GK celebrates a year of pins for cask pubs

The pin is a smaller vessel than the usual cask container, which holds nine gallons, and was first distributed with the brewer and pub operator’s seasonal cask ales front of mind.

The Suffolk-based brewer introduced pins to help licensees minimise wastage, ensure quality and prove cask could still be viable on the bar by providing a smaller throughput.

To that extent, the brewer has seen an uplift in quality with Cask Marque scores in stockists of Greene King beers using pins rising by 1.2% since the launch into pubs.

Core range in pins​

Greene King has also extended the range of beers available in pins to customers. Along with still offering the seasonal Cask Fresh Releases calendar, the brewer has made permanent cask ales available in pins too.

Included in the core range in pins are Greene King IPA, Old Speckled Hen and Abbot Ale.

Greene King said offering the smaller unit gives operators the ability to manage a lower throughput at quieter times of the week, meaning less waste from unsold beer or the chance of out-of-date beer being sold.

Meanwhile, pins have allowed pubs to showcase different styles and flavours of cask ale for guests to explore, without the commitment to the full 72 pints and “this has proven a great success for pubs”.

Improved yields​

Along with the boost in Cask Marque scoring, Greene King has also seen an improvement is cask yield across stockists since the introduction of pins meaning the smaller vessel is proving successful in not only encouraging people to offer more cask on the bar but also delivering higher profits and ensuring a better quality of cask in pubs.

Pubs are also able to take on board advice from the brewer regarding what is best for their business and firkins remain a keen choice for the brewer when it comes to busier periods and higher demand in pubs.

Greene King head of internal sales John Malone said: “We continue to support and innovate in the cask market, and the launch of pins has been an important step for us as a brewer, and the industry, to address key challenges that cask can bring as we look at building a positive future for this unique product.

“Cask ale is Greene King’s heritage and the core of a great pub, and we continue to invest in the product because we are determined for it to not only have its space on the bar for many years to come but also to be a product that pubs are proud to serve and celebrate.”