Ginger cheer: growth in pubs

From soft drinks to spirits, ginger is the ubiquitous flavour of the moment at venues throughout the UK. Robyn Black examines the reasons for its growth and wonders if the bubble will burst.

What is it about ginger? It's everywhere. It's booming in popularity in a whole range of drinks, sparked by the emergence of the alcoholic ginger-beer category a mere two years ago.

This new sector, established with Halewood's launch of Crabbie's Alcoholic Ginger Beer, is now worth somewhere in the region of £23m in the UK (figures vary slightly as the category is still lumped in with RTDs in many cases, which can make them difficult to extract).

Distribution growth has been phenomenal and it has already become a must-stock drink for most venues in the UK, particularly as summer approaches. But how come? And is it a fad or here to stay?

The background​

To take the first question, it certainly has heritage in drinks. For example, Crabbie's Alcoholic Ginger Beer is an extension of the Crabbie's Ginger Wine brand, established in 1801, while Stone's Ginger Joe, launched by Constellation Europe in February, is a spin-off of its Stone's Ginger Wine brand, established in 1740. Fentimans, which launched its John Hollows alcoholic ginger beer in October 2010, has been producing a non-alcoholic ginger beer for more than 105 years, which it says has always been its biggest seller, with more than 40% of sales.

"There has always been considerable consumer interest in ginger products," says operations director Tiffany McKirdy. "I think there is also an appeal in the therapeutic qualities of ginger. We need to be careful about making claims of health-giving properties but it is well known that ginger is an excellent antidote to nausea, for example. Also, ginger is a traditional ingredient, which is something that appeals to many, plus of course it is very versatile and makes an excellent mixer."

In addition, the long-term popularity of Oriental and Indian foods means that the current generation of younger drinkers are very familiar with the flavour and ginger as a cocktail ingredient has been popular with top-end bartenders for some years, which may have sparked a trickle-down effect.

So when, in 2009, Crabbie's launched its over-ice serve, designed deliberately to tap into the cider-over-ice phenomenon, a new category was born.

"The launch of Crabbie's Alcoholic Ginger Beer two years ago offered a refreshing, crisp alternative (to existing drinks out there), supported by heritage and the nostalgia around ginger that many people had enjoyed for years as a soft drink," says Al Cross, senior brand manager at Halewood International.

The phenomenal success of the brand has seen the company expand into new categories and there are now 10 products in the Crabbie's range — including a range of nuts.

"The brand has evolved to fulfil consumer demand for non-alcoholic ginger products with John Crabbie's Ginger Beer, John Crabbie's mixers and a Crabbie's Ginger Nut snack range," explains Cross.

Set to burst?​

Outside Halewood HQ there have been plenty of other companies quick to spot the potential Crabbie's unlocked and a plethora of brands have been added to the category, in the past 12 months in particular.

But does the frenzy of activity — to return to our second question — mean we are about to witness a boom that can only end in a bust?

"We believe the demand for alcoholic ginger beer is here to stay," says Clive Patten, marketing manager for Ginger Joe at Constellation Europe. "It's a dynamic category which is growing all the time and we feel there is room for credible brands such as our Ginger Joe to add value to the category.

"By launching an innovative, exciting product such as Ginger Joe, our ambition is to grow the category and bring in new consumers to alcoholic ginger beer rather than can-nibalising existing sales. "Brands such as ours are innovating and opening up the category to a younger demographic of both men and women," he adds.

Over at COS Brands,

which has Frank's Alcoholic Ginger Beer in its portfolio, the company believes the category is more likely to follow cider than mirror the sharp rise and sub-sequent fall that has dogged RTDs.

"At the moment, whether or not this is a long-term category re-mains to be seen, but its chances are increasing," says on-trade sales director, Adrian Hirst. "There are more and more brands entering the category, as happened with cider, where now things are settling down, the winners are shining through and the category remains in good shape.

"We expect to see a similar effect within ginger as in both there is room for a number of brands, not just one or two."

Ginger everywhere​

The potential longevity of ginger can also be seen in its move into other categories. As Hirst points out, the flavour is cropping up more and more in sectors such as spirits (as a mixer), beer (see box below) and cider too, with the launch of a ginger cider from Brothers Drinks last month.

"Innovation is important to continue to grow the market," says managing director Matthew Showering. "Pubs and bars need to stock a wider range of products that appeal to various segments of potential customers. Simply stocking the same old boring mainstream brands will not excite the average consumer or capitalise on the latest trends.

"The on-trade must be ruthless in weeding out poorly-performing categories and brands, particularly in such difficult economic times," he adds.

"Each brand must deliver a satisfactory economic return to justify its place. If standard ale, lager and RTDs are no longer selling, the bar space needs to be refreshed with new and growing beverages that the consumer is demanding, such as ginger."

Showering says the idea for a ginger cider came from his local pubs in Somerset where, traditionally, ginger was used as an accompaniment to cider.

"Ground ginger would sit on the bars for locals to add to their cider and a hot poker from the fire would be used to warm the drink and extract the flavour," he explains. "Now, 50 years on, ginger is making a comeback in alcoholic drinks and this heritage suggests ginger will be around for decades to come."

See, it really is everywhere.

Beer-category breakthrough​

As well as what we now think of as alcoholic ginger beers — brands such as Crabbie's, Frank's and Ginger Joe — ginger has also found its way into the beer category proper as brewers have found success by adding the flavour to ales.

It might sound odd to begin with, but it certainly isn't a case of brewers jumping on the ginger bandwagon.

"Ginger has a rich brewing heritage," says Hall & Woodhouse head brewer Toby Heasman who brews ginger-flavoured ale Blandford Fly. "The ginger adds a spiced note to the beer, and a gentle warming note. In Blandford Fly the sweetness of the maple syrup-style notes balance the ginger."

Adding ginger to brews also increases their potential as a great food match. Blandford Fly, for example, was chosen to be paired with a lamb biryani from Michelin-starred chef Sriram Vishwanathan Aylur of The Quilon, for the British Guild of Beer Writers' annual awards dinner last year.

Chalky's Bark, meanwhile, brewed by Sharp's Brewery, has an even better foodie heritage as it was a collaboration with chef Rick Stein that inspired the beer in the first place.

"Chalky's Bark was the second collaboration with food hero and near-neighbour Rick Stein, who challenged me to create a distinctly English beer with the character, individuality and quality to stand alongside the Belgian greats," explains head brewer Stuart

Howe. "Due to the ginger it perfectly complements Stein's eastern-influenced dishes. The ginger also lifts the natural flavours in the beer."

The food-link has lured in many foodies to the beer, Howe says, along with women and, "enthusiastic influencers, who enjoy experimenting and exploring a variety of drinks and drinking opportunities".

It has also opened up the category to younger drinkers, who know they like the ginger flavo