Cask Ale

Cask thoughts: Tim Bird met with Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt off the back of his previous opinion article on The MA

OPINION

OPINION: Pubs cannot afford to fail the ale test

By Tim Bird, owner of Cheshire Cat Pubs & Inns

It has been a busy time since my last ‘Opinion’ article when I shared my concerns that, as an industry, we are at times a little too ‘doom and gloom’ and raised the question as to whether we are asking Government for too many things to help our cause.

Number crunching: the average price of a pint of beer is £4.94, according the data from The Morning Advertiser (image: Getty/Rouzes

EXCLUSIVE: Average lager pint prices across GB

By Nikkie Thatcher

A survey of The Morning Advertiser readers has shown the difference in pricing of beer across a range of regions and has taken a closer look at the lager category.

Cask and keg: Adam Mayers of Hydes Brewery

TV show-themed beers from Hydes

By Gary Lloyd

Hydes Brewery will be producing seasonal beers throughout 2024 based on TV shows from the 1980s and 1990s.

The right stuff: branded glassware has been designed to increase the enjoyment of that particular beer or range

OPINION

OPINION: A touch of glass in elevating beer

By Georgina Young, brewing director and head brewer, St Austell Brewery

The hot topic of glassware came up recently on The Morning Advertiser’s Lock In podcast – touching on whether it’s OK or not if a customer gets their beer in an unbranded glass.

Greene King to release two cask beers from seasonal calendar

THE CASK PROJECT

GK to release two cask ales for spring

By Gary Lloyd

Suffolk-based brewer and pub operator Greene King is releasing two seasonal cask ales for pubs to order in time for spring.

How the revamped Proper Job IPA by St Austell looks

THE CASK PROJECT

St Austell rebrands flagship cask ale Proper Job

By Gary Lloyd

St Austell Brewery has unveiled a new look for its flagship IPA Proper Job (4.5% ABV), which will hit pubs and bars across the UK beginning this month (March 2024).

Wye Valley Brewery is big on cask ale sales

THE CASK PROJECT

Wye Valley bucking the trend in cask

By Gary Lloyd

Wye Valley Brewery is a champion of cask beer. Yes, growth of kegged beer at the Herefordshire business is flying but 80% of its total production is cask beer for pubs – and the big pubcos are relying on them too.

Winter warmer: (l-r) CAMRA awards director Laura Emson, Simon Massey and CAMRA national chairman Nik Antona.

Snowflake takes GBBF Winter beer title

By Gary Lloyd

Sarah Hughes Brewery’s Snowflake has taken the title of Champion Winter Beer of Britain 2024 at the Great British Beer Festival (GBBF) Winter.

Legacy system: two of the Union sets will be preserved at the brewery

CMBC to retire Union Sets

By Nikkie Thatcher

Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company (CMBC) has announced it is retiring the four remaining Union Sets at Marston’s Brewery in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire because using them as fermentation vessels is no longer viable, according to the company.

Growing anger at Ringwood closure

Ringwood sales process slammed as a 'sham'

By Ed Bedington

Carlsberg Marston’s attempts to find a buyer for the iconic Ringwood Brewery prior to announcing its closure have been branded a “sham”.

A sporting chance: volumes sales fall versus the same week last year (credit: Getty/sturti)

Like-for-like on-trade drinks sales volumes down

By Gary Lloyd

On-trade drinks sales have fallen behind last year’s volumes but it would be difficult to beat last year’s biggest single day of sales when England competed in the football World Cup quarter final.

St Austell brewing director Georgina Young wins two awards

THE CASK PROJECT

St Austell brewing boss’s double win

By Gary Lloyd

St Austell’s brewing director Georgina Young has scooped two awards for her continued dedication to the beer industry.

What are the best selling brands of 2023?

DRINKS LIST 2024

The Drinks List – top brands to stock in 2024

By The Morning Advertiser

Welcome to the Drinks List 2024 – a list of the top-selling beverages in the on-trade looking at 15 different categories during the past year.

Figure show: the top selling cask brands of the year are unveiled (image: Getty/Rouzes)

DRINKS LIST 2024

The top cask brands to stock

By The Morning Advertiser

Sharps Doom Bar was the best-selling cask ale brand in 2023, data from The Morning Advertiser’s The Drinks List has found.

Deck the halls: offering a variety products could help retain customers into the new year

CHRISTMAS NEW PRODUCTS ROUND-UP

Beers and spirits dominate new drinks for Christmas

By Gary Lloyd

Hey, if you didn’t realise, Christmas is round the corner and now is an ideal time to launch some new drinks that could keep customers coming back until next Yuletide.

Level the burden: Andy Slee of SIBA has called for fairness on taxation

OPINION

Unfair tax system must be fixed

By Andy Slee, chief executive, Society of Independent brewers (SIBA)

In a free market economy, Governments help things that are good for society and tax things that aren’t. Life should really be that simple.

Hook Norton brewer says US hopped kegged beers can go in cask

The Cask Project

Trendy US-hopped kegged beers are great in cask too

By Gary Lloyd

US brewers see cask as the pinnacle for beer and the latest craft innovations from the US can work just as well in the traditional dispense method, according to Hook Norton’s Andy Thomas.