Food & Drink

Brew regime: It turns out that you can strike up a pretty good relationship with your local wholesaler who will be happy to look after your cellar equipment, says Sam Cornwall-Jones

Guv'nor

Beat the brewer (a game for all the family and staff)

By Sam Cornwall-Jones

I was under the impression you must always have a ‘majority brewer’ on your bar so that they look after your cellar equipment, says Sam Cornwall-Jones, owner/proprietor of the Drawing Board, Warwickshire.

Soft sell: Coca-Cola Zero Sugar has enjoyed huge volume and value boosts in the past year

Drinks List 2020

On-trade sales of sugar-free Coca-Cola and Pepsi rise by £168m

By Stuart Stone

According to figures from The Morning Advertiser’s latest Drinks List, the combined sales value of sugar-free soft drinks Coca-Cola Zero Sugar and Pepsi Max rose by around 75% – or £168m – year-on-year.

Rapid rise: Heineken 0.0 has enjoyed volume and value sales increases in 2019

Drinks List 2020

Heineken 0.0 on-trade sales increase by £7.7m

By Stuart Stone

While Beck’s Blue is still the best selling low and no-alcohol beer in the UK on-trade, Heineken’s offer more than doubled both in volume and value in 2019.

Mixed cask: sales are up and down

Drinks List 2020

Top-performing cask ales in UK pubs

By Nicholas Robinson

It is not possible to replicate the cask beer experience outside the pub so if you can give customers the real thing, why would they want to even try to replicate it at home?

Highly unusual: the Portman Group said it was rare for a second ruling to be made about a product but it was necessary

Tiny Rebel can complaint upheld again

By Emily Hawkins

A second complaint about Tiny Rebel’s branding has been upheld by the Portman Group for appealing to children, with the brewery describing the decision as “not based on facts”.

Hopeful of growth: Jaega Wise from Wild Card Brewery forecasts a rise in IPA and craft lager sales

Drink Tank

Wise views on IPAs and craft lagers

By Emily Hawkins

The popularity of IPA and lager is not set to fade anytime soon, according to Wild Card Brewery head brewer Jaega Wise.

New ground: Wadworth plans for a brewery

Wadworth signals intention to build new brewery

By Nicholas Robinson

Family brewer and pub operator Wadworth has voiced its intentions to construct a new brewery, with the aim of building on and protecting its 144-year history.

Cider comeback: CGA's Paul Bolton explores how to drive the cider category forward

Drink Tank

What can turn the cider lull around?

By Alice Leader

What's threatening the cider category? Why is it in decline? How can the category be elevated? CGA’s senior client manager, Paul Bolton, tells all at The Morning Advertiser’s Drink Tank.

Consumer change: craft beer has also see a shift in drinkers of late

Drink Tank

Craft beer sales drop

By Nikkie Thatcher

The craft beer sector has seen an overall drop in volume sales, pulled down by packaged products, despite a growth in draught, data has revealed.

Top dog: BrewDog Punk IPA is the pub trade's best-selling craft beer for a second year in a row

Drinks list 2020

BrewDog Punk IPA sales increase by 19.7%

By Stuart Stone

BrewDog’s Punk IPA is still top dog when it comes to on-trade craft beer according to The Morning Advertiser’s latest Drinks List after both its volume and value increased by almost a fifth, year on year.

Crunching the numbers: an in-depth look at the best performing brands and variants in every beverage category in the on-trade

Drinks list 2020

The Drinks List: Top Brands to Stock 2020

By Nicholas Robinson

Getting to grips with data in The Morning Advertiser’s Drinks List 2019 will give operators a head start in formulating successful drinks menus.

Rum’s the word: while the overall rum market only grew marginally, excitement surrounds the category for 2020

Rum set to be next big spirit in 2020

By Nikkie Thatcher

Sales of dark and golden rums are on the rise as in the 12 months to June 2019, dark rums were worth £127m and golden rums £383m, according to a new report.

Festive spirit: operators are more likely to be able to turn people on to a different tipple at this time of year

What are 2019's biggest party drink trends?

By Emily Hawkins

Now is the ideal time to offer your customers a different drink to their usual because research shows people are more willing to experiment at this time of year.

All about the 'Gram: how to make your drink a social media star

In association with Diageo

How to make a drink Instagrammable

By Nicholas Robinson

The phrase ‘people are drinking less, but better’ is well-used, but gives the pub and bar trade something they can really use to their advantage.

Mild concerns allayed: Greene King confirmed its XX Mild ale has not been removed from its permanent brewing portfolio

GK says popular ale has not been dropped

By Emily Hawkins

Brewer and operator Greene King (GK) has confirmed that a popular beer has not been ditched from its brewing rotation despite its sale to an international property firm.

Expand palates: innovative beers can appeal to people who have previously shunned the drink says Danielle Bekker

Brewery boss urges total rethink of beer

By Emily Hawkins

The beer sector needs to look beyond its traditional understanding of the drink in order to appeal to new crowds, according to a brewery looking to appeal to wine fans.

Looking ahead: veganism remains a popular trend

Deliveroo predicts 2020 food trends

By Nikkie Thatcher

Food experts at Deliveroo have revealed their predictions for the top 10 trends next year, including the continuation of veganism, smoked ingredients and street food.

Colourless cocktails: gender-neutral range aims to provide more inclusive variety

Are gender-neutral cocktails a thing?

By Alice Leader

A new survey has revealed 21% of participants do not feel comfortable drinking certain cocktails as they feel they are better suited to the opposite gender.

Wine spill: operators could take advantage of decline in wine sales

Wine sales plummet £146m in the on-trade

By Alice Leader

Wine sales have slipped by £146m within the on-trade in the past year, with 17% of consumers saying they are drinking less wine than they were a year ago.

Cutting queues: bartenders could be unaware they are losing customers

Long queue times ‘drives customers away’

By Alice Leader

New research shows queues could be losing bartenders more customers than they realise, with the average British consumer waiting up to a whopping 12 hours a year for their cocktails.

World of choice: there’s so much more to beer and food pairings than curry and lager

Beer and food pairing: meet your match

By Emily Hawkins

We have paired wine with food for many years but beer should certainly not be ignored when it comes to such intelligent combinations.

Strike gold: the race is on for the gold reward that is hidden within a series of can labels

Beer can puzzle puts Brass Castle on the map

By Alice Leader

The labels of a series of beer cans from Brass Castle hide clues to a genuine treasure location spot – but the key is to put the labels together, make up the map and uncover the booty.

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