Genuine Imported Beer: Range
Drinkers are more discerning these days - be brave and vary your offer.
Stocking the widest possible range of genuine imported beers is, for Tony Brookes, only part of giving customers what they want. The five traditional pubs in his Head of Steam group offer up to eight European beers on draught plus a constantly changing range of bottled brews from around the world.
"It's one of the results of being free of tie," says Tony. "We can focus on the customer."
And his customers, given the chance, have demonstrated a sense of adventure when it comes to choosing their beer. Draught imports sell about as much as Stella between them, topped by the Czech Budvar, followed by Staropramen and Erdinger Weissbier. The pubs have a rotating Belgian beer on draught, the most successful of which is cherry beer Liefmann's Kriek.
In bottle, Strawberry Fruli (pictured), Kupper's Kolsch, the trappist Chimay and Liefmann's Framboise are all going well.
"It's been very surprising to me what can work," says Tony. "People in the trade tend to be very conservative about what they stock. They don't really think about what their customers might want. We are not blinded by discounts and benefit from offering a fantastic range of beers.
"Imported beer drinkers come from across the spectrum, they can be the most unlikely people and it's a broader market than for cask ales. It's a very healthy situation."
Head of Steam works closely with managers to ensure the pub has the right range and staff are encouraged to push the imports, perhaps offering one to a customer who might order a lager without naming a brand.
"We run a lot of promotions, putting tent cards and posters around the pub and advertising on our website," adds Tony. "But we never cut the price.
"Branded glasses are a really important selling tool and we try to get the right glass for every beer, even if we have to buy them ourselves. It helps to build the market. People nick them but you've got to put up with it. For a beer like Leffe Blonde, for instance, the glass really adds value."
For the last couple of years Tony has run a World Beer Festival at his pubs, last time sourcing brews from 52 different countries - including one he brought back from holiday in Latvia.
"I've tried to get it into The Guinness Book of Records," he says. "But they don't seem interested."
Interbrew initiative
Interbrew is seriously investing in the future of imported beers in the UK, establishing a series of "flagship" pubs which will showcase best practice for the service and marketing of the category.
Fifteen of these flagships will be created in 2005. Branded glassware, tasting notes and brand information and tailored point-of-sale will be supplied to help communicate the product characteristics of speciality brands to consumers. "Also, we're working on a variety of activities to ensure staff can answer consumer questions and know, for example, the difference between a white and a blonde beer so that recommending a beer comes easily," says the company's Colin Pedrick.
Meanwhile, all new Hoegaarden and Leffe stockists will receive training as part of the support package and sampling kits will be available to enable consumers to give the beers a try.
"Awareness of brands within the speciality beers category is vital for its development," explains Colin. "In Leffe and Hoegaarden we have the 'power brands' of the category and that gives us a great platform. The sales momentum is already there and we believe it will gather pace in the year ahead as more licensees take steps to build on the opportunity."
He believes that pub-goers will initially turn to better-known names but may go on to experiment with emerging brands and as demand for speciality beers grows, Interbrew is starting to make others available to the on-trade including Belle-Vue Framboise, Belle-Vue Kriek and Hoegaarden Grand Cru.
