Greene King continues to grow ever stronger. Adam Withrington visited the brewery to investigate how it maintains the quality of its beer.
August 3 last year was a strange day all round. It was Champion Beer of Britain judging day at the Great British Beer Festival (GBBF), and while you might have expected it to be a blazing hot day, it was in fact raining cats and dogs. The announcement of the results was almost drowned out as the roof at Kensington's Olympia took an almighty hammering from a tropical storm.
Above the noise of the rain the audience heard a surprise result. Greene King IPA had been awarded gold in the standard bitter section and silver in the overall award. It was a surprise because of the tendency in recent years for the prizes to go to some of the more exotic and unheard of brews.
However, the award for IPA was certainly not as surprising as the booing that followed. Perhaps it was the weather, but a sizeable pocket of the audience was clearly unhappy with Greene King's success.
Some said that the booing came from members of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), still upset at Greene King's decision to buy Ruddles and move it away from the Morland's brewery almost four years ago. CAMRA members, however, protested their innocence, putting their support fully behind the beer. Rumours, possibly spread by mischievous rivals of Greene King, circulated that the Suffolk brewer had brewed a special beer just for the judging process.
As someone new to the industry, it struck me as somewhat strange that people who care so much about cask ale were hammering one of the few brands with big enough distribution to spread the "gospel of cask".
The reaction at Olympia suggested that people felt that a big brand was not worthy of winning such a prestigious award - that somehow the bigger the brand and the brewery, the worse the quality of the beer.
The success of IPA at the GBBF was totally down to the efforts the company has put into quality, according to Steve Magnall, operations director. "It was absolutely fantastic to receive the award - a massive independent endorsement for our brewing and quality team as well as for Greene King IPA.
"Even a small amount of negative reaction was disappointing for everyone at the brewery. They have worked tirelessly over the last three years in a mission to get our beers to the highest level of quality and consistency.
"The efforts we've put into quality have been a major factor in increasing the sales of the beer and definitely played a role in helping us win the award at the Great British Beer Festival," he adds.
I decided to test this with a visit to Bury St Edmunds - determined to see how Greene King approaches brewing and how it ensures the quality of what it produces.
What I found was a company absolutely committed to quality. As a business grows, the temptation must be there to cut costs yet like other regional brewers Greene King has continued to invest huge amounts in cask.
The company has undergone a sea change culturally and much of the credit for that has to go to brewing division managing director Rooney Anand. Most of the people I met around the brewery admitted to the improvement in the business and working atmosphere over the last three to four years, suggesting Rooney has had a significant impact.
He has fused his marketing background with a real zeal to put quality at the top of the agenda. While he has been at the helm, brewing volumes and profits have increased. At the same time Greene King's beers have won major brewing awards - a hard trick to conjure.
It is interesting that it is he, rather than one of his executive colleagues or an illustrious outsider, who has been appointed to take over from Tim Bridge as chief executive in May.
On the day I visited I spoke to several members of the Greene King brewing team, from marketing to quality control. They convinced me that when it comes to quality not only does the company talk a good game, but it plays it pretty well too.
Quality in outlet
Ken Thatcher, trade quality manager for on-trade:
"I run courses across the country and in the brewery for those that are new to the trade. Licensees have to understand what they are doing from a practical point of view - after all they are working with their hands.
"After the courses we revisit many of the delegates and look at whether they have taken the information on board or not, by checking things like the beer quality.
"The whole thing for me is about communicating how important quality is - if your beer is poor it can affect everything, even your food sales. The first course we teach is a Basic Cellar Management Course; this is followed up by a second course called: "Profit through Quality". It is more aimed at people who have been in the trade for some time, including area managers. We take delegates to a pub and get them to sample the beer, go into the cellar and audit it, as well as get them to think about what is important in a pub cellar. The idea is that they can then go back to their own pubs and implement these ideas.
"This professional quality course will help save licensees money. We promise it will help save at least four per cent and on average it saves licensees 7.2 per cent. That is about four pints on every cask they sell.
"The course itself has been running for about a year and has proved to be a great success, particularly with area managers. It is a really positive way forward - not just about sitting down in a classroom. It is hands-on."
Pictured: Ken Thatcher (centre) with Mike Brown and Martin Burningham.
Quality in the business
Sue Thomas-Taylor, marketing director:
"We are now exporting Greene King brands to 35 countries worldwide. Everything we do is about trying to be the best - the best brands, the best quality and best customer service - because we know we can't be the biggest.
"About four years ago we looked at our business, how we were perceived, and that pushed us towards the decision to change our culture. So over the last three years we have embarked on a change imposing our new values - we now all challenge each other, no matter what part of the business we are in.
"For example, we challenged everyone in the company to come up with ways of saving money for the business, promising this money would be re-invested back into the business. We ended up making a saving of £1.3m in one year.
"We also introduced cask end labels for all the casks that go into trade. They have handy tips on them regarding beer quality as well as helpline numbers. Quality extends across the business, even as far as getting a company driving trainer to improve the driving skills of our HGV and lorry drivers."
Quality in training
Sarah Brindley, brand manager for IPA and Abbot Ale:
"All new Greene King licensees are given an introduction to the company's brewing and brands. We take licensees around the brewery for a site tour and then at the end have a tasting of all the company's beers. The ones today were new licensees to Greene King, taken around as part of their two-day induction programme.
"It is about trying to show our licensees this very important part of our business and giving them an appreciation for the brewing process. Then someone, often myself, carries out a tasting of all of our brands.
"First, though, I try to show them the importance of looking after cask beer. I pass round a series of test pots to illustrate what can go wrong. One has vinegar in it showing how cask beer goes off when it is exposed to oxygen, while another has TCP and is designed to show wha