Simply Cask Ale - a workshop organised by Interbrew and The Publican - aims to teach the basics of looking after cask ale. Phil Mellows reports.
Cask beer punches way above its weight in pubs. Research last year recalculated its contribution at 13 per cent of all beer sold in pubs, but for most it's even more important than that. Cask is unique to the pub trade and a major selling point for many houses, as a sign of distinction. Groups of drinkers will often be led by the cask aficianado among them, the one who knows a good pint.
And winning that endorsement reflects well on the rest of the operation.
Cask ales are also worth your extra attention because if you can meet the high quality standards they demand it usually means that your whole draught beer range is on the mark.
It can sound quite a daunting challenge. But the latest initiative to raise cask beer quality is one that emphasises the essential simplicity of keeping and serving a great pint.
Simply Cask Ale, a half-day free workshop run by Interbrew UK and backed by The Publican and its training arm The Official Training Company, made its debut at The Publican's Pub & Bar show last month. More than 30 experienced licensees and pub staff took part, all eager to improve the quality and sales of their cask conditioned beers.
It was, in effect, a masterclass. But the term is one that Interbrew is keen to avoid. For Kevin Ward, the marketing manager responsible for the brewer's cask brands, part of what the company is trying to do is to demystify the lore around keeping cask ale. "It's a lot simpler than people think," he said. "It takes as much effort to serve a bad pint as it does a good pint. We want to go back to basics and then see what we can do to make cask beer relevant to people today.
"We are careful not to claim we can change the world on this one. We just want to chip away at it."
The workshop was opened by John Redman (pictured), former head brewer at Bass and director of brewing at Greene King, who is now a director of Cask Marque, the beer quality accreditation scheme.
"Cask Marque's research in 1997 showed most beers failed on quality," he said. "But Interbrew's survey suggests people will pay more for beer if the quality is there - that's the opportunity for the trade. Cask beer is your unique sales proposition. You should be charging more for it."
With that tempting prospect in mind, Kevin Ward went into more detail on the market and the cask ale drinker.
"For them, it's all about the quality of the beer in the glass," he said. "They will seek out pubs with the right quality cues.
"They are fiercely protective of cask ale and dismissive of smooth ales. So if you don't have a cask ale they want, or the quality isn't there, they won't switch to smooth. They will just walk away."
The cues cask drinkers look for are two or three pumps on the bar, trained staff and, of course, the right quality. As beer grows more expensive, quality becomes even more important.
"They don't mind paying more," said Kevin. "In fact they only become aware of the price if they have a really bad experience."
For cask beer drinkers that experience is a sensory one - "it's about what they see, the aroma, the temperature and the taste. And you the licensee are the most important part of the journey the beer makes to the drinker's lips."
Some 3,000 quality audits carried out on Draught Bass by Cask Marque during the hot summer of 2003 revealed that temperature continues to be the most challenging aspect of beer quality. Six in 10 cellars were too warm.
But there are signs that brewers and the trade are beginning to work together on the problem. Under Interbrew's Bass Appreciation Reward Scheme, most licensees are opting for promotional items that will improve beer quality - in particular a giant cellar thermometer.
And this month the brewer is to launch a new Bass beer engine which will be cylinderless to give the beer less opportunity to warm up in the dispense system.
There are also simple rules, from the cellar to the glass, that can help licensees serve better beer, and Interbrew expert Jonathan Baldwin closed the morning by offering his top 10 tips.
Delegates were keen to debate the points to improve their know-how of what goes into a great pint. They came away with their knowledge refreshed and a better understanding not just about what they have to do, but why they have to do it.
- For information on future free Simply Cask Ale workshops, contact Kirsty Powell on 020 8565 4283.