Pub companies outline their plans for Cask Ale Week
Charles Wells – The brewer will be spreading the word of CAW across the channel where its Elephant and Castle pub in Lyon will be taking part in the campaign. Back in Blighty there will be a beer and food tasting event at the Park, Bedford with beer sommelier Melissa Cole on Thursday 25 September. On a national level third pint kits will be made available through the company’s magazines to tenants and free trade licensees. One representative from each will win a tutored beer tasting from head brewer Karl Ottomar and his team.
Enterprise- The pubco has produced a POS pack for tenants including banners and posters as well as a guide to making the most of the event. There will be an increased range of 12 additional cask ales available throughout this month and September and next and licensees can get discounted third-pint glasses and paddles from Noble Express.
Everards – The brewer’s ‘beer king’ Mark Tetlow will host an event on the Wednesday 24 September at Leicester’s the Globe, in which he will guide guests through the history of beer with a little help from some of the Leicester Tigers and Riders players. The brewery will also be suggesting menus to match with cask beers.
Fullers – Beer sommelier Jane Peyton will curate the brewer’s beer festival, kicking off with an event at the Mad Bishop and Bear at Paddington on the 25th at which she will host a free beer and food matching session.
Greene King – Master brewer, John Bexon, will be offering free cask ale tastings and brewery tours at the brewery shop throughout CAW. Beer festivals will be running throughout the estate throughout the week. There will also be a limited edition Old Speckled Hen launched at selected pubs. Old Nutty Hen is described as a “delicious 4.5% warming chestnut ale”.
Harveys – CAW coincides with Lewes OctoberFeast (corr) in the brewer’s home town. To celebrate both events there will be brewery tours, tutored tastings and other beer and food related events. Saturday 4 October also sees the launch of Harveys’ winter seasonal brew – Old Ale with a service of Thanksgiving at St Thomas a Beckett’s Church (Patron saint of Brewers) behind the brewery.
Hook Norton – The week will be launched with a tutored tasting with managing director (brewing), James Clarke, in the visitor centre. There will be a Ladies Beer and Chocolate evening at the Hook Norton brewery, hosted by beer sommelier, Annabel Smith. Third pint glasses will be available in the majority of its tied pubs while there will be menus to match cask ales in selected outlets.
JW Lees – To publicise CAW the Manchester-based brewer is introducing a quirky text service to help customers come up with an excuse to stay out for one more pint. The service, called Blame John, allows customers to request an excuse and an automated system responds with one of many humorous excuses, which include; “Never choked on a pork scratching before, glad you knew the Heimlich manoeuvre! You’re a pal, thanks John” and “You’ve convinced me, I am going to propose, off to buy the ring tomorrow. Hopefully that will make her forgive me for snogging her mum. Cheers, John”. The service will go live on the 25th and will be supported through in-bar POS, national and regional PR and using social media activity. As well as the Blame John activity the company is introducing Cask Mondays on 29 September to run on a weekly basis. This will give customers 50p off any cask ale in JW Lees managed pubs, in order to encourage trial.
Marston’s – The company is offering a cask ale kit to all pubs selling its products throughout September. A number of pubs will also be offering sample platters where customers can buy three 1/3 pints for the price of a pint.
Moorhouses – The Lancashire brewer will roll out a series of roadshows in pubs across the country exhibiting and tasting Black Reserve exclusively from the cask. This will be accompanied by new pin badges and menu matching as well as a beer festival at the brewery on Friday 3 October and Saturday 4 October.
Oakham – Winner of the silver medal in this year’s CAMRA Beer of Britain awards for Citra, Oakham is launching a new brew to coincide with CAW. The Navi is a 5.5% ABV quarterly special to be added to the brewer’s aged and vintage range.
Punch Taverns – The pubco is teaming up with a national newspaper to offer free pints in more than 700 of its pubs throughout England and Wales. The pubs included are part of Punch’s rotational cask scheme, Finest Cask, where tenants have access to over 100 regional beers throughout the year. Customers can sign up at www.freedrinkpubs.co.uk and there will be vouchers in the Daily Telegraph.
Shepherd Neame – The company is one of 20 breweries involved in Kent Green Hop Beer Fortnight, which will be launched to coincide with CAW. There will also be special menus in the company’s pubs and a special Green Hop beer, Tallyman’s Special.
Thwaites – The company will host a beer festival across 75 of its pubs with third pint glasses and tasting boards made available. Thwaites is also running a competition for customers to win a chance to brew their own recipe with the Crafty Dan team.
Wadworth’s - In addition to a taster paddle promotion and try-before-you-buy proactivity, there is currently a ‘create your own beer’ competition running. Cask ale drinkers are being asked to create an ale recipe and name, and the winning entry will be brewed and sold throughout the managed house estate during Cask Ale Week.
Woodforde's -The brewer’s beer expert, and Norfolk’s only beer sommelier, Bruce Ash will host a food-matching event on Friday 3 October at the Fur & Feather Inn at Woodbastwick
To find out more events celebrating Cask Ale Week go to www.caskaleweek.co.uk
