According to research by Nicholson’s Pubs, Cask Ale is continuing to grow in popularity. This research has come to light as they launch their Spring Beer Festival, running in their pubs across the UK from now until May 2nd, which will feature 52 exciting new cask ales.
Nicholson’s pubs currently sell over 1,000 pints of Cask Ale a week to customers across the UK and by the end of last year they had offered beers from an astounding 114 brewers.
Even though bitters and darker ales are on the rise, traditional amber beers account for 50% of sales in Nicholson’s with the popular Nicholson’s Pale Ale accounting for the majority of sales.
A new, growing category of cask ale drinkers are female, as 17% of cask ale drinkers are women, looking for a more interesting tipple.
The biggest group of cask ale drinkers can be found in the North of England with 24% of drinkers popping into their locals for a pint of something more unusual. In London this number is only 14% and in the east of England only a measly 8% regularly drink cask ale. In the Midlands 18% drink cask, in the South 23% drink cask Ale and in Scotland only 9% of the population regularly sup a pint of cask ale while a measly 3% do in Wales*
Whichever cask ale is being consumed, in the North the majority of those drinking their cask ales will ask for a large frothy creamy head on their beer, while in the South, it is preferable to drink a pint without the froth.
Richard Yarnell, Nicholson’s Beer Expert says ‘Cask Ale continues to grow in popularity in the UK as more breweries look to push the boundaries of beer traditionally produced in the UK and have launched a huge variety of ales. Even bands such as The Stereophonics and Madness have recently launched their own beers, which will be on offer during the festival.’
*Taken from the Cask Ale Report https://cask-marque.co.uk/cask-matters/cask-report-2015-16/