Laurel Pub Company has confirmed its commitment to cask ale with a unique training scheme in association with Cask Marque. By Ben McFarland
When Laurel Pub Company announced it was trimming the range of cask ales in its pubs, there was an almighty outcry from certain quarters of the industry.
Laurel's decision to drastically reduce the number of draught brands in its Hogshead estate was widely condemned by the Campaign for Real Ale and other enthusiasts as yet another nail in the coffin of traditional ale.
However, according to David Oswald, beer, cider and soft drinks buyer for Laurel, the future of cask ale at the company is anything but under threat. In future, the company's cask ale strategy will be based on the old adage of "quality rather than quantity".
"Cask ale has always played a strong role in our portfolio but our previous focus on the depth rather than the quality of cask ales was a major misconception," said David. "Having eight hand-pumps and four back bar stills was too much and meant that publicans were struggling to achieve consistency. Unless you're clearing each nine gallon cask every three days, the chances are the quality isn't there."
In a move that will no doubt go some way to appease its critics, Laurel has now embarked on a major new training programme designed to improve the quality, consistency and product knowledge of cask ale throughout its managed estate.
The Laurel Real Ale Academy has been launched in conjunction with a number of regional brewers and Cask Marque, the trade organisation set up to establish quality standards for cask ale in pubs.
"Although there are a number of managers within the estate who serve an excellent pint of cask ale, it is a fact that in a managed business people come and go all the time and not everybody has the same knowledge of or commitment to the product," said David. "The majority of our pubs in October would have failed the Cask Marque test which is something we want to rectify through this programme."
To help and encourage its managers to gain Cask Marque accreditation, Laurel has called on the expertise of nine regional brewers: Adnams, Wadworth, Young's, Gales, Wolverhampton & Dudley, Interbrew, Caledonian, Carlsberg-Tetley and Brakspear.
Each brewer is allocated an area and a collection of pubs in and around their respective heartland. The managers of all these pubs are then brought together at a "beacon pub" where representatives from the local brewer conduct a comprehensive training day. As well as laying down the Cask Marque criteria, trainers cover every aspect of looking after cask ale ranging from basic guidelines to particular tricks of the trade.
They then follow-up the training day by visiting each individual outlet to help with specific problems and to get the rest of the staff involved.
"Over the next four weeks there will be 35 meetings and more than 400 visits by the brewers to our pubs which will hopefully inspire managers to go for Cask Marque accreditation," said David.
"We recognise that the manager is key if cask ale is going to be a success in our pubs. Cask ale commands a premium image and if the manager is genuinely passionate about cask ale and can deliver a consistently good quality pint then the customer and sales will most certainly follow."
When David Gillson took over as manager of the Old Six Bells in Burnham, Buckinghamshire, cask ale was little more than a peripheral concern with only one of four handpumps working.
The fact that the pub was chosen as the "beacon pub" to host a training day for a dozen local managers and a team of Adnams brewery boffins is testament to David's efforts.
"I am a huge real ale fan and we've really grown cask ale," he said. "People now come in asking what guest beers we've got and I get a real surge of satisfaction when someone new orders a pint of cask ale - even though the margins are better with lagers! Everyone sells mainstream lagers but there's a huge niche demand in the market and you can attract a different kind of customer."
Having made such a success of cask ale already, you'd be forgiven for thinking that a day's training was of little use. "It was actually very useful as a refresher course and also I picked up loads of little things that I didn't know," said David. "It's probably the first time I've been officially trained."
After being given a thorough grounding in the entire brewing process, assisted by the use of a glass-bottomed barrel of Adnams, the group of Laurel pub managers were taken through to the cellar and advised on cellar management issues such as temperature, racking, tilting and the importance of keeping the whole operation spick and span.
To ensure everyone was paying attention, an informal, albeit rather demanding, quiz brought the day to a close.
Peter Trueman, manager at the Canterbury Inn in Tewkesbury and one of only a few to achieve an impressive 10 out of 10, welcomed the initiative. "It's about time they did something like this. Looking after cask ale in the cellar is often seen as a bit of a hassle but when a customer turns round and tells you it's a cracking pint, it's a great feeling."
Ian Swell, national account manager for Adnams, added: "As regional brewers we have got to take the quality issue forward together - it's so important if we're going to survive.
"Cask Marque is slowly becoming the industry standard - it's like a great ball that you need to get rolling and then the momentum will do the rest. If people can get the same quality pint wherever they are in the country that's brilliant!"
To coincide with the Laurel Real Ale Academy, Cask Marque has unveiled a new, colourful and funky-looking cellar management card. Described by Cask Marque's Paul Nunny as the "10 commandments", it provides a practical checklist of do's and don'ts.
"Getting retailers and brewers singing from the same hymn sheet in a joint effort to take on beer quality as a major issue is unique to the industry," said Paul. "I hope it will inspire and encourage more managers to get the quality right, focus on delivery at front of house and get more customers excited about cask ale."
Pictured top: Robert Porter of Adnams quality control pours a perfect pint. Below: consultant brewer David Waller reveals the murky world of cask ale to licensees on the course
Related stories:
Outcry over Laurel's plans to cut cask ale selection (23 August 2001)