Despite cask being a cornerstone of British pub culture, a survey conducted by Ossett Brewery for Cask Ale Week – which ran from 18-28 September – in its pub estate showed only 10% of drinkers could recall seeing the available cask beers.
Ossett Brewery managing director Edd Simpson, who took part in The Cask Webinar recently (which you can watch here), said: “We all recognise the challenges facing cask – from outdated perceptions and the need for premiumisation to the importance of consistent quality at the bar but one of the biggest issues is visibility.
“Handpulls often sit too low or are hidden, while lager and craft keg dominate at eye level. Yet, cask delivers exactly what today’s drinkers want: heritage, authenticity, provenance and craftsmanship in abundance. For the category to thrive, it cannot be overlooked simply because it isn’t seen.”
Not sure what cask is
Further research conducted for the brewery by Vypr found only 19% of drinkers can identify cask from the signature handpull, and despite it being a rapidly growing demographic for the category, almost half (49%) of younger drinkers are ‘not really sure what cask is’.
Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) head of comms Neil Walker explained: “Cask beer is an integral part of British pub culture and one of the most delicious ways to enjoy beer there is.
“Sales of cask beer are actually in double-digit growth among independent breweries and we’re seeing that, for younger beer drinkers, buying beer from a local brewery is really important.
Make cask more relevant
“Our Indie Beer campaign has this year shone a light on independent brewers and is now known by a huge 31% of 18 to 24-year-old beer drinkers in the UK, showing the potential for attracting younger people to locally brewed, great-tasting cask beer.”
The research from Ossett – which counts White Rat, Ossett Blonde and Butterley in its cask line-up – and SIBA builds on previous research undertaken on behalf of the Drink Cask Fresh campaign, which was launched by SIBA to “make cask ale more relevant and attractive to younger drinkers by positioning it as the freshest drink on the bar”.
Ossett stated the Drink Cask Fresh campaign, which has seen handpulls adorned with brightly coloured covers and physically raising the eye level of cask beer on the bar via keg line or handpulls on a plinth saw up to a 20% increase in sales.
