There's A Beer for That
Education is key to beer's renaissance
We are at the beginning of a genuine renaissance in the beer industry. We now have more than 1,400 breweries in Britain, the highest level in 70 years, brewing over 10,000 beers representing in excess of 120 different styles of beer.
There is a real opportunity to show people that there’s more to beer than they think, and by educating them on the quality, diversity and versatility of beer, we will give consumers real reasons to think differently about beer.
With so many options available, we do, however, need to recognise that there is a fine line between consumer excitement and bewilderment. It is vital that, as we invest more time and money educating and exciting people outside of the pub, we do not disappoint them at the pump.
The solution is simple — as an industry, we need to improve the level of education of and engagement with our consumers by improving the education and training of the people who serve them.
In order to tackle these issues, three key areas can be considered:
- Increase staff education and training
- Promote consumer trial and engagement
- Utilise technology
I believe the only way to improve the consumer experience at the pump is by embracing all three of these approaches and uniting as an industry on the development, funding and implementation of them. We have to do this as a matter of urgency to ensure we sustain and strengthen consumers’ rediscovery and interest in beer.
Increase sta ff education and training
One of the major barriers to increasing the education and training of bar staff is cost. Some training providers, such as Cask Marque and Beer Academy, have recognised this and have recently launched training programmes that are online, flexible and low/no cost.
Both courses are modular, covering key subjects from ingredients, styles and flavours, perfect serve, beer and food pairing and how to promote beer sales.
Training programmes need to ensure that both customer service and consumer engagement are covered. The industry needs to come together and develop a unified programme that fits all, with the ability for retailers and brand owners to overlay with their own specific messages.
Promote consumer trial and engagement
Choosing a beer among the huge range can be a daunting prospect.
If we can remove the barrier between experience and investment, we will allow many more consumers to expand both their knowledge and drinking repertoire. This would also open a channel of engagement between server and customer, which allows for an educational opportunity.
Cask Marque has demonstrated how well this can be done (see case study box below).
Utilise technology
Technology could be a huge enabler to fast track the education of both trade and consumers. There are a few beer apps and tools starting to appear, such as our own #BeerMatch and Beer Explorer, but the challenge, as with the other areas, is finding a way to unite the industry.
Joining up the various databases and tools in order to provide a single database and platform that covers the whole category is a sizeable challenge, but one that we have started work on with other key industry bodies — so watch this space!
Case Study
Try before you buy (TBYB)
TBYB is a programme developed by Cask Marque as part of Cask Ale Week, to encourage the trade to proactively offer consumers the opportunity to try any beer before they buy.
Research showed that there are many reasons why consumers would not ask to try a beer.
The top reasons include:
- 40% - the pub might say ‘no’, making me feel awkward
- 26% - they might think I am too picky
- 22% - the pub might think I am a cheapskate
Research, however, identified there is still a gap between publicans thinking they are promoting TBYB (94%) and drinkers (61%) suggesting there is an opportunity for a more active and visible promotion.
As a result, Cask Marque developed simple PoS help, encouraging consumers to ask to try the beer. It works because there is immediate engagement between consumer and pub as well as the consumer feeling empowered (and obliged) to buy a beer or even two.
There’s A Beer For That has also developed programmes and PoS help aimed at educating consumers on beer styles, tasting notes and suitable food pairings to encourage them to discover more about beer and try something new.
