With progressive beer duty on the horizon and plenty of plans in the pipeline, SIBA is confident that the future for small brewers is bright. By Jackie AnnettThe future for small brewers is looking rosier than it has done for a while. Perhaps it's because brewers are optimistic that chancellor Gordon Brown will introduce progressive beer duty in his Budget or the fact that the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) has some major new initiatives on the horizon which should help small brewers. Or maybe it's down to the fact that chief executive Nick Stafford's enthusiasm has rubbed off on SIBA members. An educated guess would suggest it's probably a mixture of all three.At the SIBA annual conference earlier this month, Mr Stafford (pictured) told delegates that the association's top priority was to provide better access to the market for its members.He said that in the past small brewers were unable to compete on a level playing field with the regional brewers and the large national brewers. But all this could be about to change if progressive beer duty is introduced and Mr Stafford is hopeful that things are looking up for the small brewer. The possibility of progressive beer duty wasn't the only thing brewers had to smile about. The association is firing ahead with a plan to convince all pub chains, in particular the large national operators, to stock at least one local brew. This is all part of SIBA's Red Label direct delivery scheme which encourages licensees to take on more locally produced real ale and involves the licensee working directly with the brewer and SIBA.This would give small brewers much greater access to the market and would satisfy huge customer demand, according to SIBA's Sarah Phillips.The need for a scheme encouraging licensees to take on local brews was backed up by Martin Information research. This shows that the cask ale market is thriving and that consumer demand for locally produced beers is higher than ever.Under such a scheme local pubs would serve local beers, something that is extremely important to consumers according to research, which shows what beers are consumed according to TV region.And despite controversy surrounding the Martin Information research, the belief that in the past the market has been underestimated is one that SIBA shares. "The cask ale market is twice as large as breweries and pub companies have been lead to believe," said Ms Phillips."If cask ale is declining it contradicts what traditional brewers such as Brakspear believe. They say their sales are up by seven per cent." Nick Stafford also said the market was doing very well, but he urged small brewers to be more pro-active, especially when it comes to marketing. "The cask ale market is booming but small brewers have failed to market their products," he said.He asked small brewers to move with the times and urged them to "get out there and market your product"."It's about talking to customers and retailers to see what they want. But we are very positive about the future," he added.But brewers did express concerns about freezing free-traders out of the market. They were worried that if they did have better access to the large pub companies, the individual licensee could be put out of business, because they would be unable to sell their beer at the same low price.The solution to this was to offer different products to individual licensees and larger companies, Mr Stafford suggested. But he added that these days, there are hardly any individual licensees left.The brewer's concern did not dog Mr Stafford's enthusiasm about the future for small brewers. He said: "I am very positive about the future. Our campaigns will focus on improved market access for small brewers, direct access to pubs, preservation of the nation's pub stock, and breadth and quality of consumer choice."We need to stop seeing the pub companies as the big bad enemy and start working with them. It's about looking towards the future."Most stocked ales by TV region
What pub companies want - a view from headquarters:"Quality is most important, not necessarily price," said Tony Eastwood, consultant for Tynemill. "It also has to add something to the pub. It's important that we have consistency and reliability. Brands are also quite important, especially for the customer."What licensees want - a view from behind the barIan Roper, licensee: "You have to give the customer choice and quality. Beer festivals are a great way to promote local cask ales. Try before you buy schemes are also a good idea. Small brewers should get more involved with this."But you can't expect all licensees to serve real ale. You should only provide your product to those licensees who have the market for it and who will be passionate about it."Share of the cask ale market
Top five cask ales in pubs