Pubs will be offering consumers extra cask ales, free tasters, brewery tours and there will even a pub quiz to test cask trivia knowledge.
Cask Ale Week is an annual celebration of Britain’s national drink and provides an opportunity for pubs and breweries to get involved to encourage their customers to try the drink and promote real ale by organising events and activities.
The Cask Ale Week events map lists events by region and type and will be updated nearer to the date.
Heineken UK has launched a limited-edition charity cask ale which will launch in time for Cask Ale Week.
Marmalade Breeze will be available to Star Pubs from 1 September to the end of November - just in time for Cask Ale Week giving pubs a limited-edition talking point to shout about at the bar.
Light, golden ale
Marmalade Breeze, brewed with Greene King Brewery, is a light 3.4% ABV golden ale with bright tropical fruit aromas, subtle malt sweetness and a crisp, clean finish.
This year’s charity ale will be offered in smaller 4.5L pin kegs for the first time, with the aim of reducing risk and potential waste. Every pint sold will raise 20p for the Marmalade Trust, the loneliness charity.
Lawson Mountstevens, Star Pubs managing director, said: “Last year’s Marmalade Best proved a huge hit with customers and raised £17,000 – over 85,000 pints poured in support of the Marmalade Trust. This year we’re expecting to top that. The smaller keg size means more pubs can join in, with less worry about wastage.
“A charity ale is more than just a beer - it’s a conversation starter, a way for staff to engage guests, and a chance for pubs to do something positive for their communities while boosting sales.”
Meanwhile, the Cask Ale Week campaign will be offering 1m free ‘try before you buy’ tasters of beer across British pubs next month (September).
Some 10,000 pubs will offer at least 100 freshly poured shots of cask ale each throughout the initiative in a bid to tempt Brits back into the habit of visiting their local, as well as to support sales of cask beer.
Big difference
Samples will be offered in every style of cask ale, from light and hoppy pale ales via amber best bitters, to dark, smooth stouts, including low alcohol options. Customers at participating pubs can pick their style, enjoy a free taster, and hopefully go on to order a pint or two.
Fergus Fitzgerald, head brewer at Suffolk brewer Adnams, said: “Free tasters will hopefully encourage many drinkers to enjoy a pint of cask ale during Cask Ale Week, and make it one of their regular drinks.
“If more people chose cask ale on just one more of their visits to the pub, it would make a big difference to the future prospects for our national drink – and to pubs, which are the only place to sell it.
“Ironically, cask beer seems to be more appreciated globally than it is in Britain. Incoming tourists put a visit to a traditional pub to enjoy a pint of foaming cask ale close to the top of their ‘must do’ list. Equally, many of the world’s top craft beer brewers cite British cask ale as their biggest influence.
”However, local pubs really need local customers in order to thrive. Cask Ale Week is an opportunity for drinkers to find the style they most enjoy, and show their support for British pubs and British beer.”
