Beer

The beer-duty escalator: my final thoughts

09-May-2012 By Pete Brown

This is going to be my last column on the duty escalator for a little while. It’s not that the issue is going away — far from it. I just don’t want to turn into one of those zealots you start trying to avoid.

London’s beer renaissance

09-May-2012

Pub quiz question: what do Jack the Ripper and brewing have in common? Answer: Truman’s brewery in the 19th century was producing vast volumes of beer at its plant in Brick Lane, east London, while in the side streets and back alleys of Whitechapel the...

Act now to Save our Scrumpy

02-May-2012 By Pete Brown

If we care about rural traditions then we should all act now to save our farmhouse cider-making industry, argues Pete Brown.

Brewer Molson Coors unveils £2m marketing campaign for low-ABV lager Carling Zest

01-May-2012 By Noli Dinkovski

Molson Coors is backing new low-ABV lager Carling Zest with a £2m summer advertising spend.

Stella brewer AB-InBev UK beer volumes fall 9.7%

30-Apr-2012 By John Harrington

AB-InBev, the international brewer, saw own-beer volumes fall 9.7% in Q1 2012.

Greene King launches Love Great Beer campaign ahead of summer of celebration

30-Apr-2012 By Noli Dinkovski

Greene King is to help publicans make the most of the forthcoming summer of celebrations with a series of giveaway prizes.

All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group chairman promises "robust" investigation into beer duty fraud

26-Apr-2012 By Michelle Perrett

The chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group (APPBG), Burton MP Andrew Griffiths, has promised a “robust and rigorous” investigation into beer tax fraud after unveiling plans for an inquiry last week.

Ex-pubs minister John Healey to join All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group duty fraud panel

23-Apr-2012 By Michelle Perrett

John Healey, Labour MP for Wentworth, has agreed to join the panel of the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group (APPBG) Duty Fraud Inquiry, which was launched last week.

Wishing Marston's Pedigree a Happy 60th Birthday

23-Apr-2012 By Roger Protz

It’s good to be noticed. Some years ago, I described the fermenting halls at Marston’s — the famous Union Rooms — as “the cathedrals of brewing”. A short time after these pearls of wisdom appeared in print, I was touring the Union Rooms again with a party...

Trade day tickets go on sale for the Great British Beer Festival from this week

23-Apr-2012 By Michelle Perrett

Licensees can apply for trade day tickets for the Great British Beer Festival from this week.

Everards brewery awards 15 best performing pubs

23-Apr-2012 By Gurjit Degun

Leicestershire-based Everards brewery has awarded 15 of its best performing licensees with awards for for their hard work and dedication.

Beer sales in pubs drop 6% in first quarter

20-Apr-2012 By Gurjit Degun

Pubs have seen a 6% fall in beer sales in the first quarter of 2012, according to the latest quarterly Beer Barometer from the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA), issued today.

S&NPC reports 8% rise in machine income after using new monitoring system

19-Apr-2012 By John Harrington, M&C Report

Scottish & Newcastle Pub Company (S&NPC), the leased pub operator, has reported an 8% rise in year-on-year gaming machine income after implementing a system to monitor more closely the performance of machines.

Beer tax investigation to be launched by All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group

18-Apr-2012 By Michelle Perrett

The All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group (APPG) has launched an inquiry into beer tax fraud following Government plans over duty stamps.

Italian lager Peroni opts for style in new summer campaign

18-Apr-2012 By Noli Dinkovski

Peroni is associating itself with Italian ‘style, passion and authenticity’, in a major new cinema and outdoor campaign.

CAMRA has 1m beer mats for pubs to promote scrapping of duty escalator

18-Apr-2012 By Gurjit Degun

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has a million free beer mats available for pubs to order to encourage customers to sign an e-petition asking the Chancellor to scrap the alcohol duty escalator.

AB InBev UK: New 'Perfect Draft' system for on-trade operators with limited or no cellar space

17-Apr-2012 By Matthew Moggridge

A self-contained beer dispense system that needs no installation and is claimed to deliver great quality draught beer in a convenient format, has been introduced to the on-trade by Ab InBev UK.

Caffrey's: Irish beer brand hopes to recruit 'lost generation' of smooth ale drinkers

16-Apr-2012 By Matthew Moggridge

Redefining Smooth is the tagline for a new £1 million advertising campaign for smooth beer brand Caffrey’s.

Give beer a taste of the big time

13-Apr-2012 By Pete Brown

Brits are still way behind the US when it comes to beer and food matching. It’s a confidence thing, says Pete Brown.

Government to publish guidelines for trading standards on beer flow monitoring equipment

13-Apr-2012 By Michelle Perrett

Beer flow monitoring equipment is set to come under renewed scrutiny as the Government publishes new guidelines for trading standards in mid-April.

Marston's run out of Lord's Cricket Ground for Heineken Olympic sponsorship

13-Apr-2012 By Roger Protz

British brewer Marston’s has been run out at the home of cricket as part of Dutch brand Heineken’s Olympic sponsorship deal for this summer.

John Smith's encourages responsible drinking at Grand National

12-Apr-2012 By Gurjit Degun

Beer brand John Smith's has launched a campaign to encourage responsible drinking at the Grand National this week.

We dump on the big brewers at our peril

11-Apr-2012 By Roger Protz

Something unprecedented happened at the Great British Beer Festival in 2004. When the winner of the standard bitter category in the Champion Beer of Britain competition was announced, people started to boo.

Asahi Japanese lager: new and innovative dispense font introduced

04-Apr-2012 By Matthew Moggridge

Asahi Super Dry has introduced a ‘sleek and elegant’ side-pouring beer font which it believes to be a unique point-of-sale and a world first.

Carlsberg UK: ASDA gets first listing of new Copenhagen lager

04-Apr-2012 By Matthew Moggridge

Asda has secured the first UK listing of Carlsberg’s new Copenhagen lager (4.5% ABV).

Brulines changes name to Vianet

04-Apr-2012 By John Harrington, M&C Report

Brulines, the beer flow monitoring company, has changed its name to Vianet to reflect the increasingly diverse nature of the company’s operations.

Bombardier in £5m Dave channel spend

03-Apr-2012 By Noli Dinkovski

Bombardier is to return to the TV screens on the Dave channel as part of a £5m record investment for Wells & Young’s.

The Big Interview: Paul Theakston

03-Apr-2012 By Phil Mellows

For four long years Paul Theakston had waited for this moment. Four years since Scottish & Newcastle had taken over his family business and he’d made the brave move to go it alone. Four years to conclude the deal on premises in his home town of Masham,...

A hole in one for Warsteiner

02-Apr-2012 By Matthew Moggridge

As part of a major marketing support package, premium German beer brand Warsteiner is now an official supplier of beer to the European Tour and BMW PGA Championship at the Wentworth Club in Surrey.

Microbrewery inspiration

30-Mar-2012

By the time you read this, the Publican Awards will have been and gone. Jimmy Carr will have delighted and offended in equal measure, and various pub companies will have a shiny gong to dust on their mantelpiece.

Drought threatens Britain's beers, claims Molson Coors

30-Mar-2012

Almost a fifth (17%) of barley farmers are planning to cut their planting of the crop over the next five years, claims new research from Molson Coors.

MP raises concern over beer duty stamps

28-Mar-2012

All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group chairman Andrew Griffiths raised “major concerns” about the Government’s plans for duty stamps on beer in the House of Commons yesterday.

Profit per pub up 15% at Adnams

28-Mar-2012 By Mark Wingett, M&C Report

Adnams, the Suffolk brewer, distiller and pub operator, has reported a 15% rise in profit pub, while turnover climbed to £54.6m (2010: £50.9m) for the year to the end of 2011.

Punch trials low ABV beers

27-Mar-2012 By John Harrington, M&C Report

Punch Taverns is trialling a scheme to let its tied licensees stock lower-alcohol cask ales that qualify for a 50% reduction in duty.

Training tips: Quality of beer serve

27-Mar-2012 By Joe Bates

It happens all too often. A customer with a raging thirst walks into an unfamiliar bar on a hot summer’s day and orders a pint. But, instead of receiving the cold, refreshing pint of lager they’ve been dreaming about, they are handed a stale pint of beer...

Consultation over duty stamps on beer launched

27-Mar-2012 By Michelle Perrett

Draught beers, beers below 2.8% ABV and small breweries could be exempt under Government plans to introduce duty stamps on beer.

Heineken to deliver half-million schooner glasses to pubs

27-Mar-2012 By Gurjit Degun

Heineken UK is delivering 500,000 two-third pint measure glasses to pubs throughout 2012 to help licensees boost draught sales.

Black Sheep disappointed at Budget ‘double whammy’

26-Mar-2012 By Gurjit Degun

Jo Theakston, marketing director at Black Sheep Brewery, estimated that the business will have to pay an extra £400,000 in duty — last year it paid £7.5m on a turnover of £19m.

Beer prices set to rise if droughts continue

22-Mar-2012 By Gurjit Degun

Beer prices could be set to rise by as much as 2p a pint as the drought across the south of England may lead to a shortage of barley and hops.

Budget 2012: Beer duty stamp consultation launched

21-Mar-2012 By Gurjit Degun

Introducing duty stamps on all bottles and cans of beer will be “hugely costly” and add a regulatory burden on brewers, according to the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA).

Budget 2012: Pub industry condemns beer duty rise

21-Mar-2012 By Adam Pescod

Pub companies and trade groups have expressed their dismay at the Chancellor’s decision to maintain the alcohol duty escalator in the 2012 budget, which has resulted in a 5% rise in duty - to come into force at midnight on Sunday.

BBPA delivers beer basket to Treasury ahead of budget

19-Mar-2012 By Adam Pescod

The British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has delivered a basket of British beers to the Treasury ahead of this Wednesday’s budget as it pushes for a freeze in beer duty.

Moorhouse brewery lobbies deputy PM

19-Mar-2012 By Gurjit Degun

Moorhouse Brewery managing director David Grant said that a private meeting with the deputy Prime Minister “did not fall on deaf ears”.

MPs support calls for beer duty escalator to be scrapped

19-Mar-2012 By Michelle Perrett

More than 100 MPs have supported calls for the beer duty escalator to be suspended in the Budget on 21 March.

Sign here. Now. To save pubs

16-Mar-2012 By Pete Brown

Among the many strengths and weaknesses we have in this industry, one thing we’re absolutely brilliant at is moaning. We’re world-class moaners. Every week, the pages of this magazine are full of people complaining about stuff.

Triple Crown ale from Brains

14-Mar-2012 By Matthew Moggridge

Welsh brewer Brains has crafted a 'refreshingly moreish' ale in celebration of Wales’ Triple Crown triumph. 

SIBA announces award winners

09-Mar-2012 By Gurjit Degun

Oakham Ales, Bristol Beer Factory and Hepworth & Company have won the Society of Independent Brewers’ (SIBA) Supreme Champion Awards for cask ale, bottled beer and craft beer in keg, respectively.

A taste of India in Aylesbury

08-Mar-2012 By Roger Protz

I’m an early riser, but 7.30am means it’s time for a second pot of coffee and a quick scan of the newspaper before firing up the laptop. But as I descended from my room at the Hop Pole pub in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, at that time, Simon Smith and David...

Carling's new lower-ABV Zest

08-Mar-2012 By Noli Dinkovski

Molson Coors has unveiled 2.8% ABV limited edition Carling, and is pitching it as a alternative to popular summer drinks such as rosé and cider.

Beer and food matching: Top Tips

08-Mar-2012 By Gurjit Degun

Not enough money in the till — check. A small kitchen — check. No time — check. Little subject knowledge — check. If you were to make a checklist of reasons why you’re not matching beers with food, you’d probably come up with these.