Great British Beer Festival: Summer sippin' for the licensee

As the appetite for beer (craft or otherwise) continues to grow, and all manner of beer festivals (cask and keg) sprout up across the land, the GBBF continues to act as a lodestone for the cask beer devotee.

Trade day is where licensees can discover new beers, re-meet old favourites, hook up with brewers and their representatives, especially if they have brewery bars, and generally live the beer life fantastic.

“Our trade session is more than just a free ticket to the event,” says festival organiser Ian Hill. “We work hard to make it a genuinely bene-ficial opportunity to meet other members of the licensed trade.

"The real ale bars themselves should be a vivid demonstration of the variety of the UK real ale market and a plentiful source of inspiration for licensees who enjoy seeking out new guest beers.”

There is certainly plenty of beer on show. This year it’s estimated that there will be 350 different cask beers, covering a whole range of styles, from pale gold to beers as dark as the darkest night.

There will also be plenty of ciders and perries, as well as a fascinating range of international beers at the Bières sans Frontières bar, which every year is a meeting place for beery globe-trotters, especially those licensees with an interest in seeing what US beers are available.

Trade day also sees the announcement of the Champion Beer of Great Britain, which last year was won by Timothy Taylor’s Boltmaker.

“I was surprised when we won,” recalls the brewery’s head brewer Peter Eels, “literally speechless. I had heard we had won our category but I misheard the name of the champion and thought it was another brewery. I wandered off and 45 minutes later the PMA called for an interview. I started talking about winning the category until the interviewer told me what had happened.”

As you can imagine, breweries are keen on encouraging their licensees to visit. As Hook Norton managing director James Clarke explains: “We encourage licensees to attend on trade day. It’s a great way to see what the current cask trends are, as well as meet a lot of like-minded people. While the beer market is continuing to diversify, and cask is not the only style, it is still a huge part of the market for many brewers.”

Every year, the festival has a theme. In 2014 it was the circus, while this year it’s discovery, with bars being themed around famous explorers, plus a number of beer trails that give festival-goers the chance to discover new ales and win prizes. However, what will perhaps be of more interest to the trade-day attendee will be the opening of a dedicated trade area, exclusive to the day.

“This will give industry visitors the chance to speak to manufacturers and other companies they might like to do business with in the future,” says CAMRA press manager Neil Walker. “Trade day is already a key date for people in the industry to come together, but we want to ensure we’re making that time as useful as possible for all those who are attending.”

Invariably there are persisting questions on the festival’s continuing focus on cask beer, especially with the growth in keg beers. For instance, it will be very unlikely that the likes of BrewDog, Camden Town and Meantime will not be present.

Walker is robust in his defence and championship of the festival’s celebration of cask.

“Being cask conditioned isn’t about stifling creativity,” he says, “and we encourage the brewery bars particularly to flex their brewing muscles and bring along beers not available elsewhere, alongside their biggest brands. Whether it’s the chance to try a limited-edition beer like Brains’ Bacon Chocolate Porter or having the opportunity to sample cask-conditioned Fuller’s Vintage Ale, the festival always showcases some-thing new and unexpected.”

Another controversy that has dogged the festival in recent years has been both inappropriate beer names and sexist merchandise, which hampers CAMRA’s attempts to appeal to both men and women.

“We are actively avoiding beers that we feel do not fully represent the diverse demographic of beer drinkers,” says Walker. “Beers that have branding or names we deem to be sexist or offensive will not be present at the festival. We are also working with our existing stall holders to ensure they fully understand our stance on offensive or discriminatory messages, to ensure items are not being put on sale that may cause offence.”

With Walker’s words in mind, you could argue that the festival is becoming more responsive to the changing nature of cask beer drinkers. However, even though James Clarke will be attending, he has a couple of points he feels needs making.

“It’s a shame that there is sometimes more interest in what’s new rather than maybe more established brewers, but I guess I would say that,” he says. “Last year, CAMRA only ordered mild from us for the GBBF, which we refused to supply because it is very much for the local market. As one of the bastions of cask ale, that kept focused in the 1970s against a tide of keg, it is frustrating when we are sometimes sidelined.

“On the other hand it is good to see an improved food offer, with better quality reflecting the cask market. Always interesting when the Champion Beer is announced; a shame when there are some boos sometimes — but that is only from the bores!”

Arguments aside, the festival is an essential visit for the beer-focused licensee and in its 38th year shows no sign of fatigue. After all, Oktoberfest is still going strong after three centuries and there’s no reason why the Great British Beer Festival shouldn’t follow that example.