A month after the launch of Cask Beer Uncovered, a growing number of pub operators are offering the new e-learning modules to their licensees, meaning that hundreds of bar staff are expected to complete the programme over the next couple of months. You can register here or find out more here.
Operators who are now actively promoting Cask Beer Uncovered to their licensees include: Amber Taverns, Carlsberg UK, Enterprise Inns, Harveys, Hydes, J W Lees, Loungers, Marston’s, Punch Taverns, Spirit Pub Company, Shepherd Neame, St Austell, Star Pubs & Bars, Stonegate Pub Company and Thwaites.
Cask Beer Uncovered was launched in March and is free of charge to all pubs and their staff. Developed by the Cask Matters partnership, the e-learning programme is designed to inform, engage and enthuse bar staff about cask beer and help pubs to maximise the potential of our national drink. Cask Matters aims to put 100,000 members of staff through the Cask Beer Uncovered programme over the next three years.
Paul Nunny of Cask Matters said, “This is a promising start for Cask Beer Uncovered. We’re particularly pleased to see that the programme is appealing to operators with very different types of pubs, from High Street managed bars to traditional tenanted inns.
“This shows that, whatever style of pub you’re running, cask beer occupies a place at the heart of it: it is one of the few drinks that customers can’t enjoy anywhere else and it therefore helps to attract and retain customers. Serving a consistently great pint of cask beer makes sound business sense, which is why we’re seeing this positive response to Cask Beer Uncovered.”
Cask Beer Uncovered comprises five short online films, each followed by a multiple choice test. Staff who score at least 75% across all five modules can print off a personalised Cask Beer Uncovered certificate. The films cover:
- Ingredients and their impact on beer flavour, the brewing process
- Cask beer conditioning in the pub cellar
- Choosing the right range of cask beers and the importance of throughput and quality
- Serving the perfect pint of cask beer
- Advice on promoting cask beer to customers and matching beer with food
Cask Beer Uncovered is open to all retailers, free of charge. Funding for the programme has come from: Adnams; Caledonian Brewing; Carlsberg UK; Daniel Thwaites; Fuller, Smith & Turner; Greene King; Marston’s Beer Company; Punch Partnerships; Frederic Robinson; Shepherd Neame; St Austell; Wadworth; Charles Wells; SIBA; CAMRA and Cask Marque. CPL Online has provided its internet platform to deliver the training.
To view a trailer of the Cask Beer Uncovered films, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S83JNaHdxlU.