Britons ignorant on cask beer

Britons know very little about our national drink, cask beer, new research has shown.

As National Cask Week gets underway, research from Greene King shows two-thirds of people have no idea that cask beer is a fresh, natural product and one in ten think it is a type of lager.

Only half of those polled know that cask beer is only available in pubs. A total of 50% don't know that barley is one of cask beer's main ingredients, although 75% do know it contains hops.

Londoners know the least about cask beer — 20% think it is a type of lager and 7% think it is a canned or bottled lager. While Yorkshire folk are the most knowledgeable with 60% aware that it is only available in pubs.

"Most Brits know that wine is made from grapes, yet there's a surprising lack of knowledge about our own national drink," said Greene King head brewer John Bexon.

"It's true that you don't need to know anything about ingredients and brewing processes to appreciate the taste and flavour of a great pint and for a lot of cask beer drinkers it may not matter that it is a fresh, natural product.

"But there's an opportunity to get new people, especially women who tend to care more about the origin of their food, trying cask beer if we get better at communicating what a great natural product it is."

He added: "Cask beer is a fresh, natural product that matures in the pub cellar, you can't get it at home and it is made by British brewers with ingredients grown by British farmers - but loads of people just haven't tried it.

"People who value the pub should make sure they visit this week to raise a glass to our national drink and show their support for British brewing and agriculture as well as for their local."