Marston’s MD on ‘the cask beer conundrum’

By Nicholas Robinson

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Cask beer Beer Keg

Cask brewers may have improved their beer quality over the years, but the on-trade’s openness to flout the rules and sell the product beyond its best condition could spell trouble for the category, according to Marston’s managing director Richard Westwood.

Despite the current issues aired around the quality of cask beer in pubs, Westwood told The Morning Advertiser ​(MA​) in this video interview that the future of the brew is strong and secure.

Westwood said: “Cask beer will always be better than keg and there is no magic behind that – cask is pure."

Major part to play

He added: “I have to say I don’t think the future has ever been rosier for beer generally and cask for us, and the industry still plays a major part.

“The brewers these days are genuinely producing the best beer we ever have and that’s because our understanding is better.

“But, we do have a conundrum in our industry and that is that no matter how good a cellarman you are and no matter how many times you clean your lines, if you want to sell cask beer beyond three-and-a-half to four days after being broached, you are in trouble.”

In an interview with MA ​due to be published in the coming weeks, Westwood said there was a lot of work to be done by breweries, accreditation organisations and operators to regain control of quality.

Craft’s future

Watch this video to find out what Westwood really thinks about cask’s future and what he has to say on the difference between cask beer and craft beer.

Meanwhile, Marston’s revealed a major £1m rebrand of its core portfolio​ late last year in a bid to bolster its relevance with younger drinkers.

The brands in the refresh included Pedigree, 61 Deep, Old Empire, EPA, and Oyster Stout, which was renamed Pearl Jet.

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