City Dispense opens first pub in quest for perfect pint

Technical services provider City Dispense has opened its first pub with a mission to showcase the best in cellar maintenance and beer quality.

The company, the country's largest independent technical services provider, says the launch of the CDS Pub Company could pave the way for more acquisitions.

CDS believes running its own pub will allow it complete control over beer dispense.

Managing director Richard Walker said the purchase of the Oak Tree at Newton-le-Willows near Warrington, Cheshire, provided the perfect stage to highlight beer quality issues to its customers. "It is very difficult to achieve this unless you have total control over every aspect of the operation.

"But it is unrealistic to expect any of our customers to let us run amok unchecked in one of their pubs without the whole exercise ending in acrimony," he said.

"The solution was to buy our own working pub in order to fine tune every aspect to our own satisfaction," he added. Walker said the Oak Tree would also be used to test new equipment solutions such as the Glycol Extra Cold System.

Technical services revolution

City Dispense is looking towards next July when the market for technical services is freed up. New competition rules means brewers cannot necessarily include these services as part of a beer supply contract.

Currently the technical service charge is included in the wholesale price of beer and works out to about 3% of the cost, but the new "unbundling" process will enable pub companies and other buyers to negotiate separate deals. The changes could lead to substantial cost savings for buyers who choose to take out an independent service contract.