Good tidings

Initiatives on the beer front came thick and fast during 2005. One of the MA's contributions came in the form of our Good for Beer series. Here we reproduce some highlights

In March: Suffolk brewer Adnams talked the MA through its six-year brand-building journey to restore volumes and value to the cask-beer market.

In April: Fuller's launched a campaign to ensure that pubs selling its London Pride were serving it in tip-top condition, hence the website www.proudofyourpride.com was born.

In May: Oz Clarke looked back to the 1970s when Britain's beer heritage was nearly overshadowed by that of wine, but fought back just in time, by focusing on quality ingredients and flavour.

In June: Coors' Beer Naturally campaign was thought to be the UK's first generic lager tasting to educate newspaper and consumer magazine journalists about the UK's diverse lager offer.

In July: John Bass, events director of the Brewing Industry International Awards 2005, reminded British brewers why they should enter and give themselves a chance of winning a gong.

In August: Hall & Woodhouse looked at what needed to be done to encourage more women to drink beer and to persuade them that beer is not fattening.

In September: Brewer Daniel Thwaites signed up cricketing ace Andrew Flintoff to support an adventurous marketing and ad campaign for its premium cask ale, Lancaster Bomber.

In October: the MA reported on the 'good, old-fashioned beer' produced at the Westerham Brewery in Kent and the work Robert Wicks has done to restore brewing to the small market town.

In November: the MA jumped on the Eurostar to learn a tip or two from our European neighbour Belgium about beer innovation and why presentation is so important.