Speaking to The Morning Advertiser associate features editor Gary Lloyd, Clermont argued cask’s freshness, drinkability and connection to British pub culture give it a compelling role in the future of pubs.
He added brewers should look beyond the margin on individual beers and focus on sustaining cask for the long term. While he would welcome higher prices from a business perspective, he said cask’s affordability can help persuade pubs to serve more of it and drinkers to give it a try.
Modern hop flavours
Clermont said cask is also a way to showcase modern hop flavours, including those from the US, New Zealand and Australia. Served warmer and with less carbonation than keg, cask can offer a fuller expression of a beer’s flavour, he said.
Bristol Beer Factory has built its approach around a small core range alongside a frequent rotation of specials, releasing as many as 45 or 50 a year with the aim being to keep cask fresh and give pubs new beers to offer regularly, rather than relying on a large permanent range.
He said the brewery’s core beers remain few because successful specials are not necessarily suited to year-round production. Their appeal can lie in being occasional and sought-after, rather than always available.
Support offered
Clermont also highlighted the need for breweries to help pubs maintain cask quality. A loss of experienced publicans has left some newer operators needing support with cellar standards and staff training.
The brewery takes a case-by-case approach, he said, offering guidance where it is needed while avoiding the assumption that every publican requires instruction.
He sees signs younger drinkers are rediscovering cask, drawn in part by its smoothness and by the appeal of traditional local pubs. Cask’s future, he said, depends on making it exciting to new customers without losing its established audience.
