Pubs gear up for Cask Ale Week

Beer tastings, food matching and staff dressing up are just a few of the celebrations that will be taking place in around 4,000 pubs during National Cask Ale Week.

Publicans and brewers up and down the country are preparing for the event which kicks off next Monday (March 29).

Kilverts Inn in Hereford, one of 4,000 pubs registered to take part, is holding an event for every day of the festival. This includes female staff dressing up as the Dorothy Goodbody character from local brewery Wye Valley.

The freehouse is also hosting 'meet the brewer' events, samplings, a charity quiz night and a blind guess the beer competition.

Manager Ed Davies said: "We got involved last year and sold 2,100 pints. It is a fantastic way to drive trade.

"Around here there are 10 pubs and we can't believe how few take part."

Meanwhile, staff at the Broad Leys in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, will be encouraging customers to match a beer with their meals.

"Cask is often overlooked as a great food match," said licensee Helen Wood. "Beers do as good a job as wine when it comes to bringing out the flavours in the food."

Brewers are also getting in on the act. Greene King is brewing two seasonal cask ales - Abbot Reserve and Alepril Fool - and giving its licensee, that are running beer festivals for the event, promotional kits.

Hook Norton will be aiming to tempt people who have never sampled cask, especially women, to give it a try.

And North Yorkshire's Black Sheep Brewery is inviting women to attend a tasting event at its headquarters.

For more information about Cask Ale Week, including how to get your hands on promotional material visit www.caskaleweek.co.uk​