Summer offers 'fantastic opportunity' for cask ale

13th July 2009, 12:25pm

Licensees who look after their cask over the warmer months could reap the benefits from retaining the affluent, upmarket drinkers who choose cask ale, announced Pete Brown, author of The Intelligent Choice report.

Brown commented: "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 ale. Licensees who control the temperature of the cask in the glass should be able to maintain their cask ale business over the summer." The ideal temperature for cask ale is between 11⁰C and 13⁰C - 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 are also the ones who choose the pub when drinking in a group, based on its reputation for quality beer. He added, "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."
            
Cask ale is outperforming the overall beer market, showing volume growth in recent months of 3.2%  in March compared to the same period last year, and 2.6% in April (Nielsen, MAT). There is also mounting evidence that pubs with a good cask offer have been more resilient to the trading downturn than those without, for a number of reasons.

Brown explained: "Consumers understand that cask ale is something they can only get in a pub, and they are prepared to pay more for that unique experience. By contrast, they struggle with the difference between the off and on-trade price of lager, as they don't perceive the same difference in taste." 
         
The growing interest in pairing beer with pub food is also bringing new customers, including women, into the cask category. At the same time, increasing demand for fresh, quality, locally-sourced food and drink favours cask, which is seen to 'tick all the boxes' for consumers looking for provenance and sustainable production. And, of particular interest to pubs in locations that attract foreign tourists over the summer months, cask ale is widely perceived as the quintessentially British drink that many visitors want to sample when visiting our country.

Brown concluded: "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 Intelligent Choice report, showing annual cask ale sales to August 2009, will be published in October. The current issue can be found on the website: www.caskalereport.com 

Related Articles:

• 06 Apr 2009 - Learning to love real ale
• 24 Mar 2009 - The facts behind cask ale
• 24 Mar 2009 - Cask Ale: A lifeline for licensees

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