Beer quality: Backing cask

Cynical PR exercise or genuine cask commitment? Adam Withrington reports.

Flowers, Stones, Tetley's cask, Worthington's cask, John Smith's cask; these are long-lost friends of the experienced pub-goer. Big national cask brands that used to be on every bar top and enjoyed across the country by drinkers who appreciated good beer. Now what is left of them? Some are defunct, or barely registering in sales terms. Many are still brewed in cask but have been overtaken by nitrokeg versions because they are easier for licensees to look after, ensuring better consistency of serve.

This is not to bemoan the existence of nitrokeg beers - they are a vital part of most brewers' portfolios. However, the fact remains that 20 years ago ale made up seven out of every 10 pints drunk. Now it only makes up three out of ten. And cask ale only makes up one out of ten. It is a depressing situation for cask.

Two other classic cask brands that fit on this list are Bass and Boddingtons. Bass, one of the great British ales, is almost synonymous with the "death of cask". Slowly but surely over the last 10 years sales and listings of the beer have fallen dramatically. Boddingtons, meanwhile, has been the subject of much national newspaper coverage following the decision to close the iconic Strangeways brewery.

Both these brands, through the Beer Orders and the subsequent merry-go-round of sales and purchases, are now owned by one company: Interbrew UK. It has borne the brunt of the criticism from trade groups, licensees and consumer groups such as the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). The belief is that it focuses all of its attention on flagship lager Stella Artois and has neglected its huge ale portfolio, which also includes Trophy and Flowers.

However, Interbrew has signalled an end to this and has unveiled new brewing arrangements for both brands, with Bass now being brewed at the Marston's brewery in Burton-on-Trent and, more controversially, the brewing of cask Boddingtons moving across Manchester to family brewer Hydes.

Kevin Ward, ales marketing manager for Interbrew, says: "The reaction to the closure of the brewery has not been as bad as we anticipated. It is not as though Interbrew simply closed it and said goodbye to the staff. We've helped many of them with relocation."

Interbrew has set out a number of initiatives to support the brands and Kevin believes this shows a real commitment to the future of cask. "We're nationally focused but will look at growing the brands in our traditional heartlands and going from there. The last thing we want to do is go into London and take on Fuller's London Pride, which is the default cask ale brand for locals," he says.

"We are committed to cask. If you look at Bass the ratio of marketing spend to volume sold is 2.5 times more per barrel than with Stella Artois, so we are serious about this."

Interbrew's plans for Bass and cask Boddingtons​

Marketing ​

• Investment of £11m this year in marketing support for the Bass and Boddingtons brands.
• New ad campaign for Boddingtons for this year
• The Boddingtons 501 Darts championship - a £20,000 prize for anyone who can get 501 in nine darts
• Five hundred branded table football tables will be going out into the trade

Innovation in dispense​

• Bass​

Interbrew is committed to improving the quality of Bass, as Kevin Ward explains: "Eighteen months ago we conducted 3,000 audits on draught Bass with Cask Marque because we have been finding the quality inconsistent in trade. We found that the temperature of the beer was not right - partly because the cellars were not coping with the massive heat outside but also because of the beer engines.

"The nature of a beer engine means that a third or more of a pint of beer sits in the engine under the bar, waiting for the next pint to be poured. When it is the poured the beer is replaced. But, if it sits there for 20 minutes or more the beer then warms up to the ambient temperature.

"So we are currently trialling a new beer engine, which is 'cylinder-less' and holds only 1/80th of a pint in its engine. It has three pumps on it, with the centre one being Bass and the other two available for whatever brands you want to put on."

Boddingtons​

A new beer engine will raise level of dispense above the bar to increase the theatre. It will be a single unit and, like the Bass engine, will be launched in the summer.

Assistance to licensees​

• Bass/Boddingtons Appreciation Scheme (BARS) ​

Licensees can redeem stickers given out on purchase of casks for small prizes or items that will help you improve the quality of cellar and serve (eg auto-tilt systems).

So far 1,500 people have registered with BARS and Interbrew feels this really helps build a relationship with consumers. Outlets with the scheme saw rate of sale increase by 28 per cent.

Workshops​

Free Simply Cask Ale workshops for licensees - in conjunction with the Official Training Company. The first is in London on April 20, and will be run by representatives from Cask Marque and Interbrew.

So what does this mean?​

Has Interbrew signalled an intention to push these two cask brands to the top of their focus? Has it thrown cask ale a lifeline?

The view from CAMRA is cautious. Chief executive Mike Benner said: "It's very encouraging to see investment in cask marketing, alongside steps to improve quality, but let's not pretend that this compares to the spend on Stella Artois as the volumes are incomparable.

"In the case of cask Boddingtons, the plans are too little too late. We fought hard to stop the closure of Strangeways, encouraging the company to step up its marketing and within weeks of the closure it does just that. Bolting horses and stable doors come to mind."

He raises some interesting points. Is this just a glorified PR exercise for Interbrew? There are many who think Interbrew is responsible for the "death" of these two classic national cask ale brands and that no amount of money or clever marketing is going to dig them out of this ugly hole. As laudable as what Interbrew is pledging, in no way should it be seen as a package that will save cask beer.

But, to be fair, Interbrew is not claiming it is "saving cask ale". It is merely trying to support its brands and the category. And let's face it, there were doom-mongers out there who predicted Bass and cask Boddington's would slowly die, never to be seen again. It is gratifying to see one of the national brewers actually putting its weight behind cask beer. After all, Coors has made it pretty clear it is not interested in Worthington's. This £11m is not going to solve cask beer's problems, but at least it's a real commitment.