THE GREAT BIG TASTE CHALLENGE

Calling pubs up and down the country to start planning for Cask Ale Week! The Week runs from 27t September to 6th October – and is a chance to get people celebrating Britain’s national drink at your pub.

The theme, the Great Big Taste Challenge gives plenty of scope to highlight your cask offer, run promotions and put on events. Get your chef to recommend cask ales to match each dish on the menu; involve your local CAMRA branch in an event; get loyal cask ale drinkers to ‘introduce a friend’ through promotions or sampling activity; give prizes for the best descriptions of the taste of each cask ale you sell.

“It doesn’t matter what you do,” says Annabel Smith of Cask Marque, “so long as it stimulates interest in cask ale – and drives some sales".

The celebration kicks off on Thursday 26th with ‘ale tasting master classes’ in pubs and breweries up and down the country. If you would like to be involved in this, or in a tutored tasting event during the Week, why not invite a brewer or a beer expert to your pub to host an event? Check out details on www.caskaleweek.co.uk/tastingexperts and snap up an expert now so you don’t miss out!

Annabel Smith, one of the country’s first three women to qualify as a Beer Academy Sommelier, will be hosting a Ladies’ Cask Ale and Chocolate tasting event at The Coach and Four in Wilmslow. It’s in conjunction with Hydes brewery.

She says: “The event is part of the nationwide launch of Cask Ale Week on 26th September. It’ll be educational and informative, but also huge fun and a treat for the taste buds! Every licensee who’s interested in cask ale should be able to think of something for The Great Big Taste Challenge – and there are lots of brewers and Beer Experts out there to help them in putting on an exciting activity."

“Cask ale is a live, natural product, simply bursting with flavours. Yet, nearly 50% of adults have never tried it. The whole point of Cask Ale Week and the Great Big Taste Challenge is to change that. So I’d say to pubs and breweries ‘get involved; use the platform to create some fun activity; create a real buzz around Britain’s national drink - and get more people drinking it!

“Whether it’s tutored tastings, a beer festival, beer and food menus, a promotion or competition, make the most of the Week to get your tills ringing and cask ale sales soaring!”

For more information contact:
Frances Brace, Red Flame Communications 07432 692309 or
Heather Ryland, Red Flame Communications 07527 375847

Twitter: @caskaleweek
Facebook: National Cask Ale Week
www.caskaleweek.co.uk

I've just been sent this wonderful image by the American Brewers' Association showing the unity of American craft brewing and wondered if anybody out there had produced a similar one for British brewing. Admittedly it would need to be pretty big to showcase over 1,000 UK brewers, but if anybody has a bit of spare time on their hands...!

By Annabel Smith, Cask Marque training manager and Beer Sommelier.

Earlier on this year, I went to Bruges for the weekend with my lovely other half. I had heard many other beery people talk about how fantastic Bruges is, and we both felt it was a gap in our beer education.  So under the guise of widening our knowledge we planned a trip to do some sightseeing, walking, but most of all to experience the beer. I’m a massive fan of Belgian beer and looked forward to sampling some unusual, quirky and inevitably strong beers. It was as beautiful a city as I’d anticipated (especially as it was snowing) and we visited a LOT of bars. Every beer was served in its correct glass, every bar had a beer menu rather than a wine list, and every beer we ordered was brought to our table. Service was exceptional and on more than one occasion we were recommended a beer by the staff. It was Beer Paradise. With my ‘work head’ on, I commented that we had a lot to learn in Britain about the way beer is served.  But over the three days we were there, we never once sat at a bar, we didn’t engage with other customers, and we didn’t discuss the weather with the bar person. We were served our beers at the table, and chatted to each other, and played cards, and Yahtzee and hangman (yes, really). It was a totally different experience to going to a British pub. The beer was amazing, don’t get me wrong – but something was missing.

And it reminded me of some friends who have recently emigrated to a suburb on the outskirts of Auckland in New Zealand. They love their new life, but they’re a sociable couple who love their beer, and one of the things they miss is not being able to drop down to the local pub. There is no pub culture in New Zealand, no popping out for a couple of pints after work because the distances to travel are too huge. Socialising for them has now taken on the form of going round to friends (early evening) for a barbie, with a few bottles of ‘beer’ thrown in. No sitting at the bar, bumping into people you haven’t seen for a while. No getting to know new people through a shared love of a particular beer, or a common interest, or a mutual friend. No standing at the bar inspecting the range of pumpclips and trying to decide what you’re going to start with.

Going to Bruges was a great beer experience. My friends in New Zealand have embarked on an amazing new life. But I would desperately miss my local pub if it wasn’t there. I take pubs for granted, I take the huge range and variety of ‘real’ beer for granted.  So on the journey home from Bruges (feeling a bit ‘beered’ out), when my other half said “Fancy a pint when we get home?” I jumped at the offer. We went down the pub, propped up the bar and got as much pleasure from telling everyone about Bruges and socialising as we did going on the trip itself.

The reason I’m telling you this ‘Tale of Two Cities’? Well, you never really appreciate what you’ve got until it’s gone. We have the best pub culture in the world. Pubs may sometimes get it wrong with service, or quality, or environment, but we’re very, very lucky to have such a unique culture. And the rest of the world might want to look on and take note.

A group of women in Leeds yesterday joined the growing number of female beer drinkers when the Leeds Brewery Tap hosted a pre-Easter beer and chocolate tasting.

The tasting was organised by Dea Latis - named after the Celtic goddess of beer - a nationwide group aiming to encourage more women to enjoy beer. They have staged beer and chocolate tastings in London and Brighton before, but last night’s event was the first to be held north of the capital.

Guests tasted six different beers, each with a different chocolate designed to bring out the taste in each. Expert guidance was provided by Annabel Smith, Dea Latis founder and one of the country’s few beer sommeliers.

Smith said, “Beer and chocolate are perfect partners. They are both a balance of sweetness and bitterness, so when consumed together, the tastes and textures complement each other.

“Our guests at yesterday’s tasting included experienced beer lovers, occasional beer drinkers and complete novices, but everyone learned something new and, more importantly, had a great evening tasting beer with chocolate. “

The matches sampled by guests were:

- Leeds Brewery’s Yorkshire Gold, 4% abv and Ye Old Sun Inn Venezuelan Chocolate

- Ossett Brewery’s Treacle Stout, 5% abv with Bon Bon’s Dark Chocolate Caramels

- Brains Boilermaker IPA, 6.5% abv with Dar Chocolate and Lemon Parfait

- Jacobsen Velvet Ale, 5.9% abv with Champagne Truffles  

- Ilkley Brewery’s ‘The Mayan’ Chocolate Chipotle Stout, 5.3% abv with Turkish Delight

- Molson Coors’ Blue Moon, 5.4% abv with Terry’s Chocolate Orange

A vote was taken by the group at the end of the evening to choose their favourite beer and chocolate match, and this was won by Ilkley Brewery’s ‘The Mayan’ matched with Turkish Delight. In a double coup, ‘The Mayan’ was brewed by Harriet Marks, the only beer of the evening to be brewed by a female.

Smith concluded, “This was one of our most successful events and it’s great to move Dea Latis north of London and start involving women in other parts of the country. We chose Leeds because it has such a wonderful, thriving brewing scene and the Brewery Tap was the perfect venue for us.”

For news of upcoming Dea Latis events during 2013, visit www.dealatis.org

For information:          Annabel Smith: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 07920 058500

For those of you lucky enough to have an iPhone or Android powered smartphone, a new version of our CaskFinder app was released today. So this seemed like a good time to tell you what has changed and how we have worked to address some of the valuable feedback we have received from our app users since the last release.

What's new?

- The most requested item for a new release was the facility to tell the difference between pubs which you have scanned on your ale trail, and those which you have not previously visited. These are now differentiated on the Pub Map by red logos if you have visited, blue if you are still due to visit.

- If you change phones you can now restore your ale trail scans to your new phone. Just reinstall the app on the new phone and go to ale trail. It will ask you to register but will give you the opportunity to enter your username and password. If you can remember your email address then you can reset your password if you have forgotten it. If you can't remember which email address you registered with then please contact us and we can find out for you.

- If you visit a pub or drink a beer you like you can now add them to a favourites list, so you can remember what they were in the morning!

- You can rate pubs when you visit them on the pub details page. Let us know about beer quality, the welcome you received and whether you had the option to 'try before you buy'. It's a chance to have your say!

- Also on the pub details page, you can let us know if you had problems scanning a certificate during the ale trail. We will then add the certificate manually to your ale trail. It saves you time contacting us by email.

- Beer festivals are now displayed on a map as well as in list form. This should help you see what is happening near you. (Currently iPhone only).

- Lots more bottled beer codes have been added to the list so if you are in a supermarket you can scan a beer using the 'beer codes' button and view the tasting notes. There are now over 300 beers on this list.

Further update

There will be a second update coming out in the next month or so which will allow you to:

- Share on Twitter and Facebook when you have visited a pub, drunk a great beer or scanned a certificate - great for building a community with other like minded people

- Search for pubs with WiFi so you can go and enjoy a beer whilst playing on your laptop

How many people are using the app?

The app is used over 50,000 times each month and we now have well over 9,500 people registered for the ale trail.

I don't have an iPhone or Android phone

Some people have requested the app on Blackberrys and Windows phones. At the moment we do not have any plans to release the app on either of these formats. It is not because we don't want to, we would just rather make sure the iPhone/Android version is as good as it can be, rather than spending some of the money making a mediocre app on all different formats.

Pubs Not Displaying Certificates

One of the biggest frustrations for ale trail users (and us) is pubs not displaying their certificates. All pubs are sent certificates with a letter explaining why they should display it. Some however choose not to put them up even though they know it may frustrate some customers. If you let us know where you have experienced a problem using the link on the pub's page then we will send them another certificate. Our assessors also explain to the pubs about how the app works when they do their visits to check the beer quality. Please continue to ask the staff where their certificate is and hopefully this will push them to display it!

Using the Ratings Information

If you rate a pub we will use this information to speak to the pubs to let them know public opinion. We cannot act immediately on every rating, but will gather information over a period of time and then target the bottom percentage to see if we can help them improve.

Love the app? Then shout about it!

And finally, if you enjoy using our app please can you rate it for us on either iTunes or Android Play Store? If you have negative feedback we would rather you contacted us directly so we can address it - on these sites we are not able to respond to each comment.

We hope you have lots of fun with the app, please let us know what you think!

How do I download the app?

Visit either the iTunes App Store or the Android Play Store and search for "CaskFinder". Alternatively find it directly from https://www.cask-marque.co.uk/find-real-ale-pubs/mobile-phone-app

By Annabel Smith, Cask Marque Training Manager

There is a scene in the film ‘Educating Rita’ which I’ve always remembered. Rita is asked to write an essay about how best to stage a production of Ibsen’s ‘Peer Gynt’. Her essay consists of five words: “Do it on the radio”. Always makes me laugh.

Every year I get contacted by university students who are about to embark on their final year hospitality degree course.  They’ve usually tracked me down through the Cask Marque website and want an opinion from an industry organisation to add to their studies. Their thesis usually has uplifting titles like “The Demise of the British Pub” or “The Death of the Beer Industry in Britain”. Quite honestly, I wish one of them would ask me how well the industry is surviving, and some recommendations on what we could do to make pubs better, rather than analyse how horribly wrong it has all gone, as though it were a study of the Third Reich.

So I was reminded of Rita a few weeks ago when I was asked to respond to the following question: “Does the pub have a future in British society?”  I sat there, chewed my pen, gazed into space, ate a biscuit whilst I tried to think of a really well balanced intellectual response. However, I got so fed up I decided to go to the pub for a couple of beers to cheer myself up.

And it was then the lightbulb went on in my head. Of course the pub has a future, ESPECIALLY in British society, more so than any other nation on earth.
Yes, the pub industry has had a really tough time. Rising beer prices, the smoking ban, high rents and low wages. Everyone’s had a tough time, whatever business they’re in. But through this crippling, exhausting recession, there are pubs who have survived. There are breweries who have survived. And much of it has been because they have looked at our changing society and drinking culture, taken a step back and said “Actually, we need a rethink. We need to do things differently”.

Customers won’t put up with poor service, or bad food, or a dirty environment. Beer drinkers won’t put up with bland, tasteless, shoddy quality beer. So pubs have changed to give customers what they want, rather than what they think they want.

I probably won’t give these students what they want. They want me to supply a controversial quote, stating that all pubs in the future will be museums that we visit with our grandchildren. The grandchildren will gaze up at us, wide eyed in astonishment as we tell them how we used to gather together and drink beer in – wait for it – public! Do we want our pubs, and our breweries to be viewed as a dying industry by the future intellectuals of this country?

But I’m an optimist, a glass half full type of girl, and I’ve never, ever entertained the thought that the British pub – or British beer – won’t be here in the future. I haven’t responded to the student yet. But I’m so tempted to be a ‘Rita’ and send a five word response. I’ll let you decide your own response...

The 25th of January was a date that had been red-ringed in my calendar for many months and not without good reason. Not only because it would mean the arrival of the long awaited January wage packet after scrimping since before Xmas, but because I wasn’t going to be at work that day, I was instead going to be a guest at Fuller’s brewery for a day courtesy of the fine folk from Cask Marque.

Fans of the Cask Finder app will know that the “top prize” is the honour of becoming a Cask Marque Ambassador for achieving 100 Cask Marque certificate scans, but along with this awe inspiring title comes an invitation to visit a brewery and to spend the day on the Cask Marque Training Day course, just to see exactly what those who want their establishments to achieve the Cask Marque accreditation get up to.

This was the first round of these Ambassadors’ courses and parallel courses were being held at the Black Sheep brewery in Masham and at Marston’s in Wolverhampton as well as the one at Fuller’s in Chiswick. That gave Ambassadors from around the county at least a fighting chance to visit a more local brewery, although as it turned out, several of the chaps on my course in London had travelled from as far as Preston, Leeds and South Wales.

But for me the day started exactly as usual, catching the same rush hour train into Paddington, the only difference being I wasn’t suited and booted and having once arrived at Paddington I caught a west bound tube instead of an east bound one to the City. It’s a comfortable 15 minutes stroll from Turnham Green station to the brewery which is located adjacent to the busy A4 Great West Road but at least all the snow had disappeared meaning I was nice and early for the 09:30 start.

Taking refuge in the brewery canteen (tea = 25p a cup!) I was just kicking myself for shelling out nigh on a fiver for a roll at Paddington station when I could have had a 6 item brewery from the canteen for £1.80 when some likely looking other chaps started to appear. Introductions were swiftly made (amazing how sociable us ale drinkers are!) including that of the legendary Alastair Macnaught from Cask Marque who even recognised me as the BGC (my blog alias)……………always a winner.

Alastair was accompanied by Natalie, also from Cask Marque and who tweeters and facebookers will know from the social media side of things. The final piece of the Cask Marque triumvirate was Day Harvey (yes, that’s the right way round!) who was going to be leading our course today. We were taken off to the training room and it was by far the best venue I’ve even been in as it was mocked out to resemble the interior of a pub. And if that wasn’t cool enough, Day had also brought along his own Cask Marque certificate which meant that we could all collect another scan.

More official introductions were carried out as each of us in turn had to state where we were from, how long we’d been drinking cask ale and what our favourite beer was. Much joking around the second question (“too many years!” – “not long enough!” etc) ensued but as I say, it doesn’t take much for a bunch of ale enthusiasts to get to know each other.

Introductions out of the way, the day began with a tour around the brewery itself. Donning some very fetching hi-vis vests in the Hock Cellar tourist centre we began at the grist mill and finished three-quarters of hour later at the barrelling plant. I am rather skipping over the details of the visit mainly because I’m sure most readers of this will have either been on other brewery visits and let’s face it, the process of grinding, mashing, boiling, fermenting and casking doesn’t really change from plant to plant. What was very interesting about Fuller’s though, was the historical elements as this brewery has had to modernise around the listed and protected original brewery buildings. The other interesting element was the top facts picked up along the way. Did you know for example, that 80% of Fuller’s brewing time is spent on London Pride? Well it is, and that’s a beer fact!

Retiring back to the training room, Day declared that it must be time for a beer but not before we’d been shown the process that a pub must carry out from receiving the new cask from the dray to the point that the beer is sold to the punter. Although it’s not rocket science it does prove that cask ale can live or die by what happens in this very final part of its journey and it’s also a reminder that cask ale, especially good cask ale does require considerable more work than just connecting up a keg. Well the proof, as they say, is in the pudding or in our case the pints of London Pride that we were now able to pull ourselves from the training room bar.

Lunch was next with a well deserved (it’s hard work this brewery visiting you know!) fish and chip dinner on the Cask Marque tab before returning to the training room and a lesson in how to detect the things than can go wrong with beer and how to taste these elements. Day, ably assisted by Natalie had set up 9 examples of “bad beer” using our cask of London Pride and adding some dastardly chemicals to make them “go off” – Our mission (and we all chose to accept it) was to taste these concoctions and try to work out what the off-taste actually was. Some were easy, the sour-vinegar smack of the beer that had gone off due to age and bad sanitation was a gimme, but trying to taste the difference between the “skunky” beer (due to light contamination) and the “cardboard” taste of the beer that’s gone off due to oxidation was much more difficult. Luckily there was a slops bucket into which we could get rid of these beers and it didn’t turn out that drinking this was the penalty for coming last in the beer taste quiz!

We finally rounded up with a session on what we as Cask Marque Ambassadors can do to promote and support Cask Ale and ended with a back slapping photo in front of the training room bar.

It should go without saying that a day spent at a brewery when I would normally be working is a fine way to spend a Friday, but it is worth praising Cask Marque for the time and effort to lay on such a good day. I’d like to take the opportunity to give a big thank you to Alastair, Natalie and Day (and great to be able to put faces to the names now!) for such an enjoyable day and hope that this report will enthuse those scanners who are edging towards their 100 that the effort to get Ambassador status is well worth it!

In a recent NOP Survey, 57% of cask ale drinkers recognised the Cask Marque plaque and 62% related the sign to beer quality.

Interestingly, awareness is higher; 67% in the 21 to 44yr old category, which must in some part be due to the CaskFinder app, which is used over 60,000 times per month to find Cask Marque Pubs. The app also offers the opportunity to join the World’s biggest Ale Trail and so far, the Cask Marque certificate in Pubs has been scanned over 30,000 times to record visits.

The region with the most awareness of Cask Marque is the West Midlands; 75%, followed by the South West; 68% and Yorkshire and Humberside; 65%. The lowest awareness was in Scotland; 40%. This awareness has a significant effect on footfall in Pubs, as indicated in the Licensee Survey undertaken in 2012, which showed that:

• 88% of Cask Marque Licensees have seen an increase in Cask ale sales since accreditation
• 98% of Licensees would recommend the scheme to other Licensees.

Paul Nunny was delighted with the results “It is particularly pleasing that our licensees through the survey have stated that the accreditation increases cask ale sales. We are all in a commercial world and today quality is a key component of retailing success.”

Miles Selby, head of purchasing at Stonegate Pub Company said “As the popularity of cask ale continues to grow within our estate it is important to have a badge of quality that consumers can recognise and trust. Over 85% of the Stonegate cask ale houses have Cask Marque accreditation and the performance of cask can be partly attributed to the award. When an assessor visits from Cask Marque, as well as checking beer quality, they also undertake a cellar audit, ensuring that all elements in the serving and dispensing of cask ale are checked and verified”

Should you require any further information please contact Paul Nunny on; 07768 614065 or email; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . More information can be found on our website; www.caskmarque.co.uk

By Annabel Smith, Beer Sommelier and Cask Marque Training Manager.

Not long ago I hosted a Beer and Cheese event at a pub in London. The British Cheese Board supplied the cheeses and I was given a list of the beers the pub stocked (both bottled and cask) so I could match them up with the cheeses. Most of the beers were quite mainstream, so after deciding which of the beers went best with each cheese, I hit the internet to see what quirky or funny facts I could find out about the beers so I could include these in my talk.

One of the beers was Affligem, a Belgian Abbey Ale, and a real favourite of mine. On further research I found out that Affligem is owned by Heineken. Affligem is one of the worlds greatest beers (in my opinion), I love the stuff, and I don’t really care who owns the brand as long as they don’t change it. But some of the comments on the beer blogs shocked me. So many beer ‘elitists’ said they wouldn’t touch the stuff as it was owned by Heineken. Has the beer changed? No. Have Heineken knocked down the Abbey where the beer is brewed? No. Have all the monks been kicked out on the street? No. But because its Heineken, some beer drinkers have now vilified the brand and said they will never touch a drop of it again. Can these drinkers not see that a major benefit of one of the largest brewers in the world buying this brewery meant the brand went global – and survived. Heineken ensured people all over the world would continue to discover the delights of Affligem. Heineken also protected the provenance of this brand by signing a guarantee that it would continue to only be brewed in Belgium.

Now, I’m not on a Heineken back hander here, but it did disappoint me that because of the name on the bottle, some drinkers have chosen to boycott this brand.

I use this as an example of some things I’m observing in the cask ale world. Cask ale has enjoyed unprecedented growth in pubs over the past five years – the only drinks category which has displayed such growth. But this has also created a group of beer ‘snobs’ , drinkers who look at the pump clips of well known brands and dismiss them outright – because of who they are brewed by. There is an automatic assumption by this small group that anything from a well known nationally distributed brewery is bland and inferior, yet the local micro brewer produces a far superior product. It’s irrational, it’s misguided – and it’s also a dangerous opinion which may damage the cask ale industry in the long run.

Of course there are mainstream cask ale brands – these breweries provide the cask equipment, the hand pulls on the bar, the drip mats on the tables and training in many pubs. Without these large regional brewers, the public may not have embraced cask ale so fondly over the past few years, and pubs would not have been able to start stocking cask. But there is demand for the big cask ale brands as well as the lesser known micro ales. Listen to your own taste buds and form your own opinion rather than reject a product based on who owns it.

Marston's kindly hosted the recent 25^th meeting of the Cask Marque Assessors at their brewery in Burton on Trent. Over 40 assessors and trainers attended this twice a year gathering. The purpose is to update everybody on Cask Marque activities and performance and to talk about key issues affecting beer quality in trade.

This event received a presentation from Marston’s on Fast Cask, the innovation on the use of yeast in the cask. The number of products on offer for sale with Fast Cask technology has now been expanded and a debate took place about the added values of Fast Cask, where it should be used and its impact on beer quality. The main message was that Fast Cask should be handled in the cellar like any other cask ale but has the added benefit of being placed on sale within a shorter time scale.

The next presentation was from Vianet on iDraught which covers key areas on beer quality both in the cellar and in the glass. The equipment allows the monitoring of line cleaning routines and procedures, temperature in the cellar and in the glass and measures yields and cash take. It was agreed the information was of enormous use to licensees and managers to improve profitability, but was frequently not used to its full potential because of lack of knowledge on how to get the best out of the information supplied by the equipment.

The final external presentation was delivered by Meiko, a glass machine company who have just completed a £4.3m contract to install a new generation of glass washers into all JD Wetherspoons pubs. No water softeners are needed as the machine purifies the mains water supply by using a reverse osmosis system. Until now this was only available to very large catering organisations. The system means it needs no salts, has no water softener, uses 50% less detergent and 90% less rinse aid. Glasses do not need to be renovated unless new when they would have a residue from the manufacturers mould. Cask Marque on each visit to an outlet measures glass cleanliness and will be monitoring with interest the performance of the equipment within JD Wetherspoon.

The next Assessors Meeting will be held in the late Spring at Brewing Research International Centre in Kent where the assessors receive ongoing training on the taste profile of beers and are then subject to blind tasting.

Can you spot your local assessor in this photo? (Answers below). And no, they haven't all been locked up! View a high resolution version of this picture.

Top row (L>R): Peter Sloan, Graham Cooling, George Roe, Keith Rogers, Ian Smith, Peter Lakin, Paul Nunny (Director), Roger Clayson (National Account Manager, South), Harvey Milne, Steve Housden, Pete Channon, Roger Putman, Simon Best, Tony Millington, Peter Wilson, Barry Jones, Bruce Awford, David Baker, Tony SKipper, Roger Mitchell, David Ruddlesden, David Waller, Tim Woodrow, Jim Kerr, Julian Herrington, Stuart Noble

Bottom row (L>R): Jayne Hewitt, Sarah Davenport, Annabel Smith (National Account & Training Manager), Angie Armitage (PA), Alastair Macnaught (Operations Manager), Paul Hallas, Haakon Olafsson, Robin Woods, Paul Noonan, Howard Morgan, Peter Reeve, Martin Hill, Ramsay White, Peter Wesley, Peter Tulloch, Mike Parker, Tony Millington, Garry Bunyan

By Annabel Smith, Cask Marque Training Manager

Do you remember the ‘Smash’ adverts from the 1970’s? The ones where a group of Martians would watch in astonishment as humans prepared mashed potato the traditional way, using real potatos , and then roll around laughing in mirth? It always made me giggle (it still does), and the adverts were voted number one in ‘ITV’s Best Ever Ads’.

I’ve been reminded of this advert a few times over the last few months as I’ve been doing some training for call centre staff around the country. These staff sell a huge amount of beer to publicans and I was hired to get them to recognise the difference between cask beer and keg beers (like lagers and smoothflow beers). I had been asked to teach them how cask ale ‘worked’ and why it was different to other beer categories.

Now considering I had been given strict instructions that I could only spend 1 hour doing this training, I needed to get their attention fast, but more importantly make them understand that cask ale needed some careful looking after in a beer cellar after their company had delivered it. So armed with a few ‘dummy’ casks filled with water I thought the best thing to do was get them all practicing what to do with the product, from a cask being delivered into a pub cellar, getting it ready for sale and how to dispense it.

At the first session I did, after going through all the stages of conditioning cask ale and getting my trainees to practice, one of the group stared me in the eye and said “Seriously? They do all of this work just to get beer ready? Why do they bother?” And she started giggling. Which set the rest of the group off giggling, and it became infectious whilst we all pondered how ridiculous it was in this generation of convenience that we spend so much time looking after, and nurturing this product before it’s even handed across the bar to a customer.

The same thing happened at the next training session I did, and the next. In total I delivered twelve training sessions throughout the UK and without a doubt we recreated the Smash Martians in every session. If it’s this funny I could get a second job doing a stand up routine, I thought.

But it did bring it home to me – as I tried to explain to all my trainees – that there are thousands and thousands of publicans in the UK who are spending hours in their beer cellars tapping, venting, tilting, checking and chocking cask ale – because they know that the real thing is always better than the ‘easy’ product. They recognise there is a huge taste difference between real cask conditioned ale and pasteurised, mass produced beer, and that as long as customers demand real ale, this work will have to be done.

I always preferred ‘real’ mashed potato to instant granules. Some things never change...

Carl Griffin, CAMRA member and ale fanatic writes about his experience using the CaskFinder App's 'World's Biggest Ale Trail' feature.

Over the last 12 months I have been taking part in a new initiative introduced by Cask Marque termed the ‘World’s Biggest Ale Trail’.

The concept began in September 2011 to coincide with Cask Ale Week in order to encourage people to visit more pubs and try real ale. The scheme involves using a smart phone to scan QR codes on the bottom of the pub’s Cask Marque accreditation certificate. The name and a running total of the pubs visited are stored on your phone and prizes gained for reaching certain thresholds.

As we approach this year’s Cask Ale Week (28th September – 7th October) I have now visited 400 different pubs that have achieved Cask Marque accreditation. During this period of time I have been sent prizes such as a bottle opener magnet for surpassing 25 pubs, a Cask Marque Polo shirt for surpassing 50, and was given the honour of becoming Cask Marque’s first ambassador for surpassing 100 pubs. Becoming an ambassador entitles me to a free Brewery Tour, a day visiting pubs with a Cask Marque assessor and a free place on a cellar management training course worth over £100. So far 27 people have become Cask Marque Ambassadors with many more on the verge of achieving this landmark.

My tours of Cask Marque pubs have taken me to all corners of the UK and have involved some amazing weekend bar crawls in some very ale conscious cities such as Birmingham, Edinburgh, Nottingham, to name just a few. Along the way such gems ranging from traditional country pubs to ‘trendy’ town centre bars have been found serving a wondrous array of real ale in tremendous condition. My favourite find has been the Nook in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire. This tiny brewpub, home of the Nook Brewhouse, dating from 1754 is hidden away in a small square in the centre of the town made famous as the setting for the BBC comedy Last of the Summer Wine. Offering a great range of their beers, from Blond through to Oat Stout, this pub is worthy detour if you’re exploring this area of Yorkshire.

Many of my tours have involved my ale-loving wife, Sandra, who has enjoyed drinking ale since first trying our national drink after moving to the UK from lager-only Bosnia two years ago. The ale trail has also encouraged us to discover more of our wonderfully beautiful group of islands.

It is worth mentioning that we have many pubs within our district that have achieved Cask Marque accreditation including 11 in Aylesbury and 6 in High Wycombe, along with many of our small town or village pubs. I would encourage you, especially as Cask Ale Week is upon us, to visit these pubs that you may have not tried before and partake in the Cask Marque initiative. You will not be disappointed by the quality of the beer and may even find a rare gem of pub or even a new favourite ale along the way.

For a pub to achieve Cask Marque accreditation, they must pass two unannounced visits by qualified assessors whom are all qualified brewers. All beers on offer are tested for temperature, appearance, aroma and taste. If both visits reach the required standard Cask Marque accreditation is awarded. The award is renewable every 12 months subject to satisfactory annual inspections. Look out for the tell tale hand pump sign on the outside of the premises or signs attached to the bar’s hand pumps themselves.

If you are interested in discovering more about the scheme, or want to join the ale trail, visit http://www.cask-marque.co.uk/biggest-ale-trail/ale-trail

Leading restaurant and pub operator Mitchells & Butlers is trialling Cyclops Beer notes as part of its staff training and customer education in twenty of its Village Pub and Kitchen outlets. Cyclops Beer uses symbols to show what a beer looks, smells and tastes like and how bitter or sweet it is. This is the first time that a pub group has trialled Cyclops Beer to train staff and help its customers to understand more about cask ale, and it will be measuring its effectiveness in both areas. If successful use of Cyclops Beer will be rolled out in more Mitchells & Butlers Village Pub and Kitchen pubs later in the year.

Cyclops Beer is providing Mitchells & Butlers with point of sale material for the pilot pubs including chalk boards which will use the eye, nose and mouth symbols; these symbols are effective as they are quick and easy to understand, avoiding the overly technical or flowery language which is often used to describe beer.

Cyclops Beer is also providing training material and, together with Cask Marque, is funding the training in the Village Pub and Kitchen outlets.

From Mitchells & Butlers, Drinks Quality Manager, Rachel Evans, said:  “The tasting notes are a great tool, which will give our staff the knowledge to talk with confidence about cask ale and encourage customer interest in the product. We shall measure its impact in terms of increased cask ale sales in trial pubs as well as feedback from our Guest Satisfaction surveys”.

David Bremner, founding member of the Cyclops Beer Board, said: “It is often difficult to know what a beer will taste like from its name alone and we believe Cyclops has an important role to play in demystifying cask ale. Cyclops tasting notes work effectively in catching your attention and helping to make the large range of tastes and flavours present in cask ale easier to appreciate. We hope to see more consumers engage with cask ale and want to try different brands as a result of this initiative and it is really encouraging to see Mitchells & Butlers investing time in training their bar staff to use Cyclops particularly in matching beer to food.”

Find out more at www.cyclopsbeer.co.uk

“CASK ALE WEEK 2102 – ONLY IN BRITAIN, ONLY IN PUBS!”
A MASSIVE OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR INDUSTRY

The date of this year’s Cask Ale Week has just been announced. It takes place from 28th September to 7th October and is following the Try Before You Buy theme. It has a new strapline – Only in Britain, Only in Pubs!
 
“The theme and the strapline are aimed to attract people back into pubs,” says Paul Nunny, director of Cask Marque, which is steering this year’s event, “as well as to get people sampling our national drink. They should help pub operators use their unique selling point to drive footfall and also provide a great platform for brewers to talk about what differentiates cask ale from the other beers on the bar and the supermarket shelves,” he says.

“There is still a huge gap of knowledge in the industry, let alone among the general public, about what makes the beer from a hand pull special. Cask Ale Week, dedicated to raising the profile of cask-conditioned beer, can help plug that gap in knowledge, and entice drinkers back through the doors of their locals.”

Brewers and pub companies are pledging to make the most of the opportunities and Paul says that there are some great initiatives up the sleeves of the best pub and brewery businesses.

“The main motivating factor for involvement is of course to benefit their own ale brands and pubs, but in the process, companies are also supporting our sector, making sure that pubs remain at the heart of British culture and life.

“CAMRA has pledged its help, so pubs can appeal to local branches for support with events and activities. The IFBB is also putting their weight behind the campaign.

“By making Cask Ale Week into a real celebration, an extension of all the2012 Summer activity in the country, between us all we can make a real impact.”

The Caskfinder App, which has 50,000 uses a month, will also be used to drive trade into pubs participating in Cask Ale Week, and prizes for pubgoers using the highly successful World’s Biggest Ale Trail will be doubled during the Week. A Cask Ale Week website aimed at consumers will be up and running in August. In the meantime, the whole trade is being asked to get the dates in the diary and to commit to doing one visible thing to support the event. As Paul points says,

“If you’re interested in the future of local communities, you should be interested in the future of pubs, and if you’re interested in the future pubs, you should be interested in the future of cask ale.”  

Try Before You Buy will be operating in Cask Marque accredited outlets and Paul urges pub operators and brewers to contact Frances Brace ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ), who is supporting Cask Marque with communications for the Week, with information and images on their proposed activity.  In the meantime, as he says, “get the date in the diary and work out your best way of contributing to Cask Ale Week’s – and your – success!”

Further info:    Frances Brace
Red Flame Communications
07432 692309
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Congratulations to Cask Marque's only female beer assessor & training manger Annabel Smith, who has today achieved Beer Sommelier status, accredited by the Beer Academy.

The Beer Academy Sommelier scheme tests candidates on their recognition and knowledge of a wide spectrum of beer styles, how to maintain great beer quality, and beer and food matching. Successful Sommeliers become ambassadors with the knowledge, communication skills and, most importantly, the passion to inspire people to discover, respect and enjoy all types and styles of beer.

Annabel said “I’m absolutely delighted to have achieved the Beer Sommelier accreditation with the Beer Academy, and it’s an honour to be recognised as an ambassador for beer. I have an absolute love for the beer industry and the wide range of styles and flavours it produces.”  

To achieve Beer Sommelier status, Annabel was required to attend and pass a number of Beer Academy training courses. The courses covered in depth knowledge of beer production, understanding raw ingredients and how they contribute to flavour, identify different beer styles from around the world, and understand what types of beer paired best with food.

She had to submit a portfolio of evidence illustrating her practical competence of using beer menus in retail outlets, her knowledge of beer and food pairings and demonstrations of high end beer retailing and image standards through cellar hygiene standards and training retailers.

At the assessment with the Beer Academy on 10^th July Annabel had to identify a number of beer styles and differentiate between them and illustrate her knowledge of the principles of Beer and food matching

Annabel has been training manager at Cask Marque, the body formed to improve the quality of cask ale and to promote its values, for 7 years. In that time Cask Marque have trained over 12,500 retailers in Cellar Management and Beer Quality. She is a founder member of Dea Latis, an independent, industry-wide forum for everyone involved in trying to make beer a more appealing drink for women. She is also a member of the British Guild of Beer Writers.

Well done Annabel!

Press cuttings:

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/905208-britains-first-female-beer-sommeliers-celebrate-with-a-pint-after-passing-test
http://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Products/Alcohol/Changing-glassware-can-attract-more-female-beer-drinkers-says-first-woman-accredited-as-a-beer-sommelier
http://siba.co.uk/2012/07/a-double-first-for-female-beer-academy-sommeliers/

Further info:

The Beer Academy is an educational body dedicated to helping people understand, appreciate and enjoy beer sensibly. Founded in 2003 by a small group of beer enthusiasts, it quickly attracted support from brewers (large and small), beer retailers, trade associations and consumer groups who funded the start-up costs and enabled the Academy to put together a series of courses and training materials delivered by a small group of experienced and knowledgeable tutors with a real passion for beer. The Beer Sommelier accreditation scheme was established in 2011. www.beeracademy.co.uk

Cask Marque is an industry body founded to improve and recognise the quality of cask ale in pubs. Currently over 8,000 pubs display the coveted Cask Marque plaque which guarantees consumers a great pint of cask ale.

www.cask-marque.co.uk

Dea Latis is an independent industry wide forum designed to promote beer specifically to women

www.dealatisuk.wordpress

Congratulations to Mitchells & Butlers on gaining their 1000th Cask Marque accredited pub at the Rose & Crown, Sevenoaks.

Pictured: Bob Ivell, M&B Chairman (with pint, middle), Louise Williams, Manager (with plaque) and Paul Nunny, Cask Marque (touching plaque)

Cask Marque is an independent organisation set up to improve the quality of cask ale in pubs by way of an accreditation scheme.

Rose & Crown Manager, Louise Williams received the plaque after independent assessors checked all cask ales on sale against four key criteria - temperature, appearance, aroma and taste.

Mitchells & Butlers has been running the comprehensive scheme since receiving its first Cask Marque plaque in 2006. Cask Ale is a key product category for Mitchells & Butlers and pubs including Nicholson’s, Ember Inns, Toby Carvery, Crown Carveries and Vintage Inns have established interesting and innovative cask ale portfolios.

Executive Chairman, Bob Ivell and Operations Director Robin Young were on hand to celebrate the 1000th accreditation.  Bob said: “We’re very proud of the Rose & Crown receiving a Cask Marque accreditation and the plaque on the wall reflects the hard work Louise has undertaken to achieve it. To have these high standards established in 1,000 pubs means we can guarantee our guests that every pint is served perfectly from the cellar to the glass.”

To support Mitchells & Butlers’ pub teams in serving a great quality pint of cask ale, the Company have developed a cellar training programme which managers have to complete prior to the Cask Marque assessment.

The training consists of the BII ABCQ qualification which is a nationally recognised award, and is part of the Mitchells & Butlers manager induction programme. All courses are held in local breweries with working cellars to get a 'hands on' approach to training and make it as interactive as possible. This is enhanced with supplier in pub training and other elected courses such as The Beer Academy and Advanced Cellar Excellence courses.

Paul Nunny, Director of Cask Marque commented: “Congratulations to the Rose & Crown and to Mitchells & Butlers on gaining their 1000th accreditation. It is a fantastic achievement to have so many pubs with the Cask Marque Award and this is a sign of Mitchells & Butlers commitment to beer quality and customer satisfaction. We see first-hand the effort that the Company put into quality through training and the results of this are evident in the great pint of cask ale you are guaranteed in any one of these 1,000 pubs.

Cancer survivor Trevor Fulcher is running the London Marathon in April – dressed as a giant walnut.

Trevor is taking on the 26 mile challenge to raise money for Orchid Cancer Care, a charity which aims to make men more aware of cancer - in other words, to know their nuts, and hence the outfit.

He was diagnosed with testicular cancer seven years ago and underwent surgery and chemotherapy.

As a result he recovered and is now the proud father of a five year old daughter Jodie.

Mr Fulcher, of Skelton Close, Lawford said “I had a growth and went to see my doctor. He referred me to hospital to have a scan and the next day I had surgery. I was terrified. My son Samuel was only one at the time and I thought I might not survive to see him grow up.”

After surgery Trevor had to undergo chemotherapy. He said “The chemo was hard. It was only a small dose, to flush out my system, but it felt as though I had been completely turned inside out. I’ve been clear for seven years now. I was lucky the cancer was caught in time.”

Trevor hopes his run will help more men to check for and be aware of the symptoms of cancer. He has been trying for a place in the marathon for four years and when he finally got in, decided to make the most of the opportunity.

He added “The charity asked me if I wanted to wear the walnut suit I thought and I thought ‘why not? It will make it more memorable’. I’m not going to get a fast time but if there is one race to dress up for it has to be this one. “

Trevor is hoping to raise £1,000 for the Orchid Cancer Charity. His boss Paul Nunny at cask ale experts The Cask Marque Trust, said “We are very pleased that Trevor is putting his running skills to such good use. He has run to and from work (8 miles each way) several times a week since he joined us five years ago and knew that he desperately wanted to run the London Marathon. He has put a lot of hard work in and we are pleased to be sponsoring him.”

To sponsor Trevor visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/TrevorFulcher

Cheshire based family brewers Frederic Robinsons are officially serving some of best Real Ale in Britain, according to the results of an independent quality assessment.

The Blossoms in Heaviley is the 35^th Robinsons owned and operated pub to be awarded Cask Marque accreditation; which recognises quality of presentation and service for traditional, hand-pulled and cask conditioned beer.

Scrupulous assessors from Cask Marque carried out two unannounced inspections at each of the 35 sites to check all of the beers on sale for the quality of their appearance, temperature, aroma and taste.

Annabel Smith, National Account Manager for Cask Marque, said: “Robinsons should feel proud of this excellent achievement, which not only recognises the effort put into serving great beer but also acts as an independent guarantee of quality for their customers.”

“Achieving Cask Marque accreditation in one pub is a challenge in itself. But to repeat those high standards across a number of outlets without exception is simply outstanding.”

Cask beer in general is enjoying a resurgence. In 2010 it found its way into 2,500 new pubs and its share of the beer category grew from 14.6% to 15%, outperforming lager & keg ale by 6%. With huge growth in the number of 18-24s drinking cask ale, it is clear that young people are searching for a new drinking experience – different to that of the traditional cheapest pint of lager – and in doing so they are driving the evolution of cask ale.

In addition, during a recession, consumers tend to support local producers which can often be brewers. 46% in fact actively try to support local producers and businesses and use social media such as Facebook and Twitter to discuss such products with their friends. There are now more than 30 million Facebook users in the UK and a billion tweets every 5 days with 70% of tweeters recommending brands they use.

Paul Nunny, Director of Cask Marque Trust, explains how “Robinsons have in the last 18 months invested heavily in beer quality – both in the brewer and their pubs. Their technical support team audit their estate twice a year and those tenants achieving top marks are put forward for the Cask Marque Award at the brewery’s expense.”

Paul Nunny goes on to highlight the fact that “with over 110,000 beer drinkers using the Caskfinder App in the last 3 months to find Cask Marque pubs, successful Robinson tenants will gain a direct benefit.”

David Bremner, Marketing Director at Robinsons, said “There were a package of reasons why we chose to invest in Cask Marque accreditation. The award carries good recognition from within the trade and customers. It is a fair reflection on the licensee’s commitment and skill in keeping high quality cask ale. Finally, we knew that the feedback would be professional, accurate and useful in identifying weak areas which we could address.”

As attested to by Mark McConachie – a CAMRA representative and ale-house aficionado who recently completed a 300 pub-crawl of Robinsons estate – people enjoy tasting different beers in different places but one thing that remains constant is the quality of Robinsons Real Cask Ale.

David Bremner enthuses: “The cask ale customer will travel to a pub with recognised beer quality. There can never be enough emphasis on getting the quality excellent and consistent.”

Cask Marque has awarded quality standards to 8,000 pubs across the country. To find your nearest outlet, visit www.cask-marque.co.uk or download the free app Caskfinder to your smartphone.

Congratulations to Carlsberg UK who has been awarded the coveted Cask Marque Distributor Charter – the first national distributor in the UK to receive the quality stamp of approval.

The accreditation means all cask ales sold via the Carlsberg UK distribution network are handled in the very best conditions with the care and attention they need and is assurance to licensees that the cask ale they order via Carlsberg UK will arrive at their pub in the very best condition.

Carlsberg UK distributes cask ale in the Free Trade via its Tapster's Choice Cask Ale programme and also distributes and handles the cask ale programmes for a number of the major pub companies in the UK as part of its Logistics Services operation.

Following substantial investment by Carlsberg UK in the supply chain, examiners from Cask Marque assessed all eleven depots which handle cask ale, and marked each depot on 12 key areas which determine the quality of the ale. These include the presence of cold storage facilities, a 'first in, first out' policy and always loading casks on the day of delivery.

Mark Groves, logistics director for Carlsberg UK, says:  "No other distributor comes close to matching our levels of customer service and quality credentials.

"This accreditation is absolute peace of mind for all our customers that the cask beers they order through Carlsberg UK will arrive in the best condition.  We are serious about quality – we have invested over half a million pounds in making sure our depots are the best in the industry and with one of the most comprehensive range of beers and ongoing support for licensees, all our customers are safe in the knowledge that they are getting an industry-leading service and quality."

Paul Nunny, director of Cask Marque says: "With the demand for cask growing it is important that beer is delivered to licensees in prime condition.  To achieve this it means brewers and distributors must use best practice in today’s extended supply chain.  We are delighted that Carlsberg UK nationwide are up to the challenge and have been awarded the Distributor Charter for their handling of cask beer.”

After 13 years of existence we have nearly 8,000 accredited pubs and 99% of these are in the UK. In the early days however we had a few accredited pubs in Paris which were sponsored by Adnams. Over the years we have also accredited pubs and bars in Scandinavia: