Food & Drink

Gluten-free beer range wins award

27-Oct-2016 By Helen Gilbert

A gluten-free range of beers was crowned the winner at The Bar & Pub Show’s inaugural 2016 Great New Idea award.

Beer

BrewDog announces bar plans for 2017

27-Oct-2016 By James Evison

The Ellon-based brewer and operator has outlined its strategy for 2017 across its bar estate with a focus on beer quality, training, greater guest ale choice and new sites.

Craft beer

Seven Bro7hers Brewery to open first city bar

27-Oct-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Craft brewery Seven Bro7hers is to open its first Manchester city-centre bar, following a £245,000 investment through crowdfunding and a Government-backed loan.

Halloween

Ghouls, spice and everything nice: how to boost your drinks offer this Halloween

26-Oct-2016 By Sara Hussein

One in five adults will be celebrating Halloween this year, according to Green King’s Leisure Spend Tracker.

CAMRA

CAMRA Revitalisation: survey for licensees released

26-Oct-2016 By Liam Coleman

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is asking for the opinions of licensees as it continues its Revitalisation process.

Ready to drink

Global Brands hits out at ASA's ruling on Hooch

26-Oct-2016 By Helen Gilbert

Global Brands has hit out at a ruling by the advertising watchdog to ban an ad that formed part of its Hooch #OutrageouslyRefreshing campaign.

Cider

Bulmers to return bottling to Herefordshire

26-Oct-2016 By Susanna Forbes

As the 2016 harvest rolls in at the cider mill in Ledbury, the bottling of Bulmers ciders has returned to its original home in Hereford.

Whisky

New Chivas blend to tap into cocktail market

26-Oct-2016 By Liam Coleman

Pernod Ricard has launched a new blend of Chivas Regal featuring five famous Speyside malts.

BEER

No animals were harmed in the making of these beers: 5 of the top vegan brews

26-Oct-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

Vegans may not yet have the collective purchasing power that gluten-free customers now wield in the pub sector, but demand for beers totally devoid of animal products is steadily growing.

BREXIT

Post-Brexit wine price fears: a storm brewing or scaremongering?

26-Oct-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

Wine experts have warned that the severe economic uncertainty left by Britain’s vote to leave the EU is likely to disrupt the UK’s wine industry and raise prices. But how tangible will the knock-on effect be on UK pubs and should licensees be worried?

Beer

16 of the world’s best beers revealed

26-Oct-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

A staggering 16 beers have been recognised by the International Wine and Spirit Challenge (IWSC) group as the world’s best.

Free-from food

Extra '£5k profit' in pubs from vegan food

26-Oct-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

A meat and dairy alternative company that is growing in popularity in UK pubs has launched a ‘joint of lamb’ and ‘chorizo sausages’ specially for eateries, following an uptick in demand for vegan and vegetarian products in pubs.

Spirits

Gin lovers to be hit by major price hike

25-Oct-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Spirits drinkers’ pockets are expected to be hit by an inflation-induced price hike, following a similar story for wine, the Wine and Spirits Trade Association (WSTA) has warned.

MEAT

Vegetarians, avert thine eyes: how meat cookery is evolving in the UK pub sector

25-Oct-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

Amidst the all-consuming talk of superfoods and health-conscious customers, you’d be forgiven for thinking meat had fallen by the culinary wayside. You’d be sorely wrong...

New Products

Charles Wells’ new Bombardier

25-Oct-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Charles Wells has produced a new lighter variant of its classic Bombardier Burning Gold and Glorious England cask variants, in an attempt to tap into craft ale drinkers and lighter, lower-ABV beer drinking consumers.

Beer

Hook Norton launches craft ale for worthy cause

24-Oct-2016 By Sara Hussein

Family-owned brewery Hook Norton has announced the launch of its latest craft ale to raise funds for Warwick Hospital’s Special Care Baby Unit, after one of its tenants gave birth to premature twins.

Legislation

Scotland backs minimum alcohol pricing

21-Oct-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Minimum alcohol pricing plans have been backed by the Scottish courts, to the dismay of the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR), which slammed the move.

Carlsberg

Carlsberg adds gluten-free craft lager to premium portfolio

21-Oct-2016 By Sara Hussein

Carlsberg UK is adding its gluten-free Czech lager Celia to its premium beer portfolio next month (Tuesday 1 November) as part of a new collaboration with Žatecky Pivovar, one of the microbreweries owned by the company.

beer

CAMRA calls on member votes for Champion Beer of Britain

21-Oct-2016 By James Evison

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has called for its members to vote for their favourite local brews to win the jewel in the real ale crown, the Champion Beer of Britain.

Cider

Shepton Mallet cider mill saved after buyout

20-Oct-2016 By Helen Gilbert

A Somerset cider mill that was earmarked for closure will remain open, it has emerged.

Drink Deconstructed

Winter mocktail: the Valencia Berry

20-Oct-2016 By Sara Hussein

Hit the frontier of winter fruits with this berry good mix

cider

Westons director named cider association chair

20-Oct-2016 By Helen Gilbert

The managing director of Westons Cider, Helen Thomas, has been elected chair of the National Association of Cider Makers (NACM) for the second time in her career.

Wine

The Wine Guide – your 101 to wine in pubs

20-Oct-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

It shouldn’t really come as a great surprise that wine doesn’t have it all its own way in the setting of a pub, but growth is singularly lacking and the perceived wisdom is that it should be doing better. In our Wine Guide we take a good look at the on-trade’s...

Beer

CAMRA delays Revitalisation project

20-Oct-2016 By James Evison

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has announced it is delaying a final decision on its Revitalisation programme until potentially 2018 – a year later than planned.

Bellfield Brewery

Bellfield Brewery first in UK to experiment with new gluten-free barley

19-Oct-2016 By Sara Hussein

A Scottish microbrewery will be the first in the UK to test a new type gluten-free barley.

beer

BrewDog plans biggest festival yet with small-batch brewers

19-Oct-2016 By James Evison

Plans for Scottish brewery-operator BrewDog’s annual ‘collabfest’ have been announced with 19 cities taking part simultaneously

Beer

Green light for Tiny Rebel Brewery expansion

19-Oct-2016 By James Evison

Welsh brewery Tiny Rebel has had plans for a new brewery and community space approved by Newport City Council.

Ale guide

Ale guide highlights town’s pub success

18-Oct-2016 By Nikkie Sutton

An ale trail guide which has been updated and relaunched, has highlighted the success of the pubs in a Leeds village.

Opinion

Pete Brown: The pleasures of the great Northwest

18-Oct-2016 By Pete Brown

Beer writer Pete Brown offers his opinion on Oregon and Washington in the US, including why the British attitude to customer service is a self-defeating stance

Craft beer

181 new beer brands registered in the UK in 2015

17-Oct-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Beer trademark registrations in the UK have hit a record high, following the continued rise in the popularity of craft beer, according to City law firm RPC.

Beer

Fuller’s launches Instagram campaign to attract Millennial drinkers

17-Oct-2016 By Nikkie Sutton

London brewer Fuller’s has launched a unique campaign involving Instagram to attract craft beer-drinking Millennials.

In association with Booker

A meatier steak in food

16-Oct-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

A keen eye for meat prices and a focus on what his customers want has led licensee Sam Dainter of the Old Court House, Dudley, to raise the food covers at his Marstons pub from just 10 a week to 1,500 in six years

In association with Diageo

The diffident bar champion

16-Oct-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

He may have experienced a meteoric rise up the ranks at the New World Trading Company, and he may be in great demand as a cocktail expert, including an appearance on TV, but Nick Whitby is still truly a modest bloke, with his feet firmly on the bar-room...

In association with Diageo

NWTC's Nick Whitby reveals secrets to success

16-Oct-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

New World Trading Company's head of bars Nick Whitby reveals his secrets to rising to the top in one of the UK's most successful pub and bar companies.

In association with Diageo

Britain's best cocktail: East by North East

16-Oct-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Inspiration for cocktails can be close to home, as demonstrated by Pleased to Meet You’s Tom Proud with his beautiful drink East by North East

Beer

Award-winning Beer Kitchen to open new site in St Andrews

13-Oct-2016 By Sara Hussein

Scottish independent brewer Innis & Gunn announced today its plans to open a third site of its bar-cum-restaurant concept, the Beer Kitchen.

Awards

Blackedge wins gold at SIBA north-west competition

13-Oct-2016 By James Evison

Greater Manchester-based Blackedge Brewing has won the overall cask beer category at the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) north-west regional beer competition.

Whisky

David Beckham chats pubs, whisky and football

13-Oct-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

International footballing superstar, underwear model and now whisky connoisseur David Beckham loves nothing more than a quiet visit to his local pub for a traditional Sunday roast, he says over a glass of his recently launched Haig Club Clubman. Nicholas...

Competition

Pubs receive free beer garden equipment from Sharp's Brewery

12-Oct-2016 By Nikkie Sutton

Sharp’s Brewery has given free beer garden equipment to 10 winning pubs as part of an exclusive competition for permanent free-trade stockists of Doom Bar.

MA Sport

MatchPint and Carlsberg to offer free pints to customers at 100 freehouses

12-Oct-2016 By Liam Coleman

Pub-finder app MatchPint is reinvigorating its previously successful partnership with Carlsberg by launching a collaborative promotion with 100 freetrade pubs in Liverpool and Manchester.

Beer

Asahi completes acquisition of Miller Brands UK

12-Oct-2016 By James Evison

Asahi has completed the deal to acquire Miller Brands UK - creating Asahi UK.

Future Trends: Spirits

Customers spend 24% more on properly-served cocktails

12-Oct-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Consumers will spend up to 24% more on a cocktail that has been served properly and to a high-standard, according to exclusive research by CGA Strategy.

Future Trends: Spirits

'Proper' training could lift spirits sales by more than £7,300

12-Oct-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Giving staff diverse training to sell spirits could increase bar profits by £7,346, reveals research by a major international training organisation.

Seasonal beer

Sophie Atherton: what does seasonal beer mean to you?

10-Oct-2016 By Sophie Atherton

Beer sommelier and writer, Sophie Atherton looked at what 'seasonal beer' means and how licensees can tap into it to make the most of the different times of the year.

Beer

Delivering the best way to pour a pint

10-Oct-2016 By Oli Gross

Drinkers in the Czech Republic know a thing or two about beer, and delivering on the best ways to pour a pint is something UK bartenders are catching on to.

BEER

Sussex brewer Harvey’s to bring back keg beers

07-Oct-2016 By Daniel Woolfson

Sussex brewer Harvey’s is to reintroduce keg beer to its portfolio of products for the first time in 15 years.

Beer

Big brewers, good or bad?

07-Oct-2016 By Nicholas Robinson

Caledonian Brewery was close to going out of existence but its acquisition by giant Heineken has given it a new lease of life and a chance to create some innovative craft beers