Food & Drink

Opinion

Great British Beer Festival: the leopard is changing its spots

29-Aug-2019 By Pete Brown

Pete Brown looks at the evolution of the Campaign for Real Ale’s (CAMRA) Great British Beer Festival (GBBF)

'Market for mocktails will only increase'

28-Aug-2019 By Emily Hawkins

The popularity of mocktails shows no sign of stopping and will drive the premium drinks category, according to the founder of soft drinks supplier Peter Spanton Drinks.

Spirits producers call for financial protection

27-Aug-2019 By Nicholas Robinson

Gin, whisky, vodka and a host of other UK spirits makers have joined forces in an effort to make the new Chancellor Sajid Javid impose a freeze on spirits duty in the next Budget.

JDW will ‘slash beer prices’ post-Brexit

22-Aug-2019 By Nicholas Robinson

Beer prices will be cut at JD Wetherspoon if Prime Minister Boris Johnson can separate the UK from the EU by 31 October, the pubco’s boss Tim Martin has said.

LITTLE INTERVIEW

Pubs ‘don’t have to reinvent the wheel’ for non-drinkers

22-Aug-2019 By Emily Hawkins

Introducing a strong offer of non-alcoholic drinks is easier than pub operators might assume, according to the founder of spirit alternative supplier Stryyk.

Star introduces own wine brand

20-Aug-2019 By Emily Hawkins

Star Pubs & Bars has launched its own wine label in a bid to introduce ethical wines and expand premium options in its pubs.

Molson Coors invests £7.5m into plastic-free pledge

19-Aug-2019 By Emily Hawkins

Beer giant Molson Coors has made a commitment to remove plastic packaging from its Carling and Coors Light brands, in a multimillion-pound investment.

Bibendum boss: 'No such thing as inexpensive wine anymore'

19-Aug-2019 By Ed Bedington

The wine sector is failing to bring younger drinkers on board which could lead to a "slow motion car crash" for the category, according to Bibendum’s Michael Saunders.

What can pre-batch cocktails add to your business?

16-Aug-2019 By Rob Brown

Serving cocktails undoubtedly helps boost the bottom line, but can often take up too much time so pre-batch cocktails o¬ffer great quality at an amazing speed of serve.

Bedlam Brewery gains first listing with Mitchells and Butlers

14-Aug-2019 By Emily Hawkins

Sussex-based Bedlam Brewery has acquired its first listing with Mitchells and Butlers, with a special beer that will raise money for endangered sea turtles.

Little Interview

Busy drinkers leading low-ABV trend

14-Aug-2019 By Emily Hawkins

Co-founder of Small Beer Brewery, James Grundy, explains that low-alcohol beer has found a growing fanbase in modern pubgoers who are too busy to have a hangover the next day.

Crisp white wines are UK drinkers' favourite, survey reveals

14-Aug-2019 By Emily Hawkins

Wine has been revealed as the nation’s most widely drunk alcoholic drink, in a new YouGov survey.

Dinner time diners hardest to please, research claims

13-Aug-2019 By Emily Hawkins

Diners are hardest to please during the evening, compared to when they eat out of home for lunch or breakfast, according to research from an online reputation company.

Adult soft drinks ‘one of the UK’s fastest-growing categories’

13-Aug-2019 By Nikkie Thatcher

UK adults drinking less alcohol and opting to be booze-free has meant soft drinks sales have risen by 15.4% in five years, new research has found.

St Austell backs Long Live the Local with red brew

08-Aug-2019 By Emily Hawkins

Cornwall’s St Austell Brewery has put its support behind the Long Live the Local campaign with the release of a special-edition beer.

Real ale drinkers more likely to make friends in pub

08-Aug-2019 By Nikkie Thatcher

More than half (56%) of real ale drinkers who go to pubs have made one or more friend there, compared to a third (35%) of the general pub-going public, new research has revealed.

CAMRA bans discriminatory beers at GBBF

07-Aug-2019 By Nikkie Thatcher

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has banned beers with discriminatory names or designs at the Great British Beer Festival (GBBF).

Whisky masterclass: sponsored by Diageo

The ultimate whisky masterclass

07-Aug-2019 By Nicholas Robinson

Whisky is quickly breaking away from its long-held reputation of being a rigid, complex and confusing category, with many Brits – young and older – willing to break with said tradition.

Surrey Hills Shere Drop awarded Champion Beer of Britain 2019

06-Aug-2019 By Nikkie Thatcher

This year’s Champion Beer of Britain has been announced as Surrey Hills Brewery’s Shere Drop at the Great British Beer Festival (GBBF).

Opinion

Great for beer, great for pubs – CAMRA is in festival mood

06-Aug-2019 By Tom Stainer

The Great British Beer Festival opens its doors this week for a five-day celebration of British beer, cider and perry. Tom Stainer, chief executive, Campaign For Real Ale (CAMRA) tells us more.

Opinion

Building trust in beer and pubs

06-Aug-2019 By Sophie Atherton

When the pub and beer industry is able to offer trust to customers, the payback is often seen through loyalty

Pub gardens are the nation's favourite place for a pint

06-Aug-2019 By Emily Hawkins

A beer garden is British drinkers' preferred place for pint away from home, according to a new opinion poll.

Little interview

Adoption of non-alcoholic craft has taken ‘surprisingly little education’

05-Aug-2019 By Stuart Stone

Based in New England, US, Athletic Brewing’s founder Bill Shufelt talks possible UK expansion and the positive impact of low-and-no alcohol beer.

National express: serving your pub’s food across the country

05-Aug-2019 By Nikkie Thatcher

Once you’ve mastered operating one food business, what’s to stop you sharing this across the country? We look at how to take your kitchen national without the need to buy a new premises.

Little interview

What trends are driving the ‘slow-moving’ beer category?

05-Aug-2019 By Stuart Stone

Marston’s head of consumer marketing Louise Fleming discusses what’s fuelling lager growth and how to entice younger drinkers to the cask category.

Beer still number one drink in pubs

01-Aug-2019 By Nikkie Thatcher

Beer is still the most popular alcohol drink in the on-trade despite a general decline in consumption, new research has found.

Millennials ‘pressured’ into drinking, research claims

29-Jul-2019 By Nicholas Robinson

Millennials have declared their peers are pressuring them to drink alcohol when socialising and are five times more likely to undergo such strains than older generations.

Carlsberg’s new on-trade boss sets out future plans

29-Jul-2019 By Nicholas Robinson

There’s been a lot of change at Carlsberg UK over the past few months, including a head office reshuffle and a brand relaunch, but what’s next?

Robinsons Brewery no and low-alcohol beer sales up 59%

24-Jul-2019 By Emily Hawkins

Robinsons Brewery experienced an increase of 59% in sales of no and low-alcoholic beers and ciders this year to date, compared to 2018.

Why the future is looking rosé

23-Jul-2019 By Pete Brown

Beer writer Pete Brown has done the research at a recent trade show and it seems pink is the way to go

Shepherd Neame agrees exclusive Singha distribution deal

23-Jul-2019 By Stuart Stone

Kent-based brewer and pub operator Shepherd Neame has agreed a long-term distribution partnership with the producers of Singha.

Drinkers want flavour, small batch and variety, say London Fields Brewery

22-Jul-2019 By Gary Lloyd

Head brewer Talfryn Provis-Evans and managing director Martin Entwistle will be spearheading the relaunch of the London Fields Brewery.

Camden Town Brewery is official Arsenal beer partner

22-Jul-2019 By Emily Hawkins

Camden Town Brewery has announced its Camden Hells Lager is the official beer of Arsenal Football Club.

Fourpure Brewing opens taproom with £500k funding

22-Jul-2019 By Emily Hawkins

Fourpure Brewing has opened a new taproom in London which it said would ‘blow people away’.

Heineken names new UK on-trade boss

18-Jul-2019 By Nicholas Robinson

Chris Jowsey, who is leaving Heineken as on-trade director to join Admiral Taverns, is to be replaced by Stephen Watt.

Pink gin drinkers have ‘more than doubled’

17-Jul-2019 By Nikkie Thatcher

Gin value sales have soared by 56% in a year and the number of people drinking pink gin has more than doubled, according to new research.

Birmingham preps for week-long beer celebration

17-Jul-2019 By Nicholas Robinson

Operators and brewers across the Midlands’ biggest city are ramping up preparations for Birmingham Beer Week, which will run from 19-28 July.

Bloody Mary cocktail range to tackle 'inconsistency'

16-Jul-2019 By Emily Hawkins

A canned Bloody Mary cocktail has been launched by two friends who felt there was a gap in the market for premium versions of the cocktail in the off-trade.

Are Asian beer brands about to pour into the UK?

15-Jul-2019 By Stuart Stone

Of the 25 most valuable beer brands, the five fastest movers in the past year were all from Asia. But does this mean a greater UK presence for the likes of Kirin, Tsingtao and Harbin?

Word on the street: working with street food vendors

14-Jul-2019 By Emily Hawkins

As the stigma of unsafe street food is replaced with the notion of amazing flavours and unexplored eating possibilities, here’s how you can make the most of what’s on offer.

Hop Stuff Brewery sold to Molson Coors

12-Jul-2019 By Nikkie Thatcher

Beer giant Molson Coors has bought south-east based Hop Stuff Brewery and its Taprooms as part of a pre-packaged administration process for an undisclosed fee.

Rare collection of Macallan set to go under the hammer

12-Jul-2019 By Robert Mann

Over 1,150 bottles of whisky, including an unprecedented amount of Macallan whisky, are to be sold at auction.

Jodie Kidd named ‘Beer Drinker of the Year’

12-Jul-2019 By Nicholas Robinson

Celebrity pub owner Jodie Kidd has been named 2019 Beer Drinker of the Year by the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group (APPBG) at a ceremony earlier this week.

Joseph Holt land £1bn airport microbrewery deal

11-Jul-2019 By Robert Mann

Passengers waiting for their flight at Manchester’s new £1bn ‘super terminal’ will soon be able to enjoy a pint produced on site, following the opening of UK's first airport microbrewery.

Supermarket to take over pub with low-alcohol options

10-Jul-2019 By Emily Hawkins

Supermarket Sainsbury’s is opening a pop-up pub that will only serve low and no-alcohol drinks, in a bid to promote the category.

John Crabbie & Co releases new variant aimed at Millennials

10-Jul-2019 By Robert Mann

Edinburgh-based spirits company John Crabbie & Co has released a new single malt whisky – aimed at Millennial consumers.

Dead Man’s Fingers launches first cannabis-infused hemp rum

09-Jul-2019 By Robert Mann

Cornish spiced rum brand Dead Man’s Fingers is launching one of the drinks industry’s first hemp rums.

Glenfiddich celebrates anniversary with limited-edition bottle

09-Jul-2019 By Robert Mann

Glenfiddich is commemorating the 50th anniversary of its visitors centre with the release of a limited-edition 30-year-old single malt.

Opinion

Twisting tap: making the most of free water

09-Jul-2019 By Sophie Atherton

Beer writer Sophie Atherton explains how, with a simple twist, pubs can turn free tap water to their advantage

Northern bars represent in Top 50 Cocktail Bars 2019 list

09-Jul-2019 By Top 50 Cocktail Bars

A bar in the former steel producing town of Middlesbrough on Teesside has planted itself firmly among some of the UK’s best in the 2019 Top 50 Cocktail Bars list, proving the trend for high quality cocktails has well and truly travelled beyond the country’s...