid with customer loyalty and a solid, year-round cask trade."

The next issue of The Cask Report, the definitive guide to the cask ale category, will be published in September 2010.

Selling cask in the summer
Advice from Cask Marque on how to keep your cask drinkers over the summer

• Temperature: keeping cask at the ideal temperature 11-13°C becomes more of a challenge in the summer, but it's easily achievable if you adhere to good cellar and dispense practices including:
• If you don't already have an ale python, ask your supplier to fit one. And make sure it is regularly topped up with water.
• Keep on top of maintenance such as line cleaning, and tasks such as cleaning the filters on your cellar and remote coolers. This will help them to work more efficiently when the temperature rises, and, importantly, can save up to 40% on energy costs.
• Remember basics such as keeping cellar doors closed – important all year and especially during the summer to maintain a consistently cool temperature.
• Finally, even with efficient cellar and line cooling systems, you should regularly check the temperature of the ale in the glass. This is, after all, what the customer tastes, so make sure it's refreshingly cool.
• Education: let your cask customers know that you won't be allowing the external temperature to affect the beer in the glass. If they think they’re going to get a glass of refreshingly cool – but not ice cold – cask, they'll be more likely to stick with it rather than switch to lager. Cask Marque 'Cellar Cool' stickers fixed to your pump clips can help to communicate to customers that you keep your ales at the right temperature.
• Range: one of the joys of cask ale is its seasonality, so exploit it by changing your range regularly. Lighter, zestier, golden ales – served at the correct, cool temperature - are a popular choice over the summer months and, if promoted properly with a 'try before you buy' offer, for example, can help to draw lager drinkers into the cask category.
• Matching with food: beer is the natural partner to many of the summer's favourite foods. Anything barbecued will be matched perfectly by beer as they both have roasted, caramelised flavours. A hoppy IPA is a great partner to spicy foods. And a glass of chilled porter or stout will match the creaminess of ice cream.

Data sources

• 1BBPA 'Beer Barometer', December 2009 (www.beerandpub.com)
• 2Cask Marque/CGA Strategy
• 3CGA Research in the Morning Advertiser, July 2009
• 4BBPA Guide to British Tourism Week, March 2010

Ticket sales up for Great British Beer Festival

Advance ticket sales for this summer's Great British Beer Festival are up by 32% on last year.

Last year, more than 64,000 beer-lovers crammed into Earls Court in London to enjoy tasting the wide selection of the country's finest tipples. This year the event will take place from 3 to 7 August, and as usual the trade gets to preview the event on the opening day.

Louise Ashworth, head of marketing at CAMRA said: "With advanced ticket sales so far up an impressive 32% on last year, CAMRA has high hopes that this Great British Beer Festival will be one of its most successful to date. Across the UK, CAMRA beer festivals have continued to report record attendance figures and increases in sales. And with our own research showing that 50% of pub-goers have now tried real ale, this August at Earls Court will be an exciting time for brewers to come together and champion our national drink."

Marston's has this year agreed to sponsor the festival glass, which is distributed to every visitor on their arrival, while St Austell Brewery is the official T-shirt sponsor.

The ever-popular tutored tastings have all been confirmed. Highlights include Melissa Cole's American beer-tasting and MA columnist Roger Protz's "300 beers to taste before you die".

Great British Beer Festival
3-7 August, Earls Court
www.camra.org

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