Drinks

The importance of quality for the cask beer sector

The Cask Project

FEATURE: Cask gets a bad reputation at times

By Gary Lloyd

Cask beer is vital for north-west-based Robinsons Brewery but it must offer something on keg to boost its brand portfolio that is interesting and innovative – and quality is key to this.

New products: this week's round-up features Bombay Sapphire, Kopparberg and Greene King

NEW PRODUCTS ROUND-UP

Kopparberg announces limited-edition summer cider

By Rebecca Weller

This week's round-up features new products from Kopparberg, Schweppes, Peroni, Salcombe Distilling Co, Greene King, Three Drinkers and Bombay Sapphire.

Deep disappointment: Drinks companies react to the Spring Budget (Getty/ andresr)

SPRING BUDGET 2023

Duty hike ‘bitter blow’ for drinks firms

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

The Chancellor announced wine drinkers would be hit by the biggest single duty rise in almost 50 years at yesterday’s Spring Budget, leaving the sector “deeply disappointed”.

Event day: SIBA’s new report will be officially launched at Beer X in Liverpool

Local breweries key to thriving communities

By Gary Lloyd

Communities are given a positive boost if a local independent brewery is operated well say 80% of people, according to a new report published today (Thursday 16 March).

Greene King to launch beer made by apprentices

The Cask Project

GK to launch apprentice-collaboration beer

By Gary Lloyd

Brewer and pub operator Greene King will release its limited-edition Spring Break cask beer, which was created last year in collaboration with the National Brewing Apprentice Programme.

Spring Into Summer: CCEP launches new campaign to support on-trade customers

CCEP offers chance to win share of £50k worth of soft drinks

By Rebecca Weller

Soft drinks giant Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) has announced the launch of its latest initiative to support on-trade customers, Spring Into Summer, offering independent pub operators a chance to win a share of £50,000 worth of soft drinks.

Shepherd Neame launches Cask Club Passport

The Cask Project

Shepherd Neame Cask Club Passport ready for take off

By Gary Lloyd

Kent brewer and pub operator Shepherd Neame has launched its Cask Club Passport for 2023, which encourages customers to support the category while offering rewards to drinkers.

New products: this week's round up features new serves from Whitley Neill, Bacardi and Black Sheep Brewery

NEW PRODUCTS ROUND-UP

Bacardi announces new spiced rum

By Rebecca Weller

This week's round-up features new products from Bacardi, Whitley Neill, Nirvana Brewery, Luscombe, Hogs Back Brewery and Black Sheep Brewery.

Fresh and spicy: how to make Callooh Callay's popular Mexican Takeaway cocktail (Credit: Getty/SolStock)

DRINKS MASTERCLASS

How to make a Mexican Takeaway cocktail

By Rebecca Weller

This week’s Drinks Masterclass showcases a recipe from Callooh Callay in Shoreditch, London, which is number 37 on the Top 50 Cocktail Bars list.

Women of the brewing and spirits industry on IWD

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2023

Women of the beer brewing and spirits industries shine on IWD

By The Morning Advertiser

To celebrate International Women’s Day 2023 on Wednesday 8 March, The Morning Advertiser spoke to some of the leading women in the beer and spirits sector to discover how the industry can #EmbraceEquity.

The Morning Advertiser Lock In Podcast 56

Pubs and the coffee conundrum

By Ed Bedington

Mushroom coffee anyone? The Lock In team get to grips with coffee and ask why pubs have failed to maximise the opportunities open to them when it comes to java juice.

How can we get younger people into hospitality jobs?

The Cask Project

A reason for young people to work in pubs

By Gary Lloyd

Making a pub great will, inevitably, make hospitality a more attractive place to work and forge a career – and that goes is true for both management and subordinate staff, according to Robinsons Brewery.

New products: this week's round-up features new serves from Hendrick's, Kraken Rum, Mermaid Distillery, Bruha and Ten Locks

New products round-up

Hendrick's announces limited-edition gin

By Rebecca Weller

This week's round-up includes a limited-release gin from Hendrick's alongside new products from Mermaid distillery, Bruha, Ten Locks and Kraken Rum.

Bruha Brewery announces seasonal cask beers for 2023

The Cask Project

Bruha Brewery to roll out 9 seasonal cask beers

By Gary Lloyd

East Anglia brewer Bruha Brewery will roll out a series of seasonal cask beers throughout 2023 with the aim of broadening the horizons of on-trade customers.

Unique twist: Gungho! cocktail bar owner Julien Barnett breaks down one of the site's best-selling serves (Credit: Getty/SolStock)

Drinks Masterclass

How to make a 'unique' Bramble cocktail

By Rebecca Weller

Marking the first serve in The Morning Advertiser's new Drinks Masterclass series, licensee of GungHo! cocktail bar in Brighton, East Sussex, Julien Barnett, explains how to make one of the bar’s best-selling products.

New products: this week's round-up includes the launch of Staropramen 0.0 alongside a coronation cider from Sandford Orchards and a new spirits range from Seven Bro7hers

NEW PRODUCTS ROUND-UP

Molson Coors releases alcohol-free Staropramen

By Rebecca Weller

This week's round-up includes new products from Molson Coors, Fourpure, Sandford Orchards, Whitebox, Seven Bro7hers, Bareksten and Lost Boys Brewery.

Brewhouse & Kitchen cask and experiences sales up

B&K reports 5.3% lfl cask sales boost

By Gary Lloyd

Brewpub multiple operator Brewhouse & Kitchen (B&K) is bucking the trend on declining cask beer sales by recording a 5.3% like-for-like (lfl) growth across its range.

Erosion of margins: cost of a pint of draught lager increased 1.3% between October 2022 and January 2023 (Credit: Getty/10'000 Hours)

Pint price up 8p in 3 months

By Rebecca Weller

The average cost of a pint of draught lager increased by 1.9% in the three months to January 2023, the latest data from the Office For National Statistics (ONS) has revealed.

Craft beer brand Northern Monk talks about its love for cask

The Cask Project - feature

FEATURE: The Northern star watching over cask

By Gary Lloyd

As more cool craft brewers turn their hand to making cask beers, Leeds-based Northern Monk admits there has been some clamour for it to do the same.

Rising costs: CMBC is increasing its prices by at least 11% (image: Getty/simonkr)

CMBC hikes draught beer prices by 11%

By Nikkie Thatcher

Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company (CMBC) is set to increase wholesale selling prices across its portfolio by a minimum of 11% for draught products and from about 6% for packaged products, which the company put down to rising cost pressures.

Disruption is Brewing wins gold at SIBA south-east final

The Cask Project

Disruption is Brewing wins SIBA regional final

By Gary Lloyd

A cask beer with flavours of mango, blueberry and tropical fruit from Disruption is Brewing has scooped top prize at the SIBA South-East Independent Beer Awards.

New products: this week's round-up includes new serves from Adnams, Silent Pool and Small Beer Brewery

Adnams releases new cask stout

By Rebecca Weller

This week's new products round up features two new offerings from Adnams, a super-premium gin expression from Silent Pool and a new IPA from Small Beer Brewery alongside Amazon's first wine collection and cask strength whisky from McNair's....

Out of control: Breweries weather 111% rise in packaging recycling costs (Getty/ Mike Harrington)

Breweries crushed by extreme packaging costs

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

Brewers saw prices for obligated recycling fees more than double in 2022 and trade bodies warn further rises are likely unless reforms come into place immediately.

Crowdfunding campaign: Exmoor Ales is looking to expand from the south-west of England

Two breweries bid to raise extra finance

By Gary Lloyd

Award-winning brewery Exmoor Ales and start-up business Havabier are both seeking crowdfunding to expand and launch their companies respectively.

How Robinsons is ensuring better quality cask at its pubs

The Cask Project

Robinsons rewards pubs for cask quality

By Gary Lloyd

Stockport-based brewer and pub operator Robinsons has rewarded 88 of its pubs after they achieved 90% or above in their 2022 cask beer quality audits.

Sad news: message of support have come from a variety of brewers (credit: Getty/VictorHuang)

Unity Brewing Co enters liquidation

By Gary Lloyd

Hampshire craft brewery Unity Brewing Co has gone into liquidation, according to a tweet by the Southampton-based business.

Lesser impact: consumers becoming accustomed to adjusting plans due to rail strikes (Credit: Getty/South_agency)

Feb rail strikes had 'lesser impact' on sector

By Rebecca Weller

Recent rail strikes had a “lesser impact” on drinks sales than previous ones as consumers become accustomed to “adjusting plans”, the latest Drinks Recovery Tracker from CGA by NielsenIQ has revealed.

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