Beer

Leading light: Camden Town's Hells Lager was the best performing craft beer (credit: Getty/ Instants)

The Drinks List

Camden Town Hells Lager tops chart consecutively

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

The overall value of the UK on-trade’s eight best-selling craft beers plummeted by £26.3 in the past year, with 34,617 fewer hectolitres (HL), that’s 7m pints, sold.

Draught version on way: Heineken 0.0 outstripped its rivals in this category

The Drinks List

Heineken 0.0 retains top spot in no to low division

By Rebecca Weller

The no and low-alcohol category was another division that saw losses on this year’s The Morning Advertiser’s Drinks List, though the top five selling brands in the group remained the same as last year.

Plenty to choose from: the cask ale category is always hard fought (credit: Getty/ Rouzes)

The Drinks List

Doom Bar leads cask ale sales in on-trade

By Gary Lloyd

There has been much discussion on how cask ale’s fortunes are potentially at a tipping point during the past few years and the closure of pubs has certainly been no help in that scenario.

Heineken 0.0: The alcohol-free beer will be rolled out in pubs on tap next year

Heineken 0.0 available on draught from next year

By Amelie Maurice-Jones


Heineken has announced its alcohol-free beer, Heineken 0.0, will be available on draught in pubs from next year, answering a growing demand for no and low alcohol options.

Losing favour: Beer consumption decreased by 4 percentage points over the 2020 lockdowns (Credit: Getty/ STasker)

Brits abandon beer during lockdown

By Rebecca Weller

A decline in beer consumption over the 2020 lockdowns demonstrated the damage done to brewers, who lost a key route to market when pubs were forced to close during the Covid crisis.

Awards back to pre-pandemic status: The Guild of Beer Writers 2019 Awards winners

The British Guild of Beer Writers 2021 shortlist

By Rebecca Weller

The British Guild of Beer Writers has announced its shortlist of 35 writers, journalists, and bloggers in its Annual Awards with winners to be announced in London on 2 December 2021.

Top spot: Cloudwater Brew Co has brewed 816 different beers

Cloudwater rated best independent brewery in UK

By Gary Lloyd

Manchester-based Cloudwater Brew Co has been ranked as the best independent brewery in the UK, according to new research that has taken Google ratings and RateBeer scores into consideration.

Childish illustration: complaint against Mikkeller’s Side Eyes pale ale upheld

Mikkeller’s forced to redesign one of its beers

By Rebecca Weller

A complaint made by the Metropolitan Police against artwork for a pale ale, which was upheld by the alcohol industry’s Independent Complaints Panel, has resulted in a redesign for one beer.

Figures found: 2020 saw the number of breweries fall by to 1,816 - down on 2019 but this rose for 2021 to 1,902 (image: Getty/Stefano Gilera)

Brewery numbers rise after 2020 drop

By Nikkie Thatcher

The number of total independent breweries has increase to 1,902 in 2021 from 1,816 in 2020, new figures have found.

What beers are going to be driving growth in pubs?

Opinion

Premium vs standard beer - more balance needed on the bar

By Mark Bentley, on-trade category controller, Molson Coors

Anyone reading the trade press or listening to various data & insight experts would be forgiven for thinking that everyone is now drinking premium drinks and that familiar favourites such as core standard lager brands have had their day.

Unique product: cask ale is typically British and can't be recreated outside the pub (credit: Getty/urbancow)

Don’t undersell cask beer – it can’t be replicated at home

By Gary Lloyd

“There’s nothing like this.” Some of the more ‘seasoned’ readers may remember this as a hit song for soul singer Omar 30 years again when it peaked at number 14 in the UK music charts. However, the statement also rings true of cask ale.

Lots to choose from: new products hit the market in time for autumn

New products round-up

Stay ahead of your rivals with these new products

By Gary Lloyd

Vocation’s chocolate and banana stout, TOWIE star’s Prosecco, BrewDog’s Planet Ale and Bankhall Sweet Mash bourbon are among the latest new products.

Leading the way: (left to right) Jaega Wise, Clement Ogbonnaya and Lorraine Copes

Where are black leaders in the pub and brewing sector?

By Gary Lloyd

The hospitality industry provided work for some 1.8 million people when the pandemic struck last year, of which 17% of the total workforce from the black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) category was represented.

Rising cost: the average price of a pint of lager has increased by 78p in the past 10 years (image: Getty/Juanmonino)

Average cost of a pint rises 2.1% since 2020

By Nikkie Thatcher

The average cost of a pint of draught lager has increased by 9p since August 2020, according to official figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).

Always a winner: Guinness is synonymous with sport, especially rugby

Promotional content

Autumn International rugby was made for Guinness

By Diageo

With sporting events back in action, there is a fantastic chance for operators to re-engage with multiple occasions and cater for the pent-up demand for quality on trade experiences.

Stock up now: this week's new product launches

New products round-up

Bumper week for new product launches

By Gary Lloyd

Cask Hobgoblin IPA, three vodkas from Masons of Yorkshire and Fuller’s Vintage Ale are among the new products to hit the market this week.

Expert session: The panel is in support of Cask Ale Week

Theakston unites cask and craft with virtual panel event

By Michelle Perrett

Yorkshire brewery T&R Theakston is set to bring together leading figures from the beer and hospitality trades through a discussion panel, entitled “Cask Meets Craft” to be held on Friday, 1 October at 6pm.

Survey says: drink-led occasions made up nearly half of pub visits, according to Lumina Intelligence (image: Getty/LauriPatterson)

Almost half of pub visits are wet-led

By Nikkie Thatcher

Two in five (42%) visits to pubs are for drink-only occasions, while almost a quarter (24%) of trips to the on-trade are for dinner, new research has revealed.

Tax change: the temporary reduced VAT rate of 5% will rise to 12.5% from 1 October (image: Getty/Jonathan Knowles)

Price of a pint could rise by 25p predicts Sacha Lord

By Nikkie Thatcher

Night-time economy adviser and operator Sacha Lord estimated prices of drinks will go up by between 7% and 10% with the average price of a pint set to rise by 25p, in line with the 7.5% VAT increase to cover the overall losses felt by operators.

Illegal activity: kegs are the target of theft by organised crime (image; Getty/urbancow)

Exclusive

Kegs caught in supply crisis

By Michelle Perrett

Keg supplies are being hit by the transport crisis that is ravaging the pub and hospitality sector.

What is happening for Cask Ale Week?

Pubs urged to celebrate Cask Ale Week

By Michelle Perrett

Pubs are being urged to celebrate Cask Beer Week, which runs from 23 September to 3 October, to help boost trade in the wake of the pandemic.

Follow us

Property of the week

Trust Nightclub - Friars Gate, Warrington

£ 150,000 - To Let

Friars Gate, WarringtonLocated in the Heart of the Town Centre Nightclub Circuit6AM Licence on Friday & SaturdayClose Proximity to UniversitySeparate Floors AvailablePotential to Split Subject...

Pub Trade Guides

View more

Webinars

Upcoming editorial webinars

The Lock In Pub Podcast

Headlines