Cyclops, the accreditation scheme for beer, has now reached 2000 beers. The number is growing fast, with over 400 new beers accredited in the last twelve months. The recent growth in cask ale and craft beer is the result of new drinkers being attracted to beers which are neither bland nor mass produced and Cyclops, since its inception eight years ago, has done much to inform drinkers’ decision making when it comes to choosing interesting and tasty beers both in the pub and off trade.

According to a TNS Omnibus Survey earlier this year, 18% of those who have never tried real ale, would give it a try if simple tasting notes that explained what a beer looked, smelt and tasted like were added to the pump clip or handpump. This figure was much higher for younger drinkers at 44%.

Peter Jackson, ex Marketing Director at Marston’s and now owner of the newly-formed Southwark Brewing Company, has just had his three core Southwark beers accredited by Cyclops.

Peter said “I was an early convert to Cyclops and Marston’s was the second brewery to start using the Cyclops tasting notes. Cyclops makes it really easy for drinkers to make decisions about which beer to choose, as they can tell from the descriptions whether a beer is similar to another that they already like. It’s not aimed at brewers, but at drinkers who use it to make comparisons and can easily see whether a beer is going to be light or dark, hoppy or sweet and use it to make informed decisions about whether they will enjoy a beer that is new to them.

“Cyclops delivers all this in a very simple way,” added Peter who is planning to use the tasting notes on bottles, beer mats and on stickers for pump clips to encourage drinkers to try his new beers.

Cyclops Beer is open to all breweries and the Cyclops technicians, led by Mark Tetlow, test beers which are supplied in casks, kegs, bottles or cans. The scheme is supported by breweries from around the UK and also by pub groups including Punch and Enterprise and many distributors and wholesalers. All 2000 beers can be viewed at www.cyclopsbeer.co.uk which is used by breweries, pubs, beer festival organisers and as well as consumers, and on the CaskFinder app which is used 70,000 times per month by users searching for pubs and beers.