Three's the magic number

Before announcing the winner of the 2007 CaskForce competition, we meet the final three MA readers hoping to win a year's free rent in the Marston's...

Before announcing the winner of the 2007 CaskForce

competition, we meet the final three MA readers hoping to win a year's free rent in the Marston's quality initiative

February winner - Cumbrian licensee Ben Clarke

Ben Clarke runs Wainwrights in Ambleside, Cumbria

Why did you apply for CaskForce?

In the last six years since I took on Wainwright's I have been striving to develop our cask-ale offering. In the last two years I have increased the range from two to seven cask ales. We have three permanent ales and four that we change monthly from all over the country. I entered CaskForce for the right to brag about all this. I know our cask-ale range is second to none and I wanted to enter to raise the bar and up standards.

What does cask ale mean to your business? And your customers?

Cask ale means a lot to my business and my customers. Our's is a country pub with trade split between locals and tourists. People travel from all over the valleys - from Ambleside to Kendal - to drink here, and a lot of our customers want a real pint of good ale. We have a great number of repeat customers from locals to regular visitors to the area. They know they can get a good pint with us, so they always come back.

What is the future for cask ale, in your opinion?

I hope cask ale will get bigger and bigger. Community pubs need to champion real ale and provide customers with the perfect pint every time. There's always people out there that love real ale but cask ale has a bad reputation because often it isn't kept or served right and so the customer receives a bad pint. It is our responsibility as licensees to ensure the quality of the ale we serve is the best. I always encourage customers to sample the ales before they buy. In the last year we have seen a shift, with younger drinkers adopting real ale as their drink of choice. When you educate drinkers in cask ales you'll often find they prefer them and instead of picking their usual, they'll try a cask ale instead.

Do your staff know and understand about beer quality and if so, how?

All my staff have been trained through CaskForce and Marston's cellar courses. I encourage them to taste all new ales we have on and give them tasting notes and product information to ensure they are confident when selling the ales to customers. With their knowledge they can then recommend and up-sell to customers when they ask about our range.

Have you done the ABCQ training? If so, has this helped with your overall approach to beer, soft drinks etc?

I did the ABCQ course about two years ago. I think the course increased my knowledge of cask ale and made me really interested in developing it within my business - and the results are excellent. I think its really worthwhile because I'm 32, so quite young, and it got me excited about cask ale. I now pass that enthusiasm on to my staff and customers and our sales as a result are fantastic.

What has being a monthly winner meant to you?

Winning in February meant a lot to me, the business and my team. We had a fire last September which pretty much wiped out my year of hard work. You struggle to muster the energy to start all over again. But five months later the business was back to its best and we scooped the CaskForce monthly prize for our beer. It was a lot of hard work but its just amazing to be recognised for our cask ales and attention to quality and service.

What would being the overall winner mean to you and how would you invest the year's rent?

I have not even thought about what I'll do if I win the overall prize. I'll probably take a holiday and then invest in property. It would be a fantastic opportunity for me to get my foot on the property ladder. And winning would mean the world to me and my team.

MARCH WINNER - Lancashire licensee Mark Hughes

Mark Hughes runs the Dog & Pheasant in Ashton-under-Lyne

Why did you apply for CaskForce?

We entered because we do a lot of cask ale in our business; it is a high percentage of our turnover. We are proud of the quality of our ale and have appeared in the Good Beer Guide for the past few years. We thought we would enter to show we were serious about quality.

What does cask ale mean to your business and your customers?

We have five cask ales on at all times. We have three constants: Pedigree, Burton Bitter and Banks's Original - and two on rotation. We've currently got Sneck Lifter and Golden Host. As a business, cask ale is a large part of our turn-over, which makes it really important that we get it right. Our customers come here because of the quality of our ale and so for them, seeing us achieve quality stamps, such as Cask Marque, makes them more confident and proud of their local pub.

What is the future for cask ale, in your opinion?

I'd like to think cask ale can progress in the future by attracting younger drinkers. I have seen a shift in drinkers in my pub with 20 something's turning to cask ale as an alternative to weak-tasting lagers. I always try to encourage my customers of all ages to sample our ales and its surprising how many of the younger generation take to them and change their drink of choice to ale the next time they come in.

Do your staff know and understand about beer quality and if so, how?

Our staff are trained by me on our range of cask ales. They are well-versed in the range we have and are always keen to up-sell new ales to customers. They always taste the ales and know what colour and temperature they should be to ensure the perfect pint every time.

Have you done the ABCQ training? If so, has this helped with your overall approach to selling drinks in general?

I went on the ABCQ course and found it good as a refresher in terms of ideas and techniques that can be used.

What has being a monthly winner meant to you?

I was in shock when I found out, but it was excellent news because it showed to us that the pride we take in the quality of our ales paid off.

What would being the overall winner mean to you and how would you invest the year's rent?

I have no idea how I would spend the money if I won the top prize. I think financially it would make me feel more secure, but to be honest I couldn't tell you how I'd invest it.

APRIL WINNER - Wiltshire licensee ESME BENNETT

Esme Bennett runs the Avon Brewery in Salisbury, Wiltshire

Why did you apply for CaskForce?

We wanted to ensure our ale was being served to the highest standard and

CaskForce seemed the most creditable way of assessing this.

What exactly does cask ale mean to your business and to your regular customers?

Our cask ales are some of our biggest sellers so we are constantly striving to improve our standards and to ensure that we

simultaneously maintain our current

custom and bring in new trade.

What is the future for cask ale, in your opinion?

We have a very high percentage of cask-ale drinkers who span all generations who

enjoy our beer and for this reason I feel that this sector is very strong and will continue