Pub trade says "aye" to Cyclops
Leicester brewer Everards' new tasting notes system looks set to be adopted as an industry standard.
The Cyclops system displays simple eyes, nose and mouth tasting notes for each of its beers, as well as a bitterness and sweetness scale, on beermats and other point-of-sale.
The concept, dreamt up by head of marketing David Bremner, is now being adopted by 16 regional brewers across the UK, and has won the backing of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) and assistance with accreditation from the Beer Academy.
It is also being looked at as a standard format from next year onwards by Waverley TBS, while Scottish & Newcastle UK is looking to roll it out across its Cellarman's Reserve guest ale range by the end of this year.
Cyclops will receive an official UK launch at the Great British Beer Festival in August with all the brewers present.
Mr Bremner said he has been amazed by the level of support the idea had received. "We have been really taken aback by the rate at which other brewers have been willing to work with us on this," he said.
The enthusiasm for the idea is believed to be a primary factor in Everards joining up with other regional brewers in the cask beer think-tank "Why Handpull?" (The Publican, June 12).
The Everards concept, originally revealed in The Publican in February, focuses on using marketing techniques utilised by the wine industry in the off-trade.
Mr Bremner devised a tasting notes system which used two or three simple words to describe the taste, smell and look of each of Everards beers, as well as a scale to determine how bitter or sweet each beer was.
The plan was to put the scales for each of the beers onto beermats, pump clip reverses, sales presenters and tasting notes and to roll that out across the Everards estate.
However, such has been the response from across the industry that Cyclops has begun to take on a life of its own.
Who is opting for Cyclops?
EverardsWolverhampton & Dudley BreweriesCharles WellsCaledonianBatemansHook NortonRobinsonsTitanicButcombeRefresh UKCameronsElgoodsHighwoodWadworthHall & WoodhouseFuller's
