E CASK REPO

TH RT

by Pete Brown

2009 - 10

Helping British pubs beat the recession

The CasK Report 2009-10 BRITAIN’S NATIONAL DRINK

2
What’s on the menu today
The year in review page 6
The worst year for pubs in living memory?
Maybe, but it’s not all doom and gloom.
The market for cask beer page 10
How cask ale is bucking the trend across all alcoholic drinks, and
returning to growth after years of decline
Cask beer and profitable pubs page 16
Cask ale demonstrably makes pubs more recession-proof.
Here’s how.
Cask beer and tourism page 20
Foreign visitors to the UK love British pubs and British beer.
The cask beer consu mer page 22
Why cask ale drinkers are more likely to visit pubs - and spend more
while they’re there. But only if the pub has what they need.
Focus: cask beer and younger drinkers page 26
An old man’s drink? Y ounger, affluent drinkers are entering the cask
beer market. But how can more of them be encouraged to follow suit?
Focus: cask beer and women page 28
Women are driving the growth in what has often been perceived as a
very male market.
Meet the brewers page 30
Cask ale’s strength is in the diversity of brewers who make it.
Stocking and serving the
perfect cask beer range page 34
Cask ale takes a little more effort to keep well than other beers, but the
results are worth it.
Conclusion page 41
Where next ?
Appendix page 42
The stats behind the headlines
Glossary page 43
Explaining the sometimes confusing terminology of the cask market

3
The CasK Report 2009-10 BRITAIN’S NATIONAL DRINK

The Cask Report is the definitive analysis of the state of Britain’s cask
beer market, a reference document providing:
- Recent market data, trends and developments.
- Detailed analysis of the cask ale consumer and why they are more
valuable to pubs than other drinkers.
- Case studies of successful cask ale pubs demonstrating that Britain’s
national drink is a key tool in beating the recession.

The report is backed by all major bodies in the cask ale industry
but written by an independent author, using independent third-party
data to ensure complete rigour and objectivity.

It gives publicans and pub companies everything they need

to know about how to stock, serve, and make a profit from
Britain’s national drink.

led ale
What’s in a
name? e, Hand-pul
al e, Ca sk beer, Real al
Cask tioned beer itional
Cask-condi unique, trad
tion al drink is a is pa st eu ri sed and/or is
Britain’s hereas most beer , real/cask ale/beer
na
product. W ng er sh el f life sk . It’s un dergoing
r lo e ca s it in peak
filtered fo with live yeast in th on that keep l
fresh beer co nd ar y fermentatiflavour and a natura
a slow, se ensuring depth of
io
condit ion. n,
d keg,
carbonat pressurize
a ca sk ra ther than aom a beer engine r.
in
It’s serveddispensed by gravitth y fr nd the ba in
e cask behi e
normallyl) or straight from RA) named it real alpoor
(handp ul
r Real Al e (C AM
ss -p rodu ced,
gn fo om ma
The Campaito differentiate it fr
the 1970s g beers. , and
quality ke sk industry
re pr es en ting the ca es different
one body us
report diversity and
There’s no for the beer. Thisec ting the
no one termrchangeably, refl
term s in te pr od uc t.
sy of the
idiosyncra

4
The Headlines:
Cask outperforming any other draught beer

- Cask ale creates a unique value chain - In volume terms, cask ale is
in pubs that stock it well. It attracts outperforming not just all other
more drinkers to a pub, who visit draught beers, but almost every other
pubs more often than other drinkers, drink on the bar, including wine and
with a higher spend per visit than most spirits (p6).
other drinkers (p18).
- Cask beer is therefore helping pubs
- Growth in cask beer volume and value beat the recession. There’s strong
in 2009 to date, following slight decline evidence that cask beer pubs are
in 2008 (p10). far less likely to close than pubs
generally (p16).
- Growth long-term in cask’s share
of total beer (p11).

- Growth in number of people drinking

cask ale. Doubling in number of female
drinkers year-on-year (p22).

Cask Beer at a Glance

2007-08 2008-09
Market volume 2.467m barrels 2.386m barrels
Volume share of total beer 7.0% 7.6%
Number of regular drinkers 7.4 million 7.9 million
Number of occasional drinkers 640,000 654,000
Total number of drinkers 8.1 million 8.5 million
Number of breweries in Britain 589 660

5
The CasK Report 2009-10 BRITAIN’S NATIONAL DRINK

The Year in Review

The worst year for pubs in living memory?

Maybe, but it’s not all doom and gloom.

With 52 outlets a week closing and widespread media coverage of ‘the

death of the British pub’, there are also strong indicators suggesting
that the market for flavorful, lovingly crafted beer is more robust than
it has been for years.

The Economy would. But no one can deny that trading

Meltdown at the Local? conditions are tougher than they’ve been
2009 has been dominated by the news for sixty years.
that 52 pubs are closing every week. The
recession is having an obvious effect on Cask ale
people’s spending habits, with people Bucking the trend
going out far less than they did. And the Two years ago, we reported that cask
Chancellor’s aggressive duty escalator on ale wasn’t in the terminal decline many
beer - increasing tax on beer by 2% above believed it to be. Last year we showed it
the rate of inflation for four consecutive was outperforming other beer categories.
years from 2008 while other industries are This year we can go further and say that
bailed out by taxpayer’s money - makes cask ale is outperforming most drinks on
brewing the only British industry to be the bar, including wine and vodka. In the
punished during the recession rather than off-trade, premium bottled ales, particularly
being given government help. Added to bottle-conditioned beer - the closest thing
this, the ever-increasing price differential to cask beer outside the pub - continues to
between on- and off-trade, increasing red show strong annual growth, despite being
tape for landlords and the threat of ever priced at a premium to heavily discounted
more draconian legislation have combined lager brands. Year-on-year, cask ale is still
to ensure that whatever downturn the rest showing slight decline. But in 2009 to date
of the retail sector feels, pubs feel it harder. it is in net volume and value growth - much
There are success stories. And there is a earlier than we have previously predicted.
view that we’re simply seeing ‘bad’ pubs Bottled premium ale is the only off-trade
close more quickly than they otherwise beer category in growth, with a record
number of brands available.

6
Beer Festivals and events with an estimated total attendance of over
Grassroots activity shows burgeoning half a million. Many of these now sell out
consumer interest in advance, something that was rare a
August’s Great British Beer Festival saw few years ago. A growing number of pubs
records broken: on the first day, CAMRA are organizing their own beer festivals
announced its membership had broken the and seeing a huge increase in turnover
100,000 barrier for the first time. With an as a result. Cask beer is also increasingly
increase of almost 10% in the last twelve featuring in and selling well at music
months, membership has doubled over festivals, food festivals and sporting events.
the last decade. At the end of the week
CAMRA announced that, after a slight
dip in attendance in 2008, 2009 had seen
record attendance of 64,000, again up
10% year on year. And it’s not just the big
festival in Earl’s Court that’s seeing growth.
In addition, there are now over 150 local
and regional beer festivals around the UK,

7
The CasK Report 2009-10 BRITAIN’S NATIONAL DRINK

The Year in Review continued

Cask Ale Week But 71 new breweries have opened in

The pub industry celebrates Britain’s the UK in the last year, bringing the total
national drink number of British breweries to 660 - the
Easter 2009 saw Cask Marque organise the highest since the 1940s.
first national Cask Ale Week. Running from
6th to 12th April, it saw over 7000 pubs take The Media
part in a nationwide programme of activities Mixed messages but a definite growth
to get people into pubs and to try cask ale, in interest
including a mass wave of brewery open After 19 years in which there was no
days, a ‘femALE’ day focusing on women coverage of British beer on TV, late 2008
and cask ale, and an attempt to break the and early 2009 saw not one but two national
record for the world’s biggest toast. Pubs TV series about beer - Oz and James
that took part saw not only a 27% increase Drink to Britain and Neil Morrissey’s Risky
in the amount of cask ale they sold versus Business - plus a major regional series,
non-participating pubs, but also growth Yorkshire’s Perfect Pint. Neil Morrissey’s
in premium lager and stout. The event drove venture with partner Richard Fox has seen
turnover, and premiumised the product the pair create a new beer brand specifically
mix on the bar. Cask Ale Week will run designed to broaden the appeal of cask
again from 29th March to 5th April 2010. ale. Oz Clarke and James May covered
more than real ale, but gave exposure to
Breweries many regional and local breweries as well
Structure of cask ale market turns as educating an audience of millions on the
broader trends on their head ingredients and processes behind natural,
The four major multinationals that dominate quality beer. More generally speaking,
the British beer market continue to disinvest while the news media loves a negative
in their ale brands, retrenching to the story about the drinks industry, they are
regions they came from decades ago, and also increasingly interested in good news:
almost becoming local brands once more. the launch of the Good Beer Guide 2010
But large regional breweries are investing in September garnered an unprecedented
heavily and thriving as a result, and small amount of positive coverage across TV,
craft brewers are springing up in ever radio and press. There’s a renewed broader
larger numbers. There are, inevitably, some interest in cask beer - and it’s proving it can
brewers falling casualty to the recession. attract new drinkers.

8
9
The CasK Report 2009-10 BRITAIN’S NATIONAL DRINK

The Market for Cask Beer

While it has been a strong performer relative to other beer for the
last few years, no one expected cask ale to return to growth in 2009 -
especially in the grip of the worst recession for generations.
But if current trends continue, 2009 will be the year cask ale returned
to positive volume and value growth.

Cask ale: the UK’s best-performing - This means cask ale is outperforming
draught beer almost every other drink on the bar. In the
- Cask ale is increasing its share not year to May 2009, premium lager in the
just of the total ale market, but total on- on-trade declined by 15%, standard lager
trade beer - up from 12% in 2007 by 8%. Wine in the on trade fell by 9%,
to 13.5% in 2008.(1) spirits by 8%.(4)

- 2008 may have been a bad year for beer - Cask ale is increasingly recognised as
- on-trade volumes were down 8.7% - the star performer in a difficult on-trade
but over the same period, cask ale market. When asked if any one drinks
declined by only 3.3%.(2) category is performing better than the
rest, 42% of tenant publicans answered
- In 2009 so far, the decline in on-trade cask beer. Standard lager was a distant
beer volumes appears to be stabilizing. second with 13%.(5)
(The second quarter of 2009 saw a
decline of 4.5%, compared with a 6.3% - Unsurprisingly, distribution of cask ale in
decline in the first quarter).(3) But between UK pubs is increasing, with over 3,000
January and June 2009 cask ale volume new pubs stocking cask in the twelve
grew by 1%, with growth in four out of the months to June 2009.(6)
six months.
- Most decline is coming from large
(1) Nielsen Cask Ale Report
(2) Source: BBPA Annual Barrelage Survey, adjusted to multinational breweries as they retrench
include estimate of microbrewery volumes. and focus on core lager business.
(3) Source: BBPA beer barometer. When the growth of regional, local and
(4) Nielsen Drinks Market Strategic Overview - on-trade
(5) CGA Research in the Morning Advertiser, July 2009 independent breweries overtakes the
(6) CGA Strategy decline of the multinationals, cask ale will
10 return to long-term sustained growth.
Volume: much better than it could Value outpaces volume
have been Cask ale showed a small value decline
The 3.3% decline in total cask ale volume of 2% overall - smaller than the volume
is a slight deterioration on the 2007 figure. decline, because premium ales are doing
But in the context of a terrible year for beer, particularly well.
it could have been much worse. With the
punitive beer duty escalator, record pub Cask ale therefore increased its value share
closures, record price differences between of total ale from 30.4% in March 2008
on- and off-trade and people reining in their to 31.5% in March 2009. Neilsen estimates
spending due to recession, cask beer has that the cask ale market now has a retail
proved more resilient than any other beer. value of £1.7 billion.
Only cider is outperforming it on the bar.
The small decline in value was almost
Cask ale is therefore increasing its share entirely due to the shrinking of the
of total beer (ie stout, lager, cask beer, keg multinational brewers’ brands, who saw
and smoothflow beer). It now represents: an 11% drop in the year to March 2009,
- 34.5% of all ale in the on-trade whereas value of regional, local and
- 13.5% of UK all draught on-trade beer independent brewers remained flat. Once
(versus 12% in 2007, 11% in 2006) we are able to add in the adjustment from
- 7.6% of total UK beer (versus 7.0% Customs and Excise figures (see footnote
in 2007) below) it seems certain that, like last year,
this figure will actually show small growth.
In Enterprise Inns, cask ale now accounts
for 51% of all ale, with keg at 49%. We will
soon see this played out across the rest of
the British on-trade.
11
The CasK Report 2009-10 BRITAIN’S NATIONAL DRINK

The Market for Cask Beer continued

12
Winners and losers Regional, local and independent brewers
Most of the small overall decline has, once now account for 78% of cask ale volume
more, come from the four multinational and 81% of value.
brewers who dominate the British lager
market - their volumes are down 10% This success means that regional, local
in the year to March 2009 as they continue and independent brewers continue to grow
to focus on building national and their share of total ale, now accounting for
international lager brands, and their ales over half the market - a great achievement
revert to areas of regional strength. considering how big some mainstream
smoothflow brands still remain.
As these big brands diminish, two things
are happening: Looking at the social trends driving trial and
- The next tier of brands - large regionals adoption of cask ale among more people,
such as Adnam’s Bitter, Bombardier, regional and local cask ale brewers have the
Greene King IPA, London Pride, Marston’s potential to do more than ‘mop up’ volume
Pedigree and Deuchars IPA - grow to fill from the shrinking giants. When the rate
the void. Many of these brands are seeing of their growth passes the rate of decline
strong year-on-year growth. of the multinationals, the market will return
to steady long-term growth.
- Giants are replaced by minnows - the
number of small breweries continues to
grow strongly each year, with 71 new
breweries opening in the last year
alone. On average, members
f total
of the Society of Independent hare o
Value s
Brewers (SIBA) are reporting
10.7% annual growth.
48.9
49.4 l
ationa
49.9 Multin
50.4 brewe
rs
51.1
50.6 al/
50.1 Region
49.6 Loc a l/
ndent
indepe
w e r s
bre

Mar 09
Sep 08
Mar 08
Sep 07

13
The CasK Report 2009-10 BRITAIN’S NATIONAL DRINK

Regionality But most leading cask ale brands have

Cask ale is a very regional product - local premium bottled variants - they’re
origins and identity form a strong part different beers in that they are not cask or
of its appeal. This does mean that cask bottle conditioned, but they share some
performance varies markedly by region. characteristics and are recognisable to
drinkers as the same brands.
Cask ale has a much stronger performance
in the south-east of England. In some Premium bottled ales have been
regions it is underperforming, and actually sustained in growth for almost ten years,
losing share. But strong growth in London and 2008 was no exception - volumes
- and in Scotland which, for a small base increased by 5%.
a few years ago is seeing very strong,
sustained volume and value growth in cask Within premium bottled beers, the closest
ale - mean net share growth overall. thing to cask ale is bottle-conditioned ale,
where yeast is added to the bottle for
Distribution a secondary fermentation. Bottle-
- Cask ale distribution in UK on-licensed conditioned beers are growing strongly,
premises increased from 48% in June driven in part by CAMRA’s campaign
2008 to 51% in June 2009. promoting them as ‘real ale in a bottle’.
- Based on an estimated market of 105,000
on-licensed premises, this means a net This success is particularly noteworthy
increase of approximately 3000 pubs because whereas real ale is priced cheaper
stocking cask ale - in a market where than lager in pubs, in the off-trade it is
approximately 2500 pubs have closed in significantly more expensive because it is
the last year. price-promoted nowhere near as heavily as
- This reflects significant investment lager is - and yet it’s growing, while lager is
in cask ale from managed houses, in decline.
such as M&B and Tattershall Castle,
who have reinvested across their Off-trade premium bottled ale performance
estates, and sustained new investment demonstrates that ale drinkers are prepared
in cask ale from groups such as to pay a premium for beers with quality,
Wetherspoons, Marston’s Inns and flavour depth and integrity - something the
Taverns, and Greene King. on-trade should perhaps take on board.

A brief word about the off-trade

Cask ale is a unique product in that it is A word about the figures: BBPA and Nielsen figures,
only available in pubs - or other venues that used throughout this report, underestimate the volume
contribution of small craft brewers. BBPA and Nielsen
have the facilities to keep casks of living, compensate for this by adding in additional volume
breathing beer in good condition. estimated from Customs and Excise receipts. However,
these figures are only available once a year. The whole
year figure for 2008 is therefore the most accurate figure.
We’ve used some data for 2009 so far, but these figures
underestimate cask ale’s performance. Because we are
14 using different sources, time periods of data sometimes vary.
 Cask ale as percentage of total ale, by region
60 55
51 54
50 53
47 45
40
34 34
30 30 30

20 21 20 19 18 18
16 15 16
10

0
London Anglia Meridian Central Harwest Tyne Tees Scotland Yorkshire Granada

MAR TO NOV 2007 Source: Nielsen Cask Ale Report 2009

MAR TO NOV 2008

que accredited. The s

many pubs are Cask Mar y pubs and 80 Crown
pub
lt around managed ins. aim is to have 120 Tob
M&B’s business is bui zed in branded chavery d by the end of Oct ober, with the
houses, often organi accredite g 100% accreditatio n
chains – Toby Car ultimate aim of gainin
In 2009, two prominy,ent
both traditional pub ate.“We had a big pusers
h on
and Crown Carver for throughout the estcti on with the sup pli
their Sunday lunch training in conjun e in not just the training,
concepts popular niversal roll out of cask
menus – saw a near-ue reintroduced to 131 out who were supportiv marketing,” says Boyoy
d.
ale. Handpumps wer 106 out of 109 Crown pubs. but installations and point of view they enj
of 133 Toby pubs, and of “From the managersthe product as it needs
completed by the end being in control ofand this gives them great
100% roll out will be ary upgrades haveuce been
the year after necess rod d special attention I have received has been
r has not been int ilities
finished – cask been’t pride. The feedback
pub did hav e the right fac extremely positive.”
where the tent quality, but
to guarantee consis Most pubs have a nat ionally recognised p
in the necessary o’, with a third pum
the group is investing every single outlet up brand and a ‘local her
improvements to bring to be use d as bus iness builds – and
h. ready David McConnell, West,
to scratc business is building.
n on a BII training r, Carvery, Edinburgh
All managers have bee age manager of the Tobyn is spreading and many
programme, and M& B’s Beer Quality Man says “Our reputatioo the bar knowing that we
t a minimum of one customers come int y pint time after time.”
Rachel Boyd, says tha trained to ABCQ
person per pub will be serve a great qualit
of the year. Already,
standard by the end

15
The CasK Report 2009-10 BRITAIN’S NATIONAL DRINK

Cask Beer and Profitable Pubs

It’s great for brewers that cask ale is performing well. But what does
it mean for the publican? With a lower retail price and margin than
other beers, and extra care and attention required to keep it well, while
consumers may want to drink it, what’s the benefit in selling it? New
data reveals that cask ale drives profitability and therefore helps keep
pubs open.

The cask beer value chain comprehensive figures that show the
- Cask ale brings more drinkers into rate of closure of cask ale pubs versus the
the pub. rate for those that don’t. But we can look
at correlations.
- Cask ale drinkers visit pubs more often.
Holding Cask Marque accreditation
- Cask ale drinkers have a higher average is one way of looking at good quality cask
spend per pub visit. ale pubs. And it appears that such pubs
are closing at around half the rate of pubs
- This increase in income isn’t just in ale, on average:
but in other drinks and in food - cask ale
drives higher turnover overall.
Cask ale pubs closing at a much slower
- Cask ale pubs have therefore closed rate than other pubs
at a much slower rate than other pubs.
5
4.5
Cask beer keeps pubs open 4 % closures
The UK is currently witnessing record pub
3.5 in last 12
3
months
closures - as many as 52 every week. In the 2.5
2
past year Britain has lost 5% of its pubs. 1.5
1
0.5
But within the pub market, there are still 0
Total Pub Cask Marque
those that are thriving. Anecdotally, we’ve Universe Pubs
seen that pubs with a good range of well- Source:
Cask Marque/
kept cask ales seem to be performing CGA Strategy
relatively well. It’s not possible to obtain
16
So why are cask ale pubs performing 2. C
 ask beer drinkers visit pubs
better? more often
At first glance it may seem counter-intuitive:
if you sell a greater proportion of your beer Cask ale is only available in pubs
at a lower margin how can you possibly Research shows that cutting down on visits
make more money? to the pub is the second most common
behavioural change in response to the
The dynamic of more drinkers, visiting more recession. (32% say they are going to the
often, and spending more money when they pub less because of the recession: only
do, creates a cask beer value chain. ‘buying fewer clothes’ scores higher with
40%).(7) The experience of drinking wine
1. Cask beer brings more drinkers into at home is exactly the same as that in a
the pub pub or bar - a bottle is opened and poured
Why? How? There are two key reasons: into a wine glass. Beer is different - with
any beer, drinking from a bottle or can is
Cask ale stockists are seen as better less satisfying than having a pint drawn on
quality pubs draught. And cask ale is unique - it simply
Cask ale requires more care and attention isn’t available outside pubs. Cask ale
than other beers. A publican who makes drinkers have to go to the pub if they want
the effort to keep cask ale well often makes to drink cask beer.
that extra effort across the board. There
is a broad correlation between good cask Cask ale drinkers are more affluent
ale and good food, hygiene, etc. Drinkers The section on the cask beer drinker (p22)
recognize this - the presence of cask ale on shows in detail that cask drinkers are
the bar is often a quick signifier that the pub more affluent than other drinkers, and less
is a better pub generally, and is therefore anxious about the state of their finances.
more likely to attract their custom. In this recession, they are therefore less
likely to feel the need to economise
Cask ale drinkers decide pub choice as described above.
in groups
Cask ale drinkers are generally regarded by So cask ale drinkers visit pubs more often
their peers as knowing their beer and pubs. than non-drinkers - 40% of people who
They also know their drink is only available have tried real ale go to the pub once
in certain outlets, whereas their friends a week or more, versus only 23% of people
drinking lager, wine, cider or spirits know who have not tried real ale.
that most pubs will have an acceptable
selection. In mixed groups of drinkers,
therefore, the cask drinker is deferred to in
pub choice. Cask ale pubs sell more drinks (7) Social Issues Research Centre: ‘Recession
across the board - not just more cask ale. Generation’, July 2009

17
 The CasK Report 2009-10 BRITAIN’S NATIONAL DRINK

The Blacksmith’s Arms, St

Albans
St Albans is home to CAMRA
n population consisting of HQ, and therefore has a
more ofte the most discerning ale
rinkers visit pubs drinkers. Fifteen years ago
the Blacksmith’s Arms
Cask ale d was a good ale house, but
a
concepts, poorly execute succession of branded
poor reputation as a pub d, left it with no ale and a
overall.
95% 85% Current owners Town and
100 Less than k Mark Frazer almost a fre City gave new landlord
90 once a wee
80
24%
onth wanted to do – and after e rein in terms of what he
33% Once a m only four months in charge
a policy of focusing on cas
70 ,
10% rewards. k ale is reaping huge
60 a
20% 15% 2-3 times Mark installed five handpu
50 month
mix of established and ecl mps, offering a changing
40 13% eek
30 Once a w now accounts for 30% of ectic real ales. Cask
40%
23% or more the
continues to rise. Beer fest product mix – and that
20
the garden also provide ivals in a marquee in
10 r
have neveale drawing more people in. something new and special,
Have tried
0
tried cask
cask ale “Ale might have a lower pric
says Mark,“but it profits e point than lager,”
Source: We’re busy every day of theus because of the volume.
CAMRA/C
API drinker might come in wit week now. The ale
Omnibus
2009 drinking something else h his wife, and she might be
we otherwise wouldn’t hav but it’s all extra busines
s
e.”

s once
Percentage eating meals in pub
3. Cask beer drinkers have a a month or more
higher average spend per 100
pub visit 90
Cask drinkers
As already discussed, cask ale drinkers 80 70%
70 60%
are more affluent than other drinkers. 60 ‘Non cask’
47% beer drinkers
This means they are more likely to spend 50 43%
40
more - we can prove this by showing that 30
cask ale drinkers are more likely to 20
10
buy food in pubs than other drinkers. 0 Evening
Daytime

Cask ale is therefore a clear driver of Source:

TGI
footfall - and profitability. Jan-Dec 2008

More drinkers in the pub, visiting the

pub more often, mean higher total
beer turnover.

This, plus higher spend on food etc,

means higher overall turnover.

18
The cask beer value chain:
More drinkers. More pub visits. Higher spend per visit
Cask ale stockists seen as better
quality pubs
Cask beer brings MORE
Cask ale drinker decides pub DRINKERS into the pub Cask ale higher overall BEER
choice in group TURNOVER
Cask beer drinkers VISIT
PUBS MORE OF TEN
Cask ale only available in pubs
Cask beer drinkers have a Cask ale higher overall TOTAL
Cask ale drinkers more affluent HIGHER AVERAGE SPEND TURNOVER
per pub visit

19
The CasK Report 2009-10 BRITAIN’S NATIONAL DRINK

Cask Beer and Tourism

Foreign visitors to the UK love British pubs and British beer.

As Britain’s national drink, cask ale has iconic status. Any pub in
a tourist area is simply missing a profit opportunity by not selling it.

- 13 million foreign tourists - 40% of Ale trails are popular throughout the
all visitors - visit a pub on their stay country. Cask Marque guides promoting
in the UK. great real ale pubs throughout the UK,
frequently need to be restocked in tourist
- 55% of prospective tourists say visiting a information centres. (These guides are
pub is something they’d like to do while in available from www.caskmarque.co.uk)
the UK.
Hotels see ale potential
- And with more Britons holidaying at Hotels in tourist areas that don’t stock cask
home in 2009, 70% of those considering ale are missing a major driver of tourist
a UK holiday say it is very likely they will custom. Not all hotels have the regular
visit a pub. throughput or cellar space to keep and
serve cask ale well. But in cases like this
The pub as the tourist hub bottle conditioned or other premium bottled
In May, VisitEngland launched ‘Inn England’ ales provide a neat solution.
- turning pubs into tourist information
centres. The pub has always been a hub We’ve shown already that drinkers are
of social life, and this is a brilliant evolution prepared to pay a premium for these
of its role. beers where stocked - the Connaught, an
exclusive hotel in Mayfair, sells Schiehallion
Within tourist pubs, cask ale plays a unique at £8 a bottle!
role. It’s recognised as a quintessentially
British icon, unique to the UK. Even British Travelodge sponsors CAMRA’s Champion
drinkers who drink lager at home are more Bottled Beer of Great Britain Award,
likely to drink cask ale if they visit a country announced each year at the Great British
pub on holiday. Beer Festival. This year, the hotel chain is
20
going one step further, and stocking
the winning beer - in 2009 it was
Titanic Stout - in a hundred of its hotels
throughout the UK. Paul Harvey Managing
Director of Travelodge, said, “Our
customers have told us that they want
a real ale offer, and I’m delighted that
we will be selling the Champion Bottled
Beer of Britain in our hotels.”

Brewery visits “Tourists se

also love thek out this pub for it
Real ale breweries are often fascinating here that the fact they are gett s history but
places architecturally, historically and experienci ey can’t get abroad ing something
ng a massiv .
educationally, and there’s always a a great surg e revival. Cask beer is
and it’s stil e in sales during thThere’s been
refreshing beer at the end of a brewery outsells al l building. Cask beere past year,
lines put in l other drinks. We’ve in our pub
visit. Cask Marque now runs www. ale than w and we’re selling fa had 6 new
visitabrewery.co.uk, which has details of (around 60e are lager and stoutr more cask
stout). And % cask versus 40% la combined
over twenty brewery visits across the UK. thing with beer is not so much a ger and
British. Ov foreigners as it is amgender
the cask alerseas women are justong the
They are ve es as the men are - an as keen on
whatever wry open minded and w d in pints.
e recommen ill try
The Eagle, Ca d.”
mbridge

imes
mer lunch t
“During sumof our customers
about 80% ts. About 50% of
are touris cask ale: they are
them drink lassic English beer.
after the c mples so they can
We offer sa h one they prefer:
choose whica n t to talk to t
hem
it’s import the
they value
about it so !”
experience Cross
k, Charing
The Garric
Road

21
The CasK Report 2009-10 BRITAIN’S NATIONAL DRINK

The Cask Beer Consumer

More people are drinking real ale - and they’re the kind of people any
profitable pub needs to attract.

More drinkers, with more to spend Growing interest

- Number of people who have ever tried Trial and sampling programmes, beer
cask ale has increased from 35 to 50%. festivals, Cask Ale Week, the growth in
availability and diversity of cask ale and
- This has resulted in 400,000 new cask ale increased media attention are all paying off:
drinkers in the last year. the number of people who have ever tried
cask ale has increased from 35% to 50%
- The number of women drinking cask ale year-on-year. The number of women who
has doubled - to 1.3 million. have ever tried cask ale has doubled from
15% to 30%.
- Cask beer drinkers are more affluent than
any other group of beer drinkers, less Trial = conversion
anxious about their finances and have One in six of adults now drink no alcohol at
fewer big financial commitments. They’re all. The number of people who say they ever
therefore happier to spend money than drink beer has fallen from 28 million to 27.8
other beer drinkers. million in the last year alone.

- Cask ale drinkers drink beer more often And yet, the number of people drinking cask
than other beer drinkers. ale has increased from 8.1 to 8.5 million.
This has been driven by a staggering
increase in the number of women who
say they now drink cask ale - more than
doubling year on year: Cask ale drinkers
therefore represent an increasing proportion
of the market: 31% of beer drinkers
now claim to drink cask ale, up from 29%
22 a year ago.
 More people are drinking cask ale How do you feel about your current
Number of drinkers (000’s) level of income?

7,187
index vs population
2007

6,390
8,000

133
7,000 140
2008 130
6,000

112
5,000 120

110
106

102
4,000 110

94

88

77
3,000 100

1,353
2,000 90

631
1,000 80
0 70 Comfortable Coping Finding it Finding
Men Women difficult it very
difficult
Source: Cask ale drinkers Source:
TGI Jan-Dec 2008 ‘No-cask’ beer TGI Jan-Dec 2008
drinkers

Cask ale drinkers are affluent drinkers people become anxious and change their
Everyone is feeling the pinch in the credit spending habits. Spending is determined by
crunch. But 68% of cask ale drinkers are how happy people are with their income, as
social grade ABC1, compared to 52% of much as what level it actually is.
non-cask beer drinkers and 55% of the
population as a whole. 74% of cask ale drinkers are ‘comfortable’
or ‘coping’ on their current income, versus
On average they earn more - 46% earn 63% of non- cask ale beer drinkers.
more than the national average family
income of £30,000, compared to 33% of Cask ale drinkers are at a lifestage where
non-cask beer drinkers. they have fewer outgoings - they’re less
likely to have young families, and more
But recession makes everyone more likely to be independent. Again, this
anxious - fewer than 10% are directly means they are more likely to have higher
affected by unemployment etc, but most disposable income.

Cask ale drinkers’ lifestage means they’re more independent

index vs population as a whole

180
162

151

160
129
125

119
123

140
116

110

110
111

110

104

120
101

93
83
85

67

80

79
67

100
80
60
Fledglings

Flown the
nest

Nest
builders

Playschool
Parents

Sec School
Parents

Mid-Life-
Independents

Unconstrained
couples

Hotel
parents

Senior sole
decision
makers

Empty
nesters

40
20
0

Cask ale drinkers ‘Non cask’ beer Source:

drinkers TGI Jan-Dec 2008
23
The CasK Report 2009-10 BRITAIN’S NATIONAL DRINK

The Cask Beer Consumer continued

Cask beer drinkers drink beer more often However, publicans should note that they
Higher affluence and less anxiety about are also happy to drink beer at home or at
money translates directly into behaviour. friend’s houses.
We’ve already seen that cask ale drinkers
are more likely to visit pubs more often and While cask ale may only be available in
more likely to spend more money when pubs, the growth of premium bottled ale in
they’re there. In general, cask drinkers the off-trade shows they will drink at home
consistently drink beer on more occasions too. While cask drinkers visit pubs more
than other beer drinkers. often because that’s the only place they can
drink cask ale, pubs do need to continue to
work to attract them.

When do you drink beer? (out of home)

70
66

60
55

53
54
49

45

50

41
39

38

40
37

35
35

33

29
28

30
27
27

27

20

19
18

20
11

10
0
Out: lunch
in bar/pub/
restaurant

Out: dinner
in bar/pub/
restaurant

Out: daytime
drink in
bar/pub/
restaurant

Out: evening
drink in
bar/pub/
restaurant

Out: club

Out:
concert/
gig

Out: theatre/
cinema

Out:
watching
sport

Out: work
party

Out: while
travelling

Out:
celebratory
occasion

Cask ale drinkers ‘Non cask’ beer Source:

drinkers TGI Jan-Dec 2008

24
 70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
25
Home: with
main meal 19

55
Home: with
friend/family 46

44
Home:
relaxing 36
alone

39
Out: meal
at friend/
family’s 31
When do you drink be

home
45
Out: drink
at friend/
family’s 35
home
er? (in home)

Source:
drinkers
‘Non cask’ beer

TGI Jan-Dec 2008

Cask ale drinkers

25
The CasK Report 2009-10 BRITAIN’S NATIONAL DRINK

Focus: Cask Beer and Younger Drinkers

An old man’s drink? Younger, affluent drinkers are entering the

cask beer market. But how can more of them be encouraged
to follow suit?

The cask ale lifestage Brewers need to understand why some

- 25-34 age group is increasingly the entry young people are starting to drink cask, and
point to cask beer, with a growing number actively encourage more of them to do so.
of drinkers in this age group.
18-24s: the drinkers-in-waiting
- Cask beer forms part of a lifestyle Over 17% of UK adults drink cask ale -
change, as people begin to settle down but only 9% of 18-24 year olds do - even
and seek higher quality food and drink. though 47% of them drink beer other than
real ale. Universities have very few real ale
- Growing success at festivals and sporting societies, and real ale has poor distribution
events highlights growing popularity with on campus. Venues with loud music and
younger drinkers. vertical drinking are not ideally suited to
real ale, which is a more mellow, laid back
Developing the taste drinking occasion. There are of course
Received wisdom in the beer market exceptions - universities such as Sheffield
used to state that there was an automatic and Lancaster boast significant real ale
progression of drinking tastes determined communities. But as a rule, these drinkers
by age: from white to red wine, from wine are hard to recruit.
and beer to white spirits, then dark spirits,
and from cider to lager to ale as drinkers 25-34s: the cask ale trialists
move from their late teens through to their Of the 1.7 million cask ale drinkers aged
late thirties and early forties. under 35, 67% are aged 25-34. The
percentage of cask ale drinkers in each age
There is no longer any evidence of this group doubles from 7% among 18-24s to
graduation - the first generation of lager 14% for 25-34s.
drinkers are now nearing their dotage and
still drinking lager. Cask ale is still recruiting This is the age when careers become
drinkers - the number of people aged under established, money becomes easier, and
35 who drink cask ale has increased from tastes become more sophisticated. Drinkers
1.6 to 1.7 million over the last year - but it begin to move from loud clubs and venues
doesn’t happen automatically. to occasions that are more mellow and

26
 s
lk, ha
Suffo
h a m Park, pmarket
ude in Hen tly more u audience
Latit tival h e r
titude Feson as a slig , with a cor 25s. Hekto .
The Laa reputati astonbury han under nts on site .
built al than Gl s rather t he beer te ther drink s
v t
festi 4 year-old al ales to fore any o 33,192 pint ly
e
of 25-4 upplies re sold out b 9,“We sold proximate
s
relaxed. They also become more Rous 8, the ales tor, in 200 rowd of ap ore real
k
interested in premium quality food In 200 ding to He festival c r 4 times m success of
l e f
Accor [to a tota ates to ov nbury. The dicator o
and drink, with a significant u o
of ale ], which eq han Glast nitely an inwith some
upsurge in interest in farmers’ 12,000 r person t ude is defi ng drinks
i
markets, organic food, home ale pe le at Latit d embrac
w
real a unger cro
cooking and so on. the your in them!”
flavo
But positive though this is, still
only 15% of 25-34s drink cask ale,
compared with 47% drinking other
styles of beer. Although this figures is
now almost in line with the average of The Devonshi
re Cat, Sheffi
all age groups, there’s clearly potential As young pers
eld
on
to recruit many more drinkers. beating: not on ’s venues go, the ‘Dev Cat’
takes some
university qu ly is it in the heart of Sh
arter, it’s ac ef
floor of a st tually on the field’s
Occasions for trial ud ground
surprise to so ent housing block. So it
co
People are more open to trying shrines in on me that it is one of the un mes as a
e of the UK’s mo disp
st ale-friendl uted beer
new things when they are in new A stunning li
st of foreign y cities.
genuine cont speciality be
circumstances. City-dwelling ale handpump
inental lage
rs ers and
s is joined by tw
drinkers who take weekend breaks in regulars ar - six regulars and six gu elve real
ea es
the country are more likely to try the recognised br mix of local heroes and ts. The
na
guests are ro ands from regional brew tionally
local ale in a country pub than they balanced ra
tated for a co eries,while
nge of styles nstantly changing but
would at home. Holidays, sporting “We definitely
and strength
s.
events and music festivals are pub and trying see lots of people coming
in
special occasions when people are time,” says as something different for to the
si th
mainstream is stant manager Hannah Bo e first
more likely to break their routine. looking for sosaturated and a lot of pe y.“The
ve
op
Often people mething that’s genuinely le are
co di
they want, an me to the bar and don’t kn fferent.
Music festivals are selling d
through the our staff are trained to ow what
se gu
increasing volumes of real ale. ale before of lection. People who have ide them
te n’
Glastonbury has real ale on all its range sells we n go for a golden ale, bu t tried
t
coming in with ll. Sometimes it’s about st the whole
bars and one beer tent devoted drinkers, bu their parents,who are es udents
t we see a lot tablished al
entirely to it. Wales’ Green Man young people of
on their own experimentation with
e
as well.”
Festival in August 2009 had
a real ale and cider bar that
was the busiest bar on site. In
sport, Marston’s this summer
introduced cask ale to cricket
venues, with great success.

27
The CasK Report 2009-10 BRITAIN’S NATIONAL DRINK

Focus: Cask Beer and Women

Women are driving the growth in what has often been perceived as a
very male market. There are specific barriers that prevent more women
from drinking beer in general - and cask ale is best beer style to bring
them in.

Women driving growth in cask drinkers So why don’t British women like beer?
- Number of women who claim to have Research from the BitterSweet partnership
ever tried cask ale has doubled. a new group aiming to encourage women
to drink more beer - shows that women are
- Number of women who claim to drink put off beer by a number of factors:
cask ale nowadays has doubled.
- Image - beer is seen as masculine and
- Women now account for one in six of all ‘chavvy’ compared to wine.
cask beer drinkers.
- Weight - women mistakenly believe beer
- Women embrace more complex flavour to be higher in calories than wine,
and character - but have been put off by an equivalent soft drink or a large gin
a negative, macho image which is now and tonic.
beginning to be overcome.
- Taste - women believe they won’t like
Why do British women think they it if they try it.
don’t like beer
Only 37% of women ever drink beer, - Presentation - many women don’t like the
compared to 77% of men. Women - 50% idea of drinking from pints.
of the population - account for only 13% of
beer consumed. This compares to 25% in Overcoming the obstacles
the US, and 44% in Spain. - Image - Cask ale has none of the
macho, laddish, football-oriented image
characteristics of lager. Potentially, it
could be more acceptable to women.

28
 “I’ve always dr
un
but earlier th k lager or spirits,
to try Rudgat is year I was persuaded
the taste of e Ruby Mild. I enjoyed
a
seemed swee darker beer because it
te
I was afraid r and fuller than lager.
to
because I wasn try cask beer before
would be like ’t sure what the flavour
.”
Sue Rowley, 37

- Weight - cask ale has fewer calories, The results of this activity have
measure for measure, than wine, soft been remarkable:
drinks or spirits with mixers. It is also - 30% of women now claim to have tried
less bloating than lager, because it has cask ale - up from 16% a year ago.
no added gas.
- And the number of women who now
- Taste - women are not afraid of strong, claim to drink cask ale has doubled -
complex flavours - after all, that’s what from 630,000 to 1.3 million.
they find in wine. They simply need to be
encouraged to try cask ale and find the
er] was a bit
style they prefer. The last year has seen a med [cask be d
“I always assu to beers like lager - an
great increase in sampling activity aimed ed
flat compar to ‘real ale pubs’. Now I
in e
at women, with many events taking place I never went rters and milds becaus
po
love stouts, eper, fuller flavour. I
in Cask Ale Week on ‘femALE’ day. they have a de women don’t drink real
The most frequently heard comment at think a lot of perception - it’s a bit
of
events like this is “I don’t like beer, but ale because be seen with a pint glass.
unladylike to ought of cask beer as a
I love this.” I also never
th d been more
ce. If there ha
drink of choi ly press, and more high
female friend drank it, I would have
- Presentation - the use of branded profile wome
n
glassware and half and third-of-a-pint drunk it.”
36
glasses has increased, offering more Joanna Frith,
attractive presentation of cask beer.

- Partnering beer with food - cask

beer is the perfect partner for locally
sourced food - fresh, natural, with a wide
variety of tastes. 29
The CasK Report 2009-10 BRITAIN’S NATIONAL DRINK

Meet the brewers

Cask ale’s unique strength is in the diversity of brewers who make

it, and the flavours and styles they create. Regional, local and
independent brewers each bring something different to the bar. Here’s
a guide to how the market breaks down.
- The structure of the market continues to Regional brewers - filling the void
evolves as multinationals retreat to areas The decline of the old giants leaves a big
of regional strength in their ale brands gap that larger regional brewers such as
and regionals, independents and locals Adnam’s, Caledonian, Fuller’s, Greene King,
take over. Marston’s and Wells and Young’s are filling.
These are all brewers whose main focus is
- Larger regionals provide broad investment cask beer – all are committed to investing in
and support in the category and and maintaining cask beer quality.
are making cask beer the focus of the
ale category. Building a premium image
Regional brewers provide investment
- Smaller independent and local brewers in cask beer in terms of marketing and
are growing in number and provide variety promotion, which raises the image of cask
and difference. beer as a whole:

- There is a long-term shift from keg ale to - In 2008, £2.6 million was spent on
cask beer. advertising ale. 90% of this spend was
on cask ale.
The shrinking giants
The old national brands such as John - This is increasingly driven by the activities
Smiths, Bass and Tetley’s - all now owned of the larger regionals - Fullers and Greene
by multinational corporations focusing King now heavily outspend John Smiths.
on mainstream lager brands - are in a Other national brands such as Tetley’s,
phase of managed decline. They receive Boddingtons and Bass have no recorded
dwindling marketing support and survive on advertising spend for several years.
historical reputation, name recognition and
large distribution deals, although they still - Ad spend in 2009 to date already exceeds
have strong followings in the regions they £3 million - a strong increase in support in
originated in. the midst of a deep recession. Again this is
primarily driven by continued spend from
Greene King and Fullers, as well as the
high profile relaunch of Courage Best from
new owners Wells and Young’s.
30
- Sponsorship is also a major marketing throughout their estates, both in the brewery
growth area for cask ale brewers, but and in pub. Cask Marque has centres of
sadly we were unable to obtain reliable excellence throughout the country where
spend figures for this. Greene King IPA they train many of the major pub retailers
gives heavy support to English Rugby, and as well as individual licensees to gain the
Fullers supports golf. In 2009, Marston’s BII award in Cellar Management. Apart from
sold an additional one million pints on the training, it’s often the regional brewers who
back of its sponsorship of the England invest in the equipment needed to serve
team over their triumphant Ashes series, cask ale, and branded glassware and point
offering fans the chance to win tickets, co- of sale material to enhance its presentation.
creating a limited edition cricket-themed
jar of Marmite made with Marston’s
Pedigree, and encouraging good-natured
banter between fans with satirical ads.
Adnam’s has increased its involvement
with Ipswich Town and Newmarket Races, Ale Advertising Spend 2008
and is increasingly visible at grassroots
events such as County Shows and Food
and Drink festivals. This has in part
contributed to a significant business
turnaround, with a 6% decline at the end
of 2008 becoming 2% growth by June
2009, with growth coming almost entirely
from the free trade.

The combined effect of all this activity is

that the cask beer handpull increasingly
symbolizes the whole ale category. While
smoothflow beers still account for more than
half of total ale volume, they are increasingly
invisible. Cask beer is creating a new, fresh,
premium image for ale in general.
This image appeals to more affluent drinkers, Fullers 24% Shepherd Neame 3%
and helps increasingly to relegate the Wells & Young 9% Moorhouses 2%
ale drinker’s old-man-in-a-flat-cap image John Smiths 8% St Austell 1%
to the past. Theakston’s 6% Caffreys 1%
Belhaven 6% Smithwicks 1%
Support on the ground Adnams 4% Other 2%
The larger regional brewers also provide Marton’s 4% Greene King 29%
training schemes helping people keep and
serve cask beer in perfect condition. Most Source:
Nielsen Ad Dynamix/
large regional brewers give cellar training Manning Gottlieb
Media
31
The CasK Report 2009-10 BRITAIN’S NATIONAL DRINK

Meet the brewers continued

Local and smaller independents - the Some small brewers have been criticized for
new wave entering the industry just to take advantage
Of almost 700 breweries now operating of this tax break - and it’s true that not every
in the UK, 450 are members of SIBA, the microbrewer creates good beer. But many of
Society of Independent Brewers, formed in these new breweries are serious businesses.
1980 to represent the interests of smaller Four out of five small brewers claim the
independent brewers and to help them get savings from PBD go straight back into
wider distribution for their beers. building the business. In 2009:
- 81% are spending PBD money on new
Of SIBA members: equipment.
- 87% brew less than 5000 hectolitres a - 82% are spending it on marketing.
year, and are therefore classed as small or - 75% are spending to increase
microbreweries. brewing capacity.

- 61% have been founded since the turn of SIBA members also advertise locally, help
the millennium. improve the presentation of beers at point of
sale and support CAMRA beer festivals etc,
That’s an enormous momentum in terms but do not have the same national focus as
of new breweries. It’s been fuelled by the larger regional brewers.
progressive beer duty (PBD), a measure that
allows smaller breweries to claim back tax SIBA demonstrates its commitment to
paid to Customs and Excise. encouraging its members to build long-term,
viable businesses by not only holding awards
for the best beer from its membership, but
also the Small Business Awards that reward
marketing and promotional initiatives.
32
Richness in variety Of course the lines between categories
Cask beer’s strength is the variety of styles become blurred - some microbreweries are
and flavours within it. The British craft beer growing to become regional players, while
market is thriving thanks to the interplay at the same time, inspired by their new
between established breweries keeping vital competition, regionals are creating new
traditions alive, providing long term stability beers, pushing into new styles, and investing
and expertise, and young start-ups seeking in grassroots marketing activity as well as
to create something new, sometimes even broader advertising and sponsorship.
pushing the boundaries of what beer can be.
In truth there are many different styles
and sizes of brewer and this section
is an oversimplification. We’ve marked
out a continuum on which many different
types of brewery sit.

33
The CasK Report 2009-10 BRITAIN’S NATIONAL DRINK

Stocking and serving the perfect cask beer range

Cask ale takes a little more effort to keep well than other beers, but the
results are worth it. Here’s everything you need to know in order to
serve great cask beer.

Getting it right If you’re confident that cask ale can benefit

- If you don’t have the facilities or the your pub, there’s a stunning variety of
throughput to serve well-kept cask ale, breweries and beer styles to choose from.
don’t stock it! That’s part of the appeal - but it can also be
bewildering if you’re stocking cask for the
- Stock the right number of beers for first time. It’s important to start small with
your size. tried and trusted brands, before becoming
more adventurous.
- Stock the right mix of brands and styles.
‘Tried and trusted’ brands
- Make the most of attractive new fonts, - Have broader recognition and are
stylish glassware and point of sale increasingly seem as mainstream beers.
promotional material.
- Therefore offer reassurance to drinkers who
- Effort invested in keeping and serving cask are new to the category, unfamiliar with the
ale more than pays for itself in terms of product and/or are accustomed to using
better quality beer, meaning less wasted advertising to help them make a choice.
beer, a better reputation, and ultimately
more custom. - Larger regional breweries, who produce
most brands we’d describe as ‘tried and
Perfecting the optimal mix of cask ales trusted’, also have the infrastructure to
Not every pub is suitable for cask ale. If help with installation and maintenance of
you have inadequate cellar facilities, low equipment. Most offer cellar and technical
throughput, or simply don’t attract the support and run training schemes on how
right customer base, it’s essential to think to keep and serve cask ale.
twice before rushing into the market.
Serving badly kept cask ale can only - In an area where a local microbrewery or
damage both the publican’s and the brewer’s smaller regional, family or independent
reputation, turning consumers off both the brewery has a particular fame, their brands
pub and the category. may be ‘tried and trusted’ in that locality
too. For example, drinkers in Bristol may
perceive Butcombe as a big, established,
34
 safe brand, while drinkers in the North East ethical. But within this, smaller, more local
who are just as knowledgeable about beer breweries are favoured by drinkers who
may see it as an unusual choice. It’s vital to want to support local businesses, cut
know the local market. down on food/beer miles, or simply want to
sample the variety of local produce in any
Local and microbrewery brands given part of the country.
- Offer variety and diversity of beers.
Being smaller, they can experiment more So what should you stock?
and offer a more eclectic mix of beers. Research shows this depends on how much
(Although regional brewers increasingly you sell, or think you’ll sell.
do this with seasonal and limited edition
beers too). The worst mistake a publican can make is to
suddenly stock a wide range of ales when the
- Therefore attract experienced ale drinkers demand hasn’t yet been proven - no one ale
who tend to always be on the lookout gets the throughput, so quality suffers across
for ‘something different’. These are the the board, so no one buys the beers - an
highest spenders in the category and will inescapable vicious circle.
routinely look for the ‘guest’ ale. They’re an
attractive audience, but they favour pubs The following table recommends the optimal
that have an established reputation for number of handpulls based on the volumes
ale. A bad pint served in a pub known for of ale you serve. This should guarantee
the quality of its ale will be blamed on the enough throughput to keep quality high.
brewer. A bad pint in an unfamiliar ale pub There are of course ‘ale shrines’ that stock
will be blamed on the publican. as many as ten hand pumps - but they only
succeed in this when either the pub or the
- Compared to lager, all ale is seen is more publican already has a famous reputation for
artisanally produced, more local, more great cask beer. 35
The CasK Report 2009-10 BRITAIN’S NATIONAL DRINK

Stocking and serving the perfect cask beer range continued

A seasonal beer, such as a golden or

Average sales of Cask Ales Per Week summer ale, or winter ale. Increasingly, this
No. of 0-18 19-36 37-54 55
could be from a microbrewer or a regional,
hand gallons/ gallons/ gallons/ gallons/ but either way it will have an element of
pulls week week week or more
week unfamiliarity about it.
1
2 Every pub is different and experimentation
3 always yields results. But the lessons
here - learned from independent research
4 conducted for both Marston’s and Wells and
Young’s - is to start safe and build variety as
cask business grows.

Promotion at point of sale

As in all walks of life, presentation is
everything. Cask drinkers may claim
So what types of beers should be on taste is more important. But serve beer
those pumps? badly in an old, scratched, warm glass with
foam pouring down the sides, and drinkers
A ‘tried and trusted’ session ale. Between will be disappointed.
3.5 and 4.5%. A recognised brand in your
locality, whether that’s a widely recognised Cask beer producers know their drinkers are
leading brand from a big regional brewer, affluent and discerning, and new drinkers
or a ‘local hero’ with a big reputation in a raised on lager demand an attractive image
specifically defined area. as well as great taste. Cask brewers are
therefore investing in ensuring their beers
pass muster. Get it right, and it raises the
A more premium, select beer. Higher ABV image of the pub as a whole.
- 4.2% or above. Either a permanent brand
or a rotating guest beer. Revitalising cask beer dispense
The real ale handpull is distinctive and
unique. To many drinkers, it’s a symbol of
A guest beer from a small independent traditional craft and quality, with an unrivalled
or microbrewer, on a rotating basis, lineage on the bar going back 200 years. It’s
session or premium. not going to disappear any time soon.

36
But to others, it’s old fashioned and dated. beer dispense on a par with bigger, brighter lager fonts
The beauty of cask beer is its diversity, and and is more appropriate than a traditional handpull in
more modern, stylish bars. early trials show an average
several brewers are introducing innovations sales increase of 19% in test outlets. One manager of
in the traditional cask ale font. Yates’s in Nottingham said, “I’m fully behind it. If you
ask me if I want to keep it or get rid of it, I’d fight to try
Central to these is the idea of illuminated to keep it!”
fonts. Lager drinkers are accustomed to
Greene King has
seeing chunky, brightly lit fonts that can launched a new ‘Cask
make a handpull and pumpclip seem Revolution’ font. Here,
recessive by comparison. For brands aiming chrome design and
to tempt lager drinkers into the ale category, illumination also feature,
making the font look
competing in terms of visibility is essential. more contemporary,
but in addition the
The new Black Sheep actual dispense of the
font leaves the traditional beer is moved from
handpull dispense below to above the bar,
system unchanged, but adding a touch of theatre to the pour. Drinkers can
centres it in a chunky choose between a northern-style pint with a creamy
LED illuminated font that thick head and a crisper, southern style. Seamus
stands out on the bar, O’Kane, manager of Williams Wine and Ale House in
marrying tradition and Whitechapel, London, has seen burgeoning interest in
modernity. Where it’s cask beer since he had the font installed, saying “The
gone in, it has increased pump really stands out on the bar and encourages
beer sales by around people to enquire about the beer.” Early results suggest
12-15%, and is now being rolled out beyond the a sales increases of between 5 and 50% across the
company’s local estate. 700 quality pubs in which it has been installed, with
many new drinkers – particularly women – being
The new Bombardier attracted to cask beer for the first time.
font goes further.
Research conducted by
Surely the next twelve months will see many
Well’s & Young’s showed
that the iconic handpull more cask beer brands making dramatic
was indeed irreplaceable. improvements to their presence on the bar.
So instead, it’s been
framed by a foot-high
illuminated chrome
surround which puts cask

What’s the most important factor in influencing a drinker’s

choice of brand ?
70
60
47.8

50
36.8

40
34

30
22

12.9

20
11

10

7.2

6.7

4.8

10
3.8

1.9
0.5

0
Taste

Beer quality

Locally
sourced

Price

From a hand
pull

Strength
Image/
eye-
catching
font

Cask ale drinkers Source:

Box Marketing research for
Lager drinker
Wells & Youngs, May 2009
37
The CasK Report 2009-10 BRITAIN’S NATIONAL DRINK

Stocking and serving the perfect cask beer range continued

Glassware: making beer look beautiful Promotional ideas and initiatives

Historically, among label-conscious drinkers Lager tends to rely on large advertising and
bottles were seen as more stylish than promotional activities to create interest, but
draught products because with a label, cask ale’s strength is its grassroots nature. It
people could see what you were drinking, that lends itself to many promotional initiatives that
you had made a discerning choice, whereas are easy to implement on a small budget.
pints were simply anonymous brown or
blonde liquids. - CAMRA Good Beer Guide - released every
year with listed pubs chosen by local
Many brewers are now investing in branded, CAMRA branches.
bespoke glassware:
- Try before you buy - samples given away
- Making cask beer look more stylish and feel free WILL pay themselves back.
more special to order.
- Chalk boards - advertising guest ales is just
- Glasses are often shaped and styled as effective as promoting specials from the
to accentuate the colour and aroma food menu.
of the beer.
- Ale festivals - creating your own festival
Great design in glassware is also challenging is a proven driver of footfall and local
the dominance of the pint glass. Standard media coverage.
half pints don’t really appeal to either
established or potential beer drinkers. - Staff training - it’s a common refrain that
Stemmed and shaped glassware can make staff don’t stay long enough and are not
a half pint look attractive. paid enough to train. The flipside is that
training in cask ale dispense can increase
Third of a pint measures are also gaining pride and job satisfaction and increase
much wider distribution, encouraging trial of tenure of talented staff.
a wider selection of beers, particularly strong
beers that are less suitable in pints. - Meet the brewer - many brewers are happy
to spend evenings in a pub talking to
Elegantly designed smaller glasses are vital consumers about their beers.
to overcoming the main obstacle preventing
more women trying cask beer - an overtly - Cask Ale Week - participation in the first
masculine image. year’s event was proven to drive volumes
and premiumise the overall beer product
mix on the bar.
38
Promotion: Trial is everything
Last year’s Cask Report showed that only
35% of British drinkers have ever tried cask
ale, but that when they do try, 40% convert to
drinking it. We stressed the importance of trial
and sampling as ways of drawing people into
the category.

And it’s worked: this year, that ‘ever

tried’ figure has grown to 50%, with the
number of women claiming to have tried
cask doubling. tivals
Wetherspoons Beer Fes
wee ks eac h in the spring and Autumn,
For two
pub s run an international
Why is this important? Experienced real ale Wetherspo ons
k ale. Each
wca sin g cas
drinkers don’t hesitate to ask for a sample beer festival sho sel ection of
rol lin g
festival features a
of something new. But to drinkers of lager rea l ales ove r the two events, with 30 of
100
or smoothflow bitter - the people most lly for the festival.
these brewed specia
unfamiliar with what cask ale tastes like - this als, Wetherspoons
Across the two festiv
would be unusual behaviour. 42% of people rag e of 800 0 pints of cask ale
sells an ave
300 pin ts per pub per day.
who have never tried cask ale say they per pub - around
s hav e proved so
would do so if they could sample it first. But Third of a pint glasse
ula r tha t one in tw enty pints is sold as
pop
they won’t sample unless they are actively y invests in bespoke
thirds, and the compan
encouraged to do so. Trial sampling is the for eac h fes tival.
glassware
easiest way to grow cask ale custom. eve nts are inc rea singly popular, and
These spoons as being
ogn iSe d by Wet her
are rec ing a good business
instru men tal in ach iev
Product Description: Cyclops man ce des pit e the recession - like for
perfor for the year to July
The language of beer doesn’t come naturally like growth in cask ale17%.
an inc red ibl e
- even experts can struggle for the words 2009 was
to describe the taste of a particular beer.
Cyclops is a simple tasting guide that has in
three years become the benchmark for the
industry, with 147 breweries and almost 800
beers included. It gives sight, smell and taste
descriptors in easily understood words, plus a
scale of bitterness and sweetness.

Interesting to consumers, it’s vital to bar staff,

who can see Cyclops notes on the back of
pump clips and describe beers confidently to
people they are serving.

More details at www.cyclopsbeer.co.uk

39
The CasK Report 2009-10 BRITAIN’S NATIONAL DRINK

Pricing: why settle for a lower margin on a Stillaging

premium product? Casks should be stillaged on the day of
Cask beer is a premium, crafted product, delivery for three days, allowing the yeast to
drunk by affluent, upmarket drinkers. drop so the beer becomes clear and sparkling.
Pegging and venting
Historically this hasn’t always been the case, All casks should be vented with a soft porous
so cask ale tends to have a lower price than peg 2-6 hours after delivery. This is actually the
lager - even than keg ale. final part of the brewing process, bringing the
beer to its ideal condition.
Cask beer’s lower margin versus other beers Tapping
is often cited by publicans as the main reason Tap all casks 24-48 hours before they go
not to stock it. But this doesn’t have to be the on sale, always using a clean tap to prevent
case. Cask ale drinkers want value for money microorganisms from infecting the beer.
like anyone else, but: Sampling
Sample beer from the cask every day -
- 62% of cask ale drinkers agree with the if there’s any problem with it, pulling it through
statement “It’s worth paying extra for good to the bar simply wastes beer.
quality beer” Line cleaning
- Only 42% of non-cask ale beer drinkers The time and money costs of cleaning lines
agree with the same statement. (8) regularly don’t just hamper the taste of the
product. They can cause fobbing and cloudy
Most brewers firmly believe that cask could beer, which loses money. Any time and money
support a higher price relative to other beers costs in cleaning lines regularly - once a week -
than it currently has - inviting publicans to is more than saved by minimizing wasted beer.
create more profit. Glassware
Ensure glassware is clean, free of detergent
Product care: Top tips on keeping and and scratches. This doesn’t just affect the
serving great cask ale appearance of the beer - a clean glass allows
Ordering proper head formation and retention, and dirty
Order the correct size of cask that will allow glasses can badly affect the taste of the beer.
you to sell it in three days after beng placed Glassware needs to be renovated as over time
on sale. Any longer than this, and the beer beer leaves a film which affects appearance
will start to lose its condition and suffer and gives poor head retention.
compromised quality.
Cellar temperature More details can be found with major
Whoever said cask beer should be kept at regional brewers, at www.cask-marque.co.uk,
room temperature did so when the average and in CAMRA’s Guide to Cellarmanship
room was much cooler than in today’s age of (CAMRA books).
universal central heating. Cask ale should be
kept consistently at an ideal cellar temperature
of 11-13 degrees Celsius.
(8) Source: TGI 2008
40
Conclusion: where next?

A brighter outlook rejection of consumption for its own sake,

As this report went to press, newspapers and renewed interest in traditional pursuits
were predicting the end of recession. There - camping has become ‘glamping’; many of
will be a significant delay between banks 2009’s hottest new bands are heavily folk-
and stock markets returning to normal and tinged; and the year’s best-selling cookbooks
people on the street feeling the effect. But it’s all centre around the notion of simple, frugal
reasonable to expect economic conditions to gastronomy, using good quality but cheap,
improve rather than deteriorate in 2010-11. simple, locally sourced ingredients. This
The beer and pub industry will continue to behaviour is inspired by the recession, but is
face obstacles - continued focus on binge highly likely to continue after it. Discovery of
drinking and alcohol consumption generally cask ale is simply one more facet of this trend.
will obscure the truth of the responsible
drinking majority, and continue to increase The future of beer
pressure for further restrictions and legislation The pub trade press has started to refer to ‘the
against alcohol marketing and retailing. death of lager’. This is as much an overreaction
as the predicted ‘death of real ale’ a few years
And we have to hope that the cruel, ago, but is nonetheless revealing.
pernicious beer duty escalator - currently set
to ramp up tax on beer at 2% ahead of the Drinkers demand innovation, excitement,
rate of inflation until 2012 - is ended, either new interest. Lager traditionally supplied this,
by this government finally seeing sense at the but in the last ten years it’s only really given
damage it is doing to a vital sector of the UK us extra-cold dispense. Cider is the success
economy, or by a new government after the story of the decade, completely revitalized as
2010 general election. a category. It’s still in growth, but for Magner’s
- the brand that inspired this revolution - times
But people will start to go out more, and will are increasingly tough. People are moving on
return to the pub - perhaps not as often or in to smaller, more eclectic brands.
as large numbers - but we expect to see the
sharp decline in overall beer volumes continue Cask beer is ideally positioned to be the next
to bottom out. big thing. It fits consumer trends. It seems -
suddenly - full of innovation. But its return to
Within beer, before the recession we were growth will not happen automatically. Cask
witnessing consumer trends that fuel a cask beer requires a commitment to both style and
ale revival - interest in artisanal produce, substance, and a little extra effort. But the
locally sourced products, and more complex market is there. And this report proves that
and diverse flavours. Now, trends analysts there are financial rewards for catering to it.
are seeing a return to simpler pleasures, a
41
The CasK Report 2009-10 BRITAIN’S NATIONAL DRINK

Appendix: the cask ale drinker

Cask ale drinkers Regular Occasional All

cask ale drinkers cask ale drinkers drinkers
2007 2008 2007 2008 2007 2008
Men 6365 6651 565 536 6930 7187
Women 578 1234 53 118 631 1353
Total 7446 7886 640 654 8086 8540

Regular Occasional All cask ale ‘Non- Population

cask ale cask ale drinkers cask’ beer
drinkers drinkers drinkers
AB 42.7 34.1 42.1 22.8 26.8
C1 25.8 31.4 26.2 29.2 28.8
C2 18.6 15.4 18.4 24.2 21
DE 12.8 19.1 13.3 23.8 23.5

18-24 6.5 8.7 6.6 15 12.6
25-34 13 19.7 13.5 18.7 15.5
35-44 18.4 24 18.9 21.3 18.1
45-54 21.8 25 22.1 16.6 16.1
55-64 19.5 12.7 19 12.3 14.4
65+ 20.1 5.2 19 13.3 19.7
Median age 50 42 49 43 46

Source: TGI 2008

42
Glossary

Explaining the sometimes confusing terminology

surrounding cask beer.
Ale: Keg beer:
Generally recognized today as meaning beer that Beer that has been pasteurized and/or filtered to remove
has been brewed with a brisk, warm fermentation any yeast, before being sealed in a pressurized
during which the yeast sits at the top of the vessel - a container. It is then dispensed with the aid of
‘top-fermented’ beer. Served between 11-13 degrees. CO2, nitrogen or a mix of the two to give fizz or
Often dark brown as opposed to lager’s gold, but not ‘smoothflow’ texture.
necessarily - golden ales are increasingly popular and Lager:
ale can be red or very dark too. Also commonly known Beer that has been brewed with a slow, cold
as ‘bitter’ thanks to its pronounced hoppy character. fermentation and - traditionally - conditioned at low
Bitter: temperatures for several weeks (the word ‘lager’ is
See ‘ale’. derive from the German ‘to store’). Usually gold, but can
Cask ale: be amber or even black.
Beer that has not been filtered or pasteurised, and has Progressive Beer Duty (PBD):
live yeast in the cask. This means the beer is undergoing System whereby small brewers can reclaim beer duty
a slow, secondary fermentation that contributes greater paid back from Customs & Excise depending on their
depth of flavour and a natural soft carbonation. annual volume. Designed as a financial incentive to help
Cask beer: small brewers grow, it has made a major contribution to
A term interchangeable with cask ale that is felt by some the huge growth in the number of small craft breweries
to be a more appropriate description: although the in the UK today.
vast majority of cask beers are ales, it’s quite possible Real ale:
- increasingly so - to find cask-conditioned stouts and A term for cask ale/cask beer coined by CAMRA in
even lagers. This term recognizes that cask conditioning the early 1970s. A reaction against the industrial mass-
is a process rather than something pertaining to one production methods that rose to dominance
specific beer style. in the 1960s, it recognizes that cask conditioning
Cyclops: is the traditional, craft method of making beer.
Named because of the sight-smell-taste graphics that Smoothflow beer:
create an image of a one-eyed face, this is a system that Dispensed with nitrogen at cold temperatures for a
clearly and simply describes the taste and character of smooth, silky texture. Guarantees greater consistency
beer in a few words and graphics, giving both bar staff of product at the expense of flavour and character.
and consumers a framework for understanding what a Stillage:
given beer will be like. Device by which cask are held steady on their sides so
Hand pump/handpull: that finings and yeast can collect in the belly of the cask
Archaically known as the beer engine, a system that and allow the beer to clear.
draws beer from the cellar, straight from the cask, by Stout:
gravity. A glass chamber creates a vacuum that pulls Technically an ale, in that it’s brewed with top-fermenting
the beer up through the pipe and them pumps it into yeast, stout has effectively become a separate beer style
the glass. Because most beers are now in pressurised in the eyes of drinkers. Guinness dominates the market
kegs and served with either CO2 or nitrogen, only cask and is brewed with charred barley for a deep roast
beer is served with handpulls. The handpull is therefore character, and dispensed with nitrogen for its creamy
symbolic of the care and tradition surrounding cask beer. body. Stout doesn’t have to be served this way, but this
image of it defines the category.

43
Further Information
The Cask Report is supported by: The Cask Report is written each year by Pete
Brown, author of several books about beer, and
Adnams
regular contributor on the subject of beer to trade
Suffolk-based regional brewer.
and consumer press, TV and radio. Pete also has
www.adnams.co.uk
a background in beer marketing. He has no formal
The Cask Marque Trust affiliation with any of the companies or bodies
Non-profit organization championing cask beer backing the report.
quality. www.cask-marque.co.uk
http://petebrown.blogspot.com
The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA)
Europe’s most successful consumer pressure
group. www.camra.org.uk Data Sources
The Independent Family Brewers of Britain The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA)
(IFBB). Body representing 28 of the UK’s family- www.beerandpub.com
owned brewers. www.familybrewers.co.uk
Brulines www.brulines.com
The Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA)
CGA Strategy www.cgastrategy.co.uk
Representing over 450 small, local and
independent brewers. www.siba.co.uk Nielsen www.uk.nielsen.com
Caledonian Target Group Index (TGI) www.bmrb-tgi.co.uk
Edinburgh-based regional brewer, now owned Special thanks to The Blue Lion, 133 Grays Inn
by Heineken. www.caledonian-brewery.co.uk Road, London WC1X 8TZ
Fuller’s
London-based regional brewer. www.fullers.co.uk
Greene King
East Anglia-based regional brewer.
www.greeneking.co.uk
Marston’s
Midlands-based regional brewer.
www.marstons.co.uk
Wells & Young’s
Bedfordshire-based regional brewer.
www.wellsandyoungs.co.uk

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