Food & Drink

Facts on cask ale

The Cask Project

5 'flight' sized facts on beer style

By Andrew Volker, CMBC Brand Manager on Wainwright

Andrew Volker, Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company Brand Manager on Wainwright, talks about beer “style” as an important factor when thinking about cask ale.

Hells yeah: Camden Town Hells Lager has outperformed its rivals once again (credit: Getty/xavierarnau)

drinks list 2023

Craft sector is match made for Hells

By The Morning Advertiser

The craft beer category has shown its strength once again with all brands on the top 10 increasing their growth in both volume and value by at least 59%.

New products: this week's round-up features new serves from Diageo, Luscombe and Black Sheep Brewery

NEW PRODUCTS ROUND-UP

Diageo expands draught cocktail portfolio

By Rebecca Weller

This week's round-up features new products from Diageo, Luscombe and Salcombe Distilling Co., alongside a seasonal re-launch from Black Sheep Brewery, a collaborative new IPA and a unique whisky launch from Smokehead.

Drinks List 2023: top four best-selling lager in the on-trade remain unchanged (Credit: Getty/Juanmonino)

Carling remains most sold lager

By Rebecca Weller

The top four selling lagers have remained unchanged over the past 12 months, according to the Drinks List 2023.

Drinks List 2023: Smirnoff Red most sold spirit in 2022 (Credit: Getty/pjohnson1)

drinks list 2023

Smirnoff Red most sold spirit of the year

By Rebecca Weller

Smirnoff Red, Captain Morgans Spiced and Jagermeister were the top three best-selling spirits in 2022, the Drinks List 2023 has revealed.

New and old faces: There are plenty of newcomers in this year's mixer category (Getty/ invizbk)

DRINKS LIST 2023

Fever Tree headlines mixer category

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

The mixers division has made way for a whopping five new entries in this year's Drink's List, but Fever Tree still reigns supreme in top spot.

Top tips: CMBC's John Fogg outlines mistakes and advice on serving cask

The Cask Project

5 common cask mistakes

By John Fogg, CMBC technical specialist

Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company (CMBC)'s technical specialist John Fogg highlights the most common mistakes made when working with and serving cask ale.

Shots shots shots: A strong year for the vodka division (Getty/ invizbk)

DRINKS LIST 2023

Smirnoff tops vodka category

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

There’s been little changes to the vodka category, which has seen hikes in value and volume sales across all products.

Category history: why is cider rarely considered in the same echelons as Champagne or whisky, asks Molson Coors' Mark Bentley (image: Getty/Scott Mansfield)

opinion

Cider has a heritage we should shout about more

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

Molson Coors on-trade category controller Mark Bentley reflects on the history and provenance of cider and why pubs, bars and restaurants should make more of the category’s versatility.

List revealed: the top 10 selling Tequila brands have been unveiled (image: Getty/pjohnson1)

Drinks list 2023

Jose Cuervo is UK’s top selling Tequila

By Nikkie Thatcher

There has been little change in the top Tequilas sold in the on-trade in the past year compared to the previous 12 months.

Cask ale fights back: It’s all Doom… and that’s not a bad thing (credit: Getty/Peter Cade)

drinks list 2023

Who says cask is in decline?

By The Morning Advertiser

The much-maligned category of cask ale is thriving when comparing this year’s on-trade sales figures to last year’s.

Refreshing data: Coca-Cola tops soft drinks division (Getty/ pjohnson1)

DRINKS LIST 2023

Coca-Cola shines bright on soft drinks division

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

Coca-Cola, once again, pioneers in the soft drinks category with its products bagging first and second place, but there’s a reshuffling of other positions in the list.

What are the best selling drinks brands of 2022

Drinks List 2023

The Drinks List – top brands to stock in 2023

By The Morning Advertiser

This year’s Drinks List has seen great strides forward in terms of volume and value sales versus last year because the on-trade has been operating on a much better basis than during the heavily restrictive phases of the pandemic.

Business growth: the deal means Harbour's beers will be more widely available (image: Adam Sargent)

St Austell takes share in Harbour

By Nikkie Thatcher

South west-based business St Austell Brewery has taken a minority share in north Cornwall business Harbour Brewing Co.

First place: WKD Blue bags top spot (Getty/ Kanawa_Studio)

DRINKS LIST 2023

WKD Blue tops RTD category

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

VK dominates the ready-to-drink (RTD) category this year, with three products making the list, and there are also two newcomers to watch out for.

Great springboard: on-premise drinks sales up 3% in the week to Saturday 19 November vs the same week in 2021 (Credit: Getty/ The Good Brigade)

Drinks sales 3% ahead of 2021

By Rebecca Weller

Average drinks sales across Britain's managed pubs, bars and restaurants exceeded 2021 levels for a ninth successive week, the latest Drinks Recovery Tracker from CGA by NielsenIQ has revealed.

New products: this week's features includes new serves from Camden Town Brewery, Haacht, Brewpoint and Aspall Cyder alongside a new brand launch from Pull the Pin

NEW PRODUCTS ROUND-UP

Camden Town announces limited-edition Pilsner

By Rebecca Weller

This week's round-up features new products from Camden Town Brewery, Haacht and Brewpoint alongside a festive re-release from Aspall Cyder and a new drinks brand launch.

Negroni Sbagliato... with Prosecco in it: Sam Espensen bottles the drink

How to make a Negroni Sbagliato

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

Bartenders give tips on making the perfect Negroni Sbagliato after the drink’s popularity skyrocketed following a viral TikTok video.

Reasons to be cheerful: publicans explain how Heineken Silver has helped boost their sales

Promotional content

Publicans profit from growing light lager opportunity

By Heineken

Since launch in April, Heineken Silver has sold an average of 54 litres per week, per outlet[1], cementing itself as ‘one to watch’ in the lighter lager category, with more than 3,400 outlets already serving it on draught[2].

Sharp's, Shepherd Neame and Black Sheep win at International Beer Challenge 2022

the cask project

Cask ale producers scoop host of awards

By Gary Lloyd

Cask ale producers Sharp’s, Shepherd Neame, Black Sheep Brewery and Purity are celebrating after winning an array of medals at the International Beer Challenge 2022.

CMBC's Kyle Le Vins on 5 myths surrounding cask ale

The cask project

Cask beer doesn’t sell – debunking 5 myths

By Gary Lloyd

Cask ale is difficult to keep and it doesn’t sell. Those are a couple of the 5 myths Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company (CMBC) on-trade category manager Kyle Le Vins has debunked about stocking cask beer.

Unaffordable luxury: average cost of a pint sees biggest increase for 10 years (Credit: Getty/miodrag ignjatovic)

Pint sees biggest price hike in 10 years

By Rebecca Weller

The average cost of a pint of draught lager saw its biggest increase in 10 years between October 2021 and October 2022, figures released yesterday (Wednesday 16 November) by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have revealed.

Uncorked: The future of wine is glass (Getty/ Luis Alvarez)

Glass wine bottles are here to stay

By Amelie Maurice-Jones

Glass bottles are vital to the cultural “magic” of wine which needs to be protected, despite sustainability concerns, according to experts.

Operator opinion: Gav Young from the Plough and Barleycorn hits back at recent price rises

opinion

A resignation by any other title

By Gav Young, the Plough and Barleycorn, Isle of Wight

The annual pantomime of brewery price rises has begun, kicked off by the same villain that brought you two price rises this year.

Greene King launches Cask Iron Guarantee to save pubs money

GK launches Cask Iron Guarantee

By Gary Lloyd

Suffolk-based brewer and pub operator Greene King has launched a new initiative – the Cask Iron Guarantee – that gives free-trade customers the ability to claim a refund or credit for expired cask ale.

Clarity and certainty: BBPA calls for relief ahead of Autumn Statement to help sector survive difficult winter (Credit: Getty/Shaun Taylor)

Pint becoming 'unaffordable luxury'

By Rebecca Weller

The cost-of-living crisis is leading consumers to see having a pint in their local pub as an “unaffordable luxury” the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) has stated.

Bright and progressive future: former Black Sheep Brewery chair Andy Slee (pictured) to take over as SIBA chief executive from January 2023

SIBA appoints new CEO

By Rebecca Weller

The Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) has announced the appointment of its new chief executive.

New products round-up: this week's feature includes new offerings from Camden Town and Beavertown breweries

NEW PRODUCTS ROUND-UP

Camden and Beavertown release seasonal beers

By Rebecca Weller

This week's round-up features new products from Camden Town Brewery and Beavertown Brewery alongside two new hand-crafted gins and a new chai tea liqueur.

Closure notice: Oriole will shut after 31 December 2022

Top 50 Cocktail Bar to close

By Nikkie Thatcher

The founders of Top 50 Cocktail Bar Oriole have announced the venue will be closing after New Year’s Eve.

Why CMBC's Hobgoblin could help cask category

Seeking a younger market for cask

By Gary Lloyd

Cask is often associated with old men and an out-of-fashion drink but if modernising the beverage and bringing down the average age of the customer is the answer to reinvigorating the category – could Hobgoblin help the category?

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